Computer help forum: Unstable PC

What model do you have? I have same problem with dv7-1183cl. There was a class action and settlement but hp said mine was not partof it. I am thinking about doing small claims case.a

" NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT "

This GPU is like having a hot rod engine in your family car. It's great but should require maintenance on a regular basis such as canned air every few months. It may require service to clean the heatsinks, apply compound at about 2 years. Figure this model would have been popular for it's gaming capability but some buyers were not warned about the maintenance (unless they came here?)

Nothing seems amiss with this one having issues to me.
Bob

I had read somewhere that the dv6000 and dv7's with nvidia 9600 chip set were almost the same with the overheat issue. Do you have input about that? You said unless they came here? Where is that? i am able to use laptop with external monitor at the present. Any advise?

The dv6000 issue is a sad collision of chip+board design and the move to Pb free manufacturing. Those might have lasted longer with a little Pb in the solder as well as your regular laptop maintenance (which I fear most owners never knew about till it failed.)

The comment about the external monitor changes my diagnosis. It does not change my thoughts about the maintenance. Failed LCD panels are very common with a failed back lit system being very common. Repair runs a few hundred for the back light. But without seeing the unit and diving in (you can see how at the CNET Laptop Troubleshooting Forum stickies) you can't be sure till you get inside.

I advise you keep your files safe, keep the vents clean and in the case of such a hot rod laptop, reduce the canned air interval down to 3 months.
Bob

Thanks for your help. I will try a new lcd panel and the canned air.

Since we last spoke I noticed that on rebooting I get an error message that says "no graphics device found". I think this shows the problem is the graphics device and possibly not thje monitor. What is your opinion?

This machine is following the same trajectory as others with that chipset and design. Failures are not always the same so the unseasoned tech might think it's this or that but you know to do what you can with cleaning, heatsink compound and advise they keep their files safe for the day when the end happens.

I'm guessing you wanted other news.
Bob

I was unaware of the design flaw with this laptop. This is the first time that I've owned the PC that I've experienced any problem. I will research the h/w issue more fully. Thank you.

needs to be updated/upgraded. Therefore, the Device Driver for your Graphics/Video chipset is not being understood by the old embedded programming of the rest of the Laptop's Mainboard(Bios program).

Try a rollback of the driver to its 2006 original generic Vista driver and, then, download + install a legacy driver from no later than 2009 to see if the PC will start acting a little smoother now.

Did you install the Device Driver that came with this HP monitor? Must have been included within the packaging of such unit. If not, use HP Support to get that specific driver.

Sometimes, no new bios and can not afford to buy a much newer Laptop = Sacrifices in being up to date with the information devices available to you, are in order.

Hope this helps grandiosely.

But the dv6000/9000 and tx1000 issues continue to be more along the lines of nothing but bad news.

Example search about this? -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEpnqhRYGLw

The problem is that this issue tends to come back even after such fixes. And given this unit's propensity for failures I suggest we spread the word to avoid this model. It can be a little too cheap for some to pass up.
Bob

by their respective owners.

The unit was so dirty and, almost,so worn out looking I was freaking out. The fan was brown of dirt, the CPU was covered with common house dirt.

All it took is a good clean up + proper reconnection of all wires/parts and, finally, a cold boot, bypass components testing, tell it to make a normal Windows load and, once on the sign-in screen just make a proper shut-down of the overall Laptop.

This is no joke people. My mother's desktop was as clogged up like this, also. Never seen this in all the years and decades of PC desktop computing, ever. Maybe a wee bit of brown dirt at the edges of the CPU fan but, never that bad. Never seen that on an expansion card's fan ever.

Good Link Bob! Too bad I can not see the people's faces when they will see that video!

I used to write to use the canned air every year. Now I'm writing every 6 months. Folks can extend most of their gear's life by keeping it clean.

But why should the maker tell the user this? That is, if one maker writes how to maintain the machine and the next does not, a consumer may get the idea that the one that didn't write about maintenance must make a better product!
Bob

I will check on the date of the BIOS, but I believe it's been upgraded in the last 2 years. I did install the driver that came with the new monitor. Thanks.

The problem is very well known. Please supply make and model so folk can offer more information.

It is an HP dv6500 laptop with nvidia GeForce 7150M /nForce 630M adapter. The PC has 2 gb RAM.

It's not the BIOS.