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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : A rather tricky HP laptop problem....
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9305 |
Hi all. Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I have not replied - this weekend was house-moving weekend, and what a bloody chore THAT was, but I'm in my new place now, and pretty much everything is up and running again, including my internet! OH yes. I have come across THAT lovely design concept a few times now, and I would not mind betting that this machine utalises that very design - so swapping the SSD for another one is impossible also, even if it were out of warranty and so cracking it open did not matter. In this case, it does, so that is a no-go, but a good idea!  Yes, the touch-pad DOES still work, BUT it is an I2C touchpad device. When you look in Control Panel/Device Manager, the pointing device is an I2C device, so it is not on the USB sub-system - so the touchpad mouse thing DOES still work. It would ALSO not be working I expect, if it was also on the USB controller chip!   Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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atmega8 Guru  Joined: 19/11/2013 Location: GermanyPosts: 722 |
Hi, you can try to pxe boot another os to further investigate the hardware. Ventoy pxe or another tool… |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9305 |
Never used PXE, so no idea how to proceed. I could certainly look it up though. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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phil99 Guru Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2135 |
That is often the case but it is also possible the I2C controller is on a USB internal port. To check:- Control Panel -> Device Manager -> View -> Devices by connection. Expand the USB Host Controller to see what is connected. |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Hi John, All, A reset in BIOS just resets the BIOS settings to default. The hardware reset just resets all hardware devices. In both cases no user data should be lost.. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| EDNEDN Senior Member  Joined: 18/02/2023 Location: United StatesPosts: 118 |
In most cases I agree with this thinking. It is the restoration of the Operating System to a factory default state that will lose the user data on the hard disk. However, if the BIOS currently has non-factory-default settings for the UEFI/Legacy_Boot options, you are likely to get in a state where you can no longer boot or get unencrypted access to the disk. I would urge being careful with the Bulk Reset options... |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6778 |
If you can't get the data off via wi-fi or ethernet then it's as good as gone anyway. Anything important should already be backed up somewhere - particularly with a laptop. This is what backups are for. If the machine goes back under guarantee it'll be lost - they won't save it. Unless a simple user-accessible BIOS switch can be found to re-enable USB then anything via USB won't work, obviously. Disassembly beyond removing obviously user-accessible screws will void any warranty and it could be cheaper to buy a new laptop than get this one fixed. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| mclout999 Guru Joined: 05/07/2020 Location: United StatesPosts: 469 |
I may have missed it but has anyone suggested you just contact tech support and ask them a few questions? They could also tell you what will or won't void your Warranty. They can authorize you to open it up in some cases with their assistance. They support the thing and have a massive database of issues they have dealt with. Start there before you go off Half cocked. I am an IT consultant and if things are not easy fixes I call Tech support. It could be easily fixed. |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6778 |
The problem isn't with getting it fixed or replaced, it's what happens to the data that's on it. Any warranty will be on the hardware - it's up to the customer to keep their machine backed up. The manufacturer's customer service will sort out the hardware while it's under warranty. Data recovery is *expensive* and, even if you pay a lot there's no guarantee that you'll get anything off it. Attempting to get the data out might void the warranty and the customer is even deeper into the wet and smelly then. They are left with a machine that might contain sensitive data and might not - they can't get it off to find out. Mechanical destruction is the only answer. On top of that they need to get a new laptop and load their last backup onto it. Providing they have one... Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| MaryB_MN Newbie  Joined: 03/08/2024 Location: United StatesPosts: 5 |
In no way will copying your data to a backup via the cloud violate the warranty. The manufacturer does NOT own your data. A simple check in bios, reset the USB to factory default... then reboot may be the fix. SIMPLE to do. BUT the seller may have password protected the BIOS, I have seen some companies do this. If they did threaten them with a lawsuit if they refuse to provide the password. ANY computer I build for a customer gets their passwords added. I keep a hard copy of them in my gun safe in case they forget or if I need to service the computer. Takes up minimal space and gives the customer peace of mind. |
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| zeitfest Guru Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 482 |
Any update - was there a fix ? |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9305 |
Hi all.  Thanks for the interest. The laptop is now in the hands of the chain store that supplied it, and I guess we are just playing the waiting game now. Nothing new to report. Once I hear something, I will let the thread know. EDIT: It was submitted back to the store, before the posts about the network/NAS backup idea were posted - which were excellent ideas that I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF.   Edited 2024-10-17 17:51 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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