Desperately need computer help...

Farrah Nuff said:
Use a thumb drive and get a free copy of Linux. That will let you get online pretty easily on your laptop. Do a google search for linux mint USB and also for lost Win 10 admin password.
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Actually, Linux mint is what's on this laptop, but laptop is around 20 years old which is why I can't do much with it without the updates. The person who gave it to me doesn't remember the admin PW (and is not near my location) and I never asked for it.
 
JaniceM said:
Actually, Linux mint is what's on this laptop, but laptop is around 20 years old which is why I can't do much with it without the updates. The person who gave it to me doesn't remember the admin PW (and is not near my location) and I never asked for it.
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That's okay, if you use a USB drive to boot from then you'll be bypassing the hard drive which is what you want to do since you don't know the admin password. Get Linux Mint for free here - https://linuxmint.com/download.php

There are instructions there that will tell you how to install it. Since your laptop is so old, I'd suggest that you get the 32-bit version and the Xfce distribution. That will give you the lightest installation. Not tough on an old computer. You also could try booting up your desktop from the USB as well, once you have it in hand.
 
JaniceM said:
won't load :(
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it says this -



You can reset your password following the next steps:
  1. Reboot your computer / Turn your computer on.
  2. Hold down the Shift key at the start of the boot process to enable the GNU GRUB boot menu (if it does not show)
  3. Press ESC at the GNU GRUB prompt.
  4. Press e for edit.
  5. Use the Arrow keys to highlight the line that begins with kernel and press the e key.
  6. Go to the very end of the line and add rw init=/bin/bash
  7. Press Enter and then press b to boot your system.
  8. Your system will boot up to a passwordless root shell.
  9. Type in passwd yourusername
  10. Set your new password.
  11. Restart your system.
 
I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I never bothered with the monitor's off/on button, just left it on and logged off entire system.. but when it's not working (like now) the off/on button flickers green-gold instead of staying solid green like it should.
I tried pressing it, but it doesn't make a difference.
 
SeniorBen said:
Try another monitor with it to see if that solves the problem. If you don't have an extra monitor laying around, you could use your TV, proving it has the right port and you have a cable that will connect. Or you could connect your monitor to the laptop to see if it works. Or you can just go to a computer shop or BestBuy and let them diagnose it, which they might do for free if you buy something from them.
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This is what I think too.
 
JaniceM said:
I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I never bothered with the monitor's off/on button, just left it on and logged off entire system.. but when it's not working (like now) the off/on button flickers green-gold instead of staying solid green like it should.
I tried pressing it, but it doesn't make a difference.
Click to expand...
Could be a bad monitor, could be that your computer isn't booting up for whatever reason so there's no signal to be sent to the monitor. From here I've given you my best ideas. 🍀Good luck!
 
MarkinPhx said:
With that being said, if your monitor happens to be connected to a stand alone video card then there should be another port which you could connect your monitor to. This would connect the monitor up to your onboard graphic card and hopefully that would work.
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I like this too.
Also could you not hook up your monitor to your laptop (if it’s old enough too) to see if the monitor works on it?
 
Not sure if anyone is still in this thread, but I think my last post there summed up the cause of the problem.. and I've been so exhausted and stressed that this didn't occur to me til this morning: while the updates that occur too frequently could very well be causing the issue in general, when I finally got internet access and was able to use the computer throughout much of Wednesay, trying to shut down resulted in seeing something like 'applying updates and then shutting down,' BUT as the process went on and on and on and didn't shut down I simply turned the whole thing off at the power bar.

Yesterday I tried with no luck to get it up and running for more than 12 hours. It's doing same thing this morning: monitor mainly black, occasionally flickering the brand logo. I tried the tips, but nothing worked.

Might this new info be useful in figuring out how to fix the problem?
 
I was told by a reliable AI tech to turn off updates, but on the version this laptop is running of Widows 10 you can only "delay" the updates. I tried to stay ahead of it, but finally gave in and let it update. I did let it continue until it finished. I have had no problems so far. Maybe there is a way to continue the updates ( anyone )?

Here is what google 2022 says about interrupting the updates :

Is it safe to interrupt Windows Update?


You should never shut down your device to stop the update in progress. This can cause serious damage to Windows and make your computer unusable. When the process finishes, you can either uninstall the update or use Windows 10's rollback option to set your computer back to the previous version.

What happens if you interrupt a system update?


The system may become unbootable and can't run due to incomplete system file restore, which corrupts the system files and makes them unbootable. Your computer may be paralyzed or bricked: Any accidental interruption or power outages may hamper the System Restore process, leaving the device paralyzed or bricked.

Can I stop a Windows 10 update in progress?


Click on Maintenance to expand it and press "Stop maintenance" if you want to put a stop to Windows 10 update when it is in progress.

 


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