Desperately need computer help...

JaniceM said:
There seems to be a lot of info saying Windows 10 updates often cause this problem. I tried some of the tips (also mentioned in this thread), didn't work.
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If you want to test this, find the date of the update, then
go into your admin tools and revert your system to a date,
before the update, that will take you back to the time when
it still worked.

Switch off the automatic updates before you go back, or
before you start using the machine as normal, get a copy of
the update number and always refuse to update that particular
one.

Good luck.

Mike.
 

Mike said:
If you want to test this, find the date of the update, then
go into your admin tools and revert your system to a date,
before the update, that will take you back to the time when
it still worked.

Switch off the automatic updates before you go back, or
before you start using the machine as normal, get a copy of
the update number and always refuse to update that particular
one.

Good luck.

Mike.
Click to expand...
I know the last update was Wednesday night.. but how can I get to admin tools or anything else when the screen is black and I can't see/access anything?
 
JaniceM said:
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?
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My suggestion about plugging your monitor into your laptop (if you can) was to check to see if it was the monitor or the computer.

My partner had an older computer and had this happen to him a few months ago. Monitor stopped working but thought it was the monitor but we found out the computer via the windows 10 they said they were not going to support his system. No update/upgrade was going to fix it. He had to get a new computer but he was able to keep his monitor.
 

Wontactmyage said:
My suggestion about plugging your monitor into your laptop (if you can) was to check to see if it was the monitor or the computer.

My partner had an older computer and had this happen to him a few months ago. Monitor stopped working but thought it was the monitor but we found out the computer via the windows 10 they said they were not going to support his system. No update/upgrade was going to fix it. He had to get a new computer but he was able to keep his monitor.
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Odd thing about the PC (tower part) is it required a different type of cord to connect it to the monitor, it's not compatible with either laptop or old monitor. And whatever cord I originally had to connect monitor to old computer was lost or thrown out somewhere along the way.
 
JaniceM said:
Odd thing about the PC (tower part) is it required a different type of cord to connect it to the monitor, it's not compatible with either laptop or old monitor. And whatever cord I originally had to connect monitor to old computer was lost or thrown out somewhere along the way.
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The monitor has its own cable. On the older laptops the had monitor port that had the same male/ female connector. This is a picture where you can plug in your monitor on a lap top. Hope this helps.
 

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JaniceM said:
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.

Might this new info be useful in figuring out how to fix the problem?
Click to expand...
You need to let Windows complete it's update, and not shut it off in the middle.

You can't have it updating and then, in the middle, shut it off so that the update is incomplete. As Paco Dennis mentioned at Comment #75:

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's the big deal about leaving it on, anyway?
 
Devi said:
You need to let Windows complete it's update, and not shut it off in the middle.

You can't have it updating and then, in the middle, shut it off so that the update is incomplete. As Paco Dennis mentioned at Comment #75:

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's the big deal about leaving it on, anyway?
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Shutting it off while it's updating is something I'm not in the habit of doing. I just got impatient when it seemed like it was taking forever, and it was getting late (at night). However, this problem has been occurring for the last couple of months, so while my mistake may have made it worse this time it wasn't the entire cause.

As for leaving it on, I've had a lot of trouble with hacking, and as I occasionally see threats and unrecognized files when I scan, and somehow these even occur during the nighttime when the computer isn't on and isn't connected to the internet, it's an ongoing worry.
Second, I've noticed times I did leave it on and running only for an hour or so while I went to the store, it went completely idle so I needed to restart it again anyway.
But while I was tempted to leave it on Wednesday night anyway, 'severe thunderstorms' were predicted, and I don't like to have electronics plugged in much less on during storms. There's no guarantee that my old powerbar would provide enough protection to prevent equipment failure.
 
It would also help to run a decent anti-virus program, watch what websites you visit and what links you click on (on websites or in your email program), and get a decent UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Otherwise, you'll run into the same problems.
 
I'm not sure if this is relevant or not, but occurred to me:

The off/on button on monitor doesn't work, I've never used it. However, I noticed that when the entire system goes on normally it's usually when I turn on the monitor at the powerbar, do nothing til its light eventually turns solid gold and screen says 'no signal;' I press power button on PC tower, and everything goes on the way it should.

Does this mean anything?

During the last 3 days I've not been able to get it all up and running, though, even leaving the monitor on for a couple of hours doesn't accomplish anything.
 
With hit-and-miss and persistence, it finally started up! (I now have to wait 2 hours because log-in was disabled from shutting it off/on so many times).

I can't access it on this laptop, but long ago I found a Windows10 forum.. would anyone know the url so I can check it out and maybe somebody there can provide some info to prevent this problem from happening again?
 
JaniceM said:
With hit-and-miss and persistence, it finally started up! (I now have to wait 2 hours because log-in was disabled from shutting it off/on so many times).

I can't access it on this laptop, but long ago I found a Windows10 forum.. would anyone know the url so I can check it out and maybe somebody there can provide some info to prevent this problem from happening again?
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1668355890930.jpeg
 
JaniceM said:
With hit-and-miss and persistence, it finally started up! (I now have to wait 2 hours because log-in was disabled from shutting it off/on so many times).

I can't access it on this laptop, but long ago I found a Windows10 forum.. would anyone know the url so I can check it out and maybe somebody there can provide some info to prevent this problem from happening again?
Click to expand...
That's a bit vague, really. There are hundreds of Windows 10 forums. Google it yourself and find what applies.

https://windows10forum.com/from_long_ago
 
My desktop has been exhibiting the same kind of problems. I've been looking at replacements for a couple months. Windows updates are particularly troublesome. It can take hours. Sometimes I turn off the system and it finishes, sometimes I have to turn off the system several times, and then the tower turns on, but just sits there not doing anything. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm on Windows 8 and that won't be usable after January. Computers wear out, some faster than others. I've had good luck with this one for many years (Lenovo). I've had good luck with my first Dell which lasted too long, and eventually needed to be replaced, because it was so out of date. I've had bad luck with Cyberpower and IBuyPower, neither of which lasted more than 2 years. I'm ready for a new one. It's hard to know what the best brand is. Good brands come and go. I'll probably buy another Lenovo. This last one was a real powerhouse and delivered much more than I expected and more than what the specs made me think I would get.

I can't help you Janice. Hell, I can't even help myself, but you have my empathy.
 
JustDave said:
My desktop has been exhibiting the same kind of problems. I've been looking at replacements for a couple months. Windows updates are particularly troublesome. It can take hours. Sometimes I turn off the system and it finishes, sometimes I have to turn off the system several times, and then the tower turns on, but just sits there not doing anything. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm on Windows 8 and that won't be usable after January. Computers wear out, some faster than others. I've had good luck with this one for many years (Lenovo). I've had good luck with my first Dell which lasted too long, and eventually needed to be replaced, because it was so out of date. I've had bad luck with Cyberpower and IBuyPower, neither of which lasted more than 2 years. I'm ready for a new one. It's hard to know what the best brand is. Good brands come and go. I'll probably buy another Lenovo. This last one was a real powerhouse and delivered much more than I expected and more than what the specs made me think I would get.

I can't help you Janice. Hell, I can't even help myself, but you have my empathy.
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What do you mean W8 won't be useable? I never had that version, but know W7 still works. Slower than all heck, but still functional.
 
JaniceM said:
What do you mean W8 won't be useable? I never had that version, but know W7 still works. Slower than all heck, but still functional.
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What FarrahNuff said. Support ends this January. But actually more. Eight will still work, but will be wide open to virus attacks, because support, i.e. upgrades, are done whenever Microsoft finds a new hack and then closes the door to further intrusions. It probably changes other things too in the name of "improvements," which are unnecessary as far as I'm concerned. I can upgrade to Windows 11 of course, well probably I can; I think my computer may handle it, but I haven't bothered checking. However, I'm up for a better computer because my current one is acting funky, so that's how I'm going to deal with it.

Microsoft has been messaging me every time I open their browser to upgrade now or... <insert skull and crossbones>. I read that a lot of people don't upgrade when Microsoft stops supporting an older version of Windows, but that's a good way to catch and spread viruses. Maybe that's true, I'll take them at their word.
 
JustDave said:
Microsoft has been messaging me every time I open their browser to upgrade now or... <insert skull and crossbones>. I read that a lot of people don't upgrade when Microsoft stops supporting an older version of Windows, but that's a good way to catch and spread viruses. Maybe that's true, I'll take them at their word.
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You could also just get a free version of Linux as an alternative.
Linux Mint is similar in many ways to the Windows experience.
 
Farrah Nuff said:
You could also just get a free version of Linux as an alternative.
Linux Mint is similar in many ways to the Windows experience.
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I never had any problems with hacking when I had Linux.. difficulties only started when I got a couple of computers with Windows.
In my opinion (and other people's), Linux is superior.
 
JaniceM said:
I'd wondered if my PC problems would be solved if I could replace Windows with Linux.. but I have no idea how to do it.
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You can download Linux Mint XFCE free onto a DVD or USB, but using windows could make that difficult.
An alternative is to get a ready to use DVD or USB <-- (my preference) from Ebay, and then just follow the instructions.

@JustDave - You can install and dual boot both Linux and Windows on the same computer.
 

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