[wannabe1]

Can you post me a current screen capture of the Device Manager>

Start - Control Panel - Device Manager

[Sophia L]

Sure! Here it is: http://s960.photobuc...rscreenshot.jpg

[Sophia L]

Forgot to mention: screenshot does NOT work. Had to use the snipping tool.

[Amlak]

Hey, Sophia. Get rid of those last two screenshots you have showing your s/n and product key. Something tells me it's not a good idea to do so.

[Sophia L]

Amlak, on 15 May 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Hey, Sophia. Get rid of those last two screenshots you have showing your s/n and product key. Something tells me it's not a good idea to do so.

Thanks for saying this! I had a little bit of worry when I first posted it but thought if the gurus tell me... I don't think the gurus still need it now, anyway. Appreciate the common sense and the reminder.

[Amlak]

Sophia L, on 15 May 2012 - 08:25 AM, said:

Good morning! The only difference I see (and that may be temporary, as the slight ringing that was gone for a day is back) is that when I go through ESC. from HP to Windows, the left side start window doesn't pop up all by itself. Everything else, including the clicking being disabled until I go through ctrl+alt+del is the same.

I just noticed this.

What's the ringing like? Does it do beeps sort of like a Morse code? And when does the ringing occur exactly? Or is it random?

[Sophia L]

Amlak, on 15 May 2012 - 09:06 PM, said:

I just noticed this.

What's the ringing like? Does it do beeps sort of like a Morse code? And when does the ringing occur exactly? Or is it random?

The ringing used to be deafening when I would turn the computer on. This is gone now. Now, it doesn't even happen every time, but when it does it's fairly light and does sound a little like Morse code. It happens when it goes from HP to Windows. If you want me to be even more specific - I'll reboot*** to check whether it happens before or after Microsoft status bar. Also, Ctrl+M works about 80% of the time. Right now, I am not able to start a new line or a new paragraph because of it. Also, as I was writing this post, I stopped for a second and after that, when I put the cursor by "80", the page and the cursor scrolled down maybe 50 lines. I regained control over it, only after going through PREVIEW twice.

And now, suddenly, Ctrl+M works again... How odd.

So what do we do now, guys? Or are we waiting for the new keyboard first? ===================================================================

***Just rebooted. The ringing is exactly like Morse code and begins when the word Windows comes on screen, continues when the desktop comes on and when the little circle is spinning. After the spinning circle goes away (not too fast) the ringing stops and I have no control over clicking on anything.

[Amlak]

Do you have a mobile phone turned on or any similar device that's located near your laptop when the ringing occurs. You're saying it happens randomly and that it's light. That might be some mobile phone or something triggering the laptop to make these light sounds. But then again it could be purely the laptop itself.

Is there a pattern to the ringing when it occurs? Or does it vary every time?

Yeah, let that keyboard come to you and we'll see if anything positive happens.

[Sophia L]

This is not mobile phone related, 100% positive.

[wannabe1]

My apologies, Sophia, for disappearing on you for a time. The business I run unexpectedly got very much busier than usual...many large projects starting nearly simultaneously. It may be like this for a few more days, though I suspect to a lesser degree.

I would definitely like to see how the machine behaves with an external keyboard. Failing keyboard/touchpads can cause all kinds of weird problems. Sometimes it's just the cable that connects the keyboard to the motherboard...sometimes it's the device itself.

In the meantime, please download and run WinAudit on your machine. WinAudit will be a .zip file, so you will have to extract it to run it. Save the report it generates as a PDF document and email to me as an attachment. This report will contain some personal information (product keys, ip address, etc...) so please only use your email for this...do not attach it to a post here. The report will also contain a great deal of system information that may shed some light on the odd behavior. I will PM you with my email address.

Once again, my apologies for the delay in getting back to you.

@ Amlak...nice catch on the images earlier...thanks.

[Sophia L]

No apology necessary. I'm just glad you haven't given up on me yet. Business got busier? Things could be worse...

I will run the test tomorrow. Thanks for finding the time for me.

Last night the laptop felt unusually hot at some point. Not having a laptop fan I... (don't kill me but you're welcome to laugh at me) ...I put an ice pack under it. It seemed to work great. Crazy(moi), bad for the laptop or OK?

[wannabe1]

I've looked over the WinAudit report and have found nothing that would cause the keyboard issues. The correct drivers are installed and the device shows that it should be working. I'm leaning towards the keyboard itself being the culprit.

That said, I also saw in the report that the Chrome browser is throwing a lot of application errors. Do you use the Chrome browser much? If you don't, it might be a good idea to uninstall it. If you do use Chrome, I'd suggest uninstalling it, rebooting, and reinstalling.

Let's see if the external keyboard brings any joy to the situation...

[Sophia L]

Thank you! I do use Chrome all the time, so I'll uninstall and reinstall, though it was installed new after everything was wiped clean. I actually ordered this replacement keyboard http://www.amazon.co...ils_o00_s00_i00 and have a friend who is willing to help me install it. Just got notified that it shipped today, so hopefully\y I'll have it in a day or two.Since in one of the tests the temperature was somewhat higher than normal (as I was told), should I also spring for a new fan? (about 16-18 bucks) I sometimes hear it working hard (if I am correct to assume that that would be the only part I would hear). I don't think my friend loves me enough to disassemble the laptop twice... so I better do it at the same time. I don't want to just buy it if I won't benefit from it, so I'll follow your advice either way. Thanks for looking through that long report! Edit: I found this one http://www.amazon.co.../ref=pd_cp_pc_1 $11.33 delivered. Or... maybe I just need to clean the existing fan, like CompCav suggested when I was working with him. What say you?

[Sophia L]

GPU 62C
HDO 51C
TEMP1 58C
CORE 0 56C (this one and the one below were 54 and went up 2 degrees while I was writing this and are now 54 again)
CORE 1 56c

[Sophia L]

Knock knock... Anybody there? After I posted the last comment, I wanted to see what would happen if I did something that takes a lot of power. I played poker on Zynga (a lot of video, animation etc.). The Automatic Fan Speed in SpeedFan was on and still... The temperatures went very quickly to 69, 54, 80, 79, 80! Even the touchpad was very hot. What can cause that? Once my keyboard gets here, I will ask the friend who's been dragged into helping me to clean the fan as well. Anything else that could be done while we have it dissected? Right now, after sitting unused for about 16 hours, the temps are, with Chrome on and after about ten minutes of use:56, 45, 53, 52, 52.