Windows Vista HP G60 Laptop Screen Goes Blank

[Brannok812]

I have a three year old HP laptop running Windows 7 (64 bit) that is misbehaving. It would not boot up recently, and I believe the root was heat related issues. My son likes to use it while setting on his bed - fan gets covered up and the laptop overheats. I added some large rubber feet to the bottom to improve clearance for the fan and that has helped, to a point. The laptop will boot and I can log into my son's account. After 5-10 minutes, the screen goes blank (50% grey scale, neither bright or completely dark). At that point, nothing seems to bring the screen back, so it is unusable and a hard shut down is necessary. I have cleaned it with Malware Bytes in the past and now have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, so I think/hope any virus issues have been resolved. My suspicion is that this is heat related, but exactly what is failing I do not know. Two months ago I replaced the power jack in the laptop and the power supply because of power connection problems. The battery is shot and will not hold a charge, so the laptop can not be used unless it is connected to the power supply. Since I replaced the power supply and jack, the laptop has been functioning okay. It would crash on occasion, but I attributed that to malware. I had to purge the hard drive earlier this year and restore the system because of a malware infestation. Any help is appreciated.

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like the issues you are experiencing with your HP laptop could indeed be related to heat problems, especially considering the history of overheating and other maintenance actions you've taken. Here are a few steps you can take to diagnose and potentially resolve the current issue:

Steps to Troubleshoot the Laptop Issue:​

1. Check Ventilation: Ensure that the rubber feet you added are providing enough clearance for proper ventilation. Additionally, consider using a laptop cooling pad to help with heat dissipation.
2. Temperature Monitoring: Install a temperature monitoring software like HWMonitor or Core Temp to check the internal temperatures of your laptop. High temperatures could indicate overheating issues.
3. Clean Dust: Over time, dust can accumulate inside the laptop, blocking airflow and causing overheating. Use canned air or a soft brush to carefully clean out the vents and fans.
4. Check GPU Driver: Update the graphics card driver to the latest version. Sometimes outdated or corrupt drivers can cause display issues.
5. Run Diagnostic Tests: HP laptops often come with built-in diagnostic tools. You can run these tests to check for hardware issues.
6. Check Event Viewer: Check the Windows Event Viewer for any error messages or warnings that might provide more insight into the cause of the screen going blank.
7. Power Settings: Modify the power settings to ensure that the laptop isn't overheating due to excessive power consumption. You can set the power plan to a balanced mode to reduce stress on the system.
8. Test in Safe Mode: Boot the laptop into Safe Mode and see if the issue persists. If the problem doesn't occur in Safe Mode, it could indicate a software conflict.
   

   Considering Hardware Issues:​

9. GPU or Display: The symptoms you describe could indicate a failing GPU or display. If the screen goes blank after a certain time, it might be a hardware issue with the GPU or the display panel.
10. RAM: Faulty RAM can also cause screen freeze or blank display issues. You can try reseating the RAM sticks or testing them individually.
11. Motherboard: A failing motherboard component, especially related to graphics processing, could cause the screen issue. Given the history of malware infections and the recent reinstalls, it's also wise to keep security software up to date to prevent future malware problems. If the issue persists after troubleshooting, it might be worth consulting a professional technician to inspect the laptop for hardware faults.