So Many Issues, So Many Forums, Hope I Can Get Direction Getter

[gaby]

I have so many things happening that could fall into one of the categories, i thought this may be a good place to start:

1. Laptop #1 - purchased about 3 years ago, eligible for Windows 10 upgrade , but not upgraded
2. Laptop #2 - purchased 3 months ago from acquaintance at garage sale, 4 year old Lenovo ThinkPad 64 bit Window 7 Pro - ran okay but for backup, fine
3. Laptop #1 malfunctioned, moved backup to use and began having problems (almost concurrently, both laptops down)
4. Took to shop for diagnosis. Laptop#1 needs motherboard replaced; laptop #2 OS corrupted. Given Windows 10 Pro disk. Installed but had no drivers. With no drivers unable to access internet. Took back and shop installed.
5 Worked beautiful about 2 days. First notice uber sensitive touchpad; tried adjusting but made worse; reinstalled driver, no improvement
6.Things worsened. Internet terrible but offline, things awful too. Was going to reinstall Windows but afraid i would lose drivers. Saw reset option and was going to utilize but it says apps will be deleted and in list provided showing what is going to be deletee, drivers appear
7. Noticed that Windows not activated. Unable to activate cannot locate product ID, says prior Windows not activated. I brought used. Never had problem with #2 - never stated Windows not activated
8. Tried posting on this site but after typing 3-4 lines, would either delete or say posted. Have to use android to post.

Is there any help for me? Is not having active Windows cause of problems? . How do i not lose drivers? I could download off the internet but I'll not have

 

[Saltgrass]

It appears your Laptop #1 is toast without a new motherboard... You can probably get a new machine for not much more that the motherboard replacement would cost.

I am unclear on Laptop #2.. Was it functioning normally at first and then you did something that messed it up?

The older machines are not always supported in Windows 10. In such a case you have to depend on the Windows 10 drivers which are usually generalized and probably are not written for specific devices but should work in a partial capacity.

The other thing to consider is battery condition.

 

[Dan99]

Here is one example of a nice used or refurbished pc $170 but many are available. Just type "Used Computers" in Amazon search window.
http://www.amazon.com/Elitebook-844...=1450819937&sr=1-2&keywords=used+computers+i5

 

[gaby]

It appears your Laptop #1 is toast without a new motherboard... You can probably get a new machine for not much more that the motherboard replacement would cost.

I am unclear on Laptop #2.. Was it functioning normally at first and then you did something that messed it up?

The older machines are not always supported in Windows 10. In such a case you have to depend on the Windows 10 drivers which are usually generalized and probably are not written for specific devices but should work in a partial capacity.

The other thing to consider is battery condition.

 

[gaby]

Yes, #1 is toast. And me, being dim witted at times I was considering DIM (that's Doing it Myself but DIM pretty much tells you how silly I think sometimes). My thinking was it was broken, I couldn't break it more and a motherboard is only $60 - $100. Then, the computer shop told me that if I was unable to get it working, and if I hadn't damaged the motherboard or any other component, and they had to put it back together, it was going to run me in excess of $300, I knew that a refurbished or even new laptop would probably be the way to go. Unfortunately, I am a little too poor right now to purchase anything.

With respect to #2, the older one, it was working fine. It isn't the fastest, but it was what I had until I replaced #1. As I said, concurrently with #1 going down, #2 starts getting crazy and was diagnosed with OS corruption. That's how I got the Win 10 disk. It was suggested that maybe because #2 is older, it may not be designed to handle Win 10. But Win 10 was awesome for a few days and then I think I did a no-no. I never visited unknown sites, download from unknown sources, or left my mark where I did go, but I did and followed a link to a free program download. And being "dim" on occasion, I downloaded it. There you have it, my secret shame. When this happened, all I had running was Microsoft Essentials/Defender/Malware Bytes.

I know very little in terms of software or hardware. I would be happy to go back to Win 7 but then I don't know if I can. In the activation screen of Win 10, it says you only have 30 days to revert back. It's been more than 30 days. But then, the Win 10 I'm "running" (am I running it? If it hasn't been activated, what is running?) isn't activated. So, I am not only dim, I'm confused. Is there anything I can do to get this back to a somewhat acceptable operating order? I following instructions really well, so long as they are given as if they were provided to a kindergartner, and sometimes those even go over my head.

 

[gaby]

Thanks. I am going to have to purchase something as the motherboard issue is expensive. I am just a bit broke right now so i'm seeing if there is something I can do to fix this puppy until maybe late Jan. I hope so.

 

[gaby]

Here is one example of a nice used or refurbished pc $170 but many are available. Just type "Used Computers" in Amazon search window.
http://www.amazon.com/Elitebook-844...=1450819937&sr=1-2&keywords=used+computers+i5

Those are your quotes? Here are a couple of mine:

"Lotto winner have many new friend."
"I love DIY, but I suffer from DIM (Do it Myself) and it's proving that I am a little dim-witted sometimes."
"When you hear "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." just remember that it is at least paved."
""If to "err is human, to forgive divine, being human is a lot easier."

 

[RecumbentTim]

Those are your quotes? Here are a couple of mine:

"Lotto winner have many new friend."
"I love DIY, but I suffer from DIM (Do it Myself) and it's proving that I am a little dim-witted sometimes."
"When you hear "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." just remember that it is at least paved."
""If to "err is human, to forgive divine, being human is a lot easier."

You can post them as your signature after a very few qualifiers.

 

[Dan99]

I bet I could get all three to work if I had them here to work on for a while. It is easy to say a MB is bad or an OS is corrupted. That may not be the case. Keep trying and you may be able to do it. Right now you have too many pc's to deal with. Pick one and concentrate on fixing it. I know how confusing it can get with several to fix. My advise is to start a new post with one and provide as many details as possible about the pc and about the symptoms. There are people here who would love to help fix your pc.

 

[davehc]

I agree with Dan regarding the possibility of getting both to work again.
Your experience with No1, indicates that it is not necessarily a motherboard fault, otherwise I doubt. What were the "malfunctions" precisely?
No2. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with that one. Unfortunately, you have, perhaps, been sold a machine with a pirated OS on board. The Windows Pro disk you were given, should have come with a new key, but, (just a suggestion) if you got that disk from the same person who sold you the computer, it may have the same characteristic?
Do you have an OEM label,anywhere on the No2? This should tell you what OS was originally installed (I suspect "Home" edition), and will also have a key on it.) You should find the label either on the bottom, or, possible, underneath the battery.