In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on 8 Mar 2026 19:30:45 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Sun, 3/8/2026 12:53 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 6 Mar 2026 22:10:25 -0500, Paul
<nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

[...]

Any time you go on a repair mission, you really need to collect
model information before you go. That helps reduce the
amount of electronic crap you have to pack for the trip.

He coudln't find the model on the outside. It's on the inside of course, >> >> but getting inside is the problem.

As I mentioned umpteen times (yes, also to you):

'System Information' (msinfo32) -> System Summary -> righthand pane -> >> > System Manufacturer, System Model *and* System SKU.

With that information you go to the System Manufacturer's website and
collect all the information about the System Model and hopefully the
System SKU and go fully prepared on your trip.

And *please*, save this method for future use!

[...]

But the customer machine has no working screen.

Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!

Apology fully accepted.

I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.

But you'd forgotten that you'd forgotten, so I wouldn't call it
hypocrisy. And even if you'd rememebered, I'd just call it a double
standard. To be hypocrisy, you have to speak about YOURSElf and say
you don't forget things when you know you do

At least half the time people use "hypocrisy" they mean doouble
standard, one easy going standard for me and one hard standard for you.
Not some standard for me and then pretending I meet it when I don't.

So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.

I sort of figured that.

Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead
Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.

So after months of his being out of town, or telling me his home wasn't
ready for visitors, I finally got there this past Sunday, the 8th.

I brough a square (not wide) monitor that I'd gotten from the trash near
my house and I'm 99.9% sure it worked when I first got it, maybe 10
years ago. He said he didn't have a VGA port (after I described what
they looked like) and I figured I'd see when I got there, and this is a
amall town with no good electronics store** for 20 miles or more, so I
would sign up for Prime and buy what I needed from Amazon***. But it
turns out I only had two days and that's not enough time even for
Amazon. So I thought it was clever of me that I bought a VGA to USB
adapter at Microcenter, before I left here.

They sold two, and one insisted you needed its drivers, and how am I to
install drivers with no screen? The other, cheaper one said Plug and
Play.

I get there Sunday at 7 to his son's house, and to his house at 11, and
he can't find the computer. It's not until we're back at his son's on
Monday for dinner that his son knows where it is, at the son's house,
not his father's, but we dont' get back to my friend's house until
11:30. So I get to start at 9 or 10AM the day I want to leave at 2PM.
He does gave an HDMI port. My bad for not asking about that, but I
still would have needed an adapter.

my monitor with adapter doesn't work at all. I brought it home with me
and will see if it's no good after all.

I removed the hard drive and was getting obstacles in copying the files
and decided to do it at home and mail him the flash drive. Another post
will descirbe the obstacles and that is windows 11 so I'll include them.
I live in a townhouse with no garage and I park next to other cars. 10
years ago I found the monitor I've been trying to use at the place where
I and 2 or 3 others leave their trash. The monitor had not left my
house since I got it. Tuesday night, when I went to take in my empty
trash can that I had set out with recycling, I found next to it a space
heater and a 24" TV, that can be connected as a monitor. Quite a
coincidence. Almost eerie.


***There is a Costco whose webpage says they sell this part, but they
don't have stuff like this in stock. They mail it and it takes 2 or 3
days.

**Google maps shows 10 electronics stores but they are all from repair
shops where IF he has the part and IF he's willing to sell it, it will
be twice the price.... all the way up to kiosks in malls which sell
phone cases but tell google they are electronics stores.

[...]

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 8 Mar 2026 19:18:05 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Sun, 3/8/2026 3:30 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

But the customer machine has no working screen.

Oops! Sorry, I forgot about that! My apologies to Micky!

I guess that's kind of a hypocritical one: Complaining to somebody
else about him forgetting things, while forgetting something yourself.
So contrary to popular belief, that kind of proves I'm human.

Well, assuming the owner has a smartphone/tablet/etc., perhaps instead
Micky could let the owner make photos of the sides of the laptop and
send those to Micky.

[...]

There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.

No brand name. There was a tag number, a term afaik only Dell uses, and
from that I could find the model and even repair/disassembly
instructions, but they were sort of obvious anyhow

My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the >serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.

And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,

This wone Dell described as "expired" I think the word was, 11 years
ago. So no one is going to want to use it, especisally if it required a separate monitor There are not may recycling places listed for
computers, but one is only 2 miles from me in Baltimore. He's closed in
the winter! Cleaning my spare badroom I found that I have 3 FAX
machines. One is so beautiful I can't bear to part from it even though
I send only one fax a year and I receive none. But I think I should
keep it anyhow. I don't know if this guy accepts fax machines. He
won't take monitors.

for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap.
The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.

Paul

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on 9 Mar 2026 11:23:32 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

Paul wrote:

There must be *something* printed on it. Marketing, after all.

Yes, 'something', but not neccessarily something useful.

Our past HP laptops had some scriblings/stickers, on the bottom or/and
in the compartiment of the (then still) user-removable battery.

This did have a removeable battery, which I will find a place that
recycles it (the lobby of Best Buy, I think) but inside was no label.

But my current HP laptop has nothing useful on the outside (and no
battery compartiment), only 'hp' (Duh!) twice and 'PAVILION' (the
Series) at the bottom of the lid (only visible when closed, I didn't
even know it was there). That narrows it down to a few thousand possible >models! :-(

The laptop, minus the bottom cover, is in the trunk of my car. I will
look again but I think it had nothing on it!

My laptop has a "plate" on the surface, with the details
of what it is (Aspire 1234-5678 or similar). And that is the
kind of plate they use in computer stores, on the computer table,
to make product more recognizable. On the bottom, is a sticker with the
serial number and the model number. Those stickers can
get scraped off, if the laptop is used on rough surfaces.

Yes, some manufacturers do a better job of labeling their products.

What I find amazing is tha I can no longer see who makes a car! and
certainly not what model is. I don't know what all the insigia are and
you can only see them from the front, not the other 3 sides when you are
in traffic. And the model, forget it. They used to write it on the
rear and both sides, as advertising or bragging. I know that gas
mileage concerns made them stop using the chrome letters, but what about
decals or paint. I'm trying to pick out my next car and none of the
old models suit me, so when I see a model I like I'd like to know the
make and model.

I just bought a small emergency radio and that has a nice sticker on
the back in a slightly recessed area, so less likely to be scraped or
peeled off. Even came with a real printed manual with readable size
fonts! :-)

And my laptop has the usual VGA connector of the era,
for optional output. I have one monitor now, which is
HDMI only, that would make connecting the laptop to it
a particular nuisance. Going VGA to HDMI can't be cheap

The usb to vga adapter was $24. $37 for the one that needed drivers but
it offered 3 options. In this case Amazon had them for 15 or even 10,
but I didnt' have time after I thought of gettin one in advance.
.

The problem at the computer store, is that was one of
the few LCD monitors where there was actual stock and
you would not have to buy the "demonstrator" unit.

Indeed, by making (good quality) photos of the sides (and rear if
applicable) of the laptop in question, one should be able to recognize
which ports it does (not) have. If the ports also have symbols/text next
to them, it's even easier.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Mon, 9 Mar 2026 16:31:40 +0000, "J. P.
Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

I often quite like getting the "demonstration" unit - (a) I know it
works, (b) I can sometimes haggle a bit off the price. Sure, they may
not be able to find the manual, but if it's _fairly_ new I can usually
find that online (and - unless it's a scanned copy, unlikely for newish
- I then have something searchable).

My friend bought a new car. HIs manual is over 700 pages long. He was
quite happy when I pointed out he could download a searchable digital
copy, for free.

(If they can't find the manual/box
that tells them, I may even be able to wangle extra cables that weren't >actually included!)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.13
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)