101

No one: Laptop. Could this be hardware or software related? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Gemini24601@lemmy.world to c/mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world

41 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This has happened 3 times in the past 2 days, any advice? It goes away after reboots but always comes back.

Update: So it could be GPU death, how exciting, especially for a 1.5 year old laptop. As of now it hasn’t terribly affected my workflow, but if this persists even after future kernel/driver updates, it may be rip. I am still hopeful that it could be software related, but time will tell!

This one is a little more interesting

Update 2: I was using Windows for testing purposes, and it happened again! This was immediately after picking the laptop up, so it is definitely hardware related. This time it made a horrible noise as well, answering some of the questions. So somehow by picking the device up, maybe the internals are slightly bent, causing the issues?

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[-] whodatdair 59 points 3 months ago

Usually a sign of a dying gpu. Used to work in a laptop repair shop.

[-] whodatdair 4 points 3 months ago

Does it continue playing sound when it does this? That supports the gpu theory if so.

Also, next time it does this see if plugging an external monitor in displays anything. If it’s the same pattern it’s probably the gpu, if not possibly monitor or cable.

[-] Gemini24601@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

I haven’t ever been playing media when it happens, so I’m not sure. Also yes, I have tried plugging in external monitors, or trying to ssh in, but none work. It’s as if the computer freezes as well.

[-] whodatdair 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Honestly it might still just be the SOC failing - when I worked in hardware repair most laptops had separate chips for each but now tech has progressed to have them both on one “system on a chip”. So back in my day if it was gpu the cpu might keep humming along while the gpu was fried, but that’s less relevant now-a-days.

Sorry bro, I’d say back anything you give a shit about up because she’s probably on the way out. If my experience holds, even with the single chip boards - eventually it’ll artifact like this every boot and you’ll be digging out the hard drives to get at your files.

In your shoes I’d recommend fucking with the drivers and your OS, it’s still possible that it’s the drivers are interacting with the hw wrong and causing the issues, but in reality that’s a long shot. Also run memtest86 overnight one night and see if maybe its the ram?

If it does die and you’re feeling hack-y, the dude who suggested an oven reflow is not wrong. If you manage to figure out getting the motherboard out (make sure no plastic that could melt!!) and put it in the oven at reflow temp, you might revive it. If picking the laptop up and twisting the body slightly can cause the crash, it’s almost definitely soldier joint issues.

Are the fans doing anything under normal load? If it’s not moving air at all that’s cause for concern too. Dead fans mean thermal issues, which can cook chips.

Oh one last edit, check how long the warranty is - fucky soldier is a manufacturing defect.

Best of luck brother, sorry for the shitty news.

[-] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 3 months ago

The mouse cursor showing up correctly rules out a physical connection issue to the screen.

What is supposed to be on the screen right now? Is it just the deskop, an app, a game... ? That might provide more insight.

But I'd guess a hardware issue off the bat. Something with the GPU, or perhaps more specifically with VRAM.

[-] Gemini24601@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

The current picture is of a browser (Floorp).

[-] kusivittula@sopuli.xyz 19 points 3 months ago

looks like you did a sudo ▓░▒

[-] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Never do a sudo psi thundershock

[-] Zorsith 19 points 3 months ago

GPU is dying.

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah that gpu is deep fried.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

[removed by mod]

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 months ago

Don't put it in the oven. Chances are it will just die at that point.

[-] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 3 months ago

Also it will release fumes that you don't want near your food.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Or maybe you do depending on who you are

[-] pixelscript@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago

I assume the reflowing solder in the oven trick doesn't reliably work anymore in the era of the high temp solders that are common in laptop manufacturing these days. Bringing the whole board up to flow temp in something as crude as a home oven is almost certainly going to fuck something else on the board.

I recall trying to do a laptop repair with dinky little soldering iron I got at the hardware store and it could not melt a single thing on the board I touched it to. Definitely not a faulty iron because I used it to successfully solder other things. This was at least five years ago. If that little toy couldn't do it, then the entire board would need to exceed that temp in an oven, which is probably a bad idea since the iron was still managing to visibly scorch things despite not melting any solder.

Invest in a proper heat gun and learn how to use it, or just give up and give it to someone else who has one, imo.

[-] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago

This is, for the most part, a myth and not worth doing. Reflowing is not not repair.

[-] Lag@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

In my experience I think the trick is to underheat it but leave it in the oven a bit longer.

[-] bangsnooter@lemmy.zip 14 points 3 months ago

Reseat your RAM before trying a more expensive fix

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago

You could boot into a live system and see if the problem shows up there. If so, it's very likely the hardware.

[-] Sprondar@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

Does it happen faster the 2nd time around? Probably a heat issue. Make sure the fans are working and the heatsink fins are clear of dust and debris. Try that first, and run a gpu stress test https://mprep.info/gpu/ but it could also be drivers as others have mentioned, or even a faulty or incorrectly seated ram module.

[-] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 1 points 3 months ago

Heat is probably a trigger, but the GPU shouldn't artifact even under high heat, the system would throttle or shutdown.

Heat may have caused this long term, and dusting may alleviate the immediate symptoms, but the GPU is still dying

[-] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 11 points 3 months ago

The pattern looks like a GPU, more specifically a problem with VRAM.

This looks like a low to mid range HP laptop, so I question whether or not it even has dedicated graphics.

Systems with integrated graphics share RAM to use for graphics functions.

To test VRAM, one would use Nvidia MATS/MODS or AMD TServer/Memtune. They are not very accessible for the average user.

To test RAM, use Memtest86. This one is free and relatively straightforward.

[-] random 11 points 3 months ago

is this issue also on in the bios?

yes = hardware error

no = software error

[-] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 1 points 3 months ago

Artifacting like that is GPU, will probably onset easier when under stress

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago

It could easily be the GPU drivers or the display cable.

There any many other possibilities, but hopefully it’s one of those two because the fix is is either cheap or free.

[-] NastyNative@mander.xyz 9 points 3 months ago

Its an HP, never buy HP!

[-] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 3 months ago

This. Especially since they still have the worst hinge designs on notebooks I've ever seen and they have continued to build them so shoddily for years. It must be deliberate at this point.

[-] NastyNative@mander.xyz 3 points 3 months ago

It is cause it makes them money. I wanted to change the battery on a family members hp laptop. I opened it and everything is glued/solder together. Told her to get a dell!

[-] improvise3020@ani.social 3 points 3 months ago

Which brand do you recommend

[-] NastyNative@mander.xyz 1 points 3 months ago

Dell laptops are much better!

[-] Gemini24601@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

I’m probably going to look at Dell or Lenovo for a next laptop, they tend to be of higher quality. Plus old thinkpads are fast and inexpensive, so I may start looking at eBay for a good deal.

[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

My Dell laptop died after 2 years, $1600. Never again.

[-] abominablecosmonaut44@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Very fucking helpful

[-] seliaste 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I had this specific model given for free by my high school a bunch of years ago and it is the worst chassis I ever saw. Many of my friends had fissures on theirs by the end of school

[-] Hubi@feddit.org 6 points 3 months ago

This looks to me like the RAM is not properly seated. I can't speak for this particular model, but I've seen cases where putting light pressure on one side of a laptop was enough to cause this because the chips were loose in their sockets. Maybe try removing the bottom cover and slightly wigglig them to see if you can reproduce it. I've fixed it on some Thinkpad models by placing a thin piece of rubber between the RAM and the mainboard to hold it in place.

[-] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 3 months ago

HP... What a surprise.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 months ago

Run a hardware diagnostic

[-] Mwa@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

Looks like A Dying GPU.

[-] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Could be either hardware or software.

I'd try updating the bios and video drivers first, failing that it could be a failing video card. It could be the screen too.

To test if it's the screen or the video card, connect it to an external display and see what happens.

[-] hades@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

any chance it's overheating? did you clean the vents and checked the fans?

[-] kittenzrulz123 2 points 3 months ago

Try booting into the bios

[-] Jean_le_Flambeur@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 months ago

My Debian dies this everytime i Start, but it goes away after a few secs, doesn't do that on windows, so software bug is not impossible

this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2025

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