7.02.2010

Pardon the Interruption... we need computer help ASAP!


Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up - there may not be regular posting here for awhile as our PC is suddenly not working.
Yesterday I came home from work and decided to take a nap since I was tired and I had a headache. Our PC makes this high pitched frequency noise that you can only hear if you have good or sensitive hearing and it was driving me nuts so I figured I'd turn it off while I napped.
Well... I went down to the start menu (it's Windows Vista) and was moving the mouse over to the button that has the shutdown option but our mouse likes to be difficult at times and 'jumped' and I clicked the button that looks like the Mac power button (a circle with a line through the top of it - we believe this is the 'hibernate' button).
A moment later the blue power light on the monitor started flashing like it does when there's no signal and so did the blue power light on the PC tower. I didn't think anything of it, as it seemed to be in sleep mode and the annoying high pitched frequency had stopped.
So I took my nap.
I woke up a few hours later, both blue lights were still flashing, and went to get dinner started. Hubby came home, we ate and then we went to hang out and watch TV in the bedroom before he had to leave for his other job.
He then asked me about the computer. I told him what happened but was confused as to why the power button on the tower was no longer blinking blue - he said it was off when he first came home...
I tried Googling for a solution from my phone while hubby messed with it, but he had to leave again soon for work.
When he left I tried swapping out the power supply, tried plugging it into a different socket, reset the breakers... nothing worked.
I tried calling the Gateway support number on the tower but that number was no longer in service so I had to look one up on my phone. Called that number, struggled with the foreigner over the 3 letters in the serial number (I kept telling him b as in boy and he kept putting in an e - I told him no e and yet it still took a few more tries to get him to get it). I thoroughly described what had happened and what we tried, his solution was to connect me to their tech support but said they charge a fee - he wouldn't tell me the rate, but said it was based on what the problem was and how long it would take to fix (wtf?!). I said no thanks, as I didn't want to get stuck paying a ton for nothing with consulting hubby first.
I Googled some more on my phone and found nothing useful - how am I supposed to adjust settings when it won't even turn on?!
Also, there seems to be A LOT of comments online about people who's PCs go into hibernate mode and then they can't get them to turn on or boot up afterward. Really Microsoft? Why put a button next to the shutdown options button that does that? What's the point of having a hibernate mode where you can't get the computer to wake up or turn back on???
Way to fail, Microsoft. Way. To. Fail.
Hubby looked things up at work and said it looks like there's an issue with the hibernation mode and having too many things plugged in via USB (which he does) and said he'd reset the cmos battery when he got home (something I read about earlier but when I mentioned it to him he just looked at me like he didn't know what I was talking about).
He tried that when he got home and sadly it didn't work. He won't let me take it to Geek Squad cuz he says they'll charge like $100 just to look at it.
We're not sure what to do now.
This isn't the first time we've had trouble getting it to turn on after going in a sleep type mode (although it was just as annoying and difficult last time to get it back on) so I'm not sure what the problem is now.
Hubby has a coworker who's hubby is a computer tech so I suggested maybe have him look at it but yeah... this is so frustrating and hubby blames me and is now all grouchy... grrrr
So yeah, that's my computer problem at the moment.
I still have my old Mac PowerBook but the part the power supply plugs into has a 50/50 chance of working so it's not too reliable and I have my phone here so I can do basic stuff, but after looking at the screen for awhile, it starts to give me a headache.
So sorry if there's not many posts for a bit - we're having technical difficulties right now.
Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated!!!!

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