In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Friday, September 11, 2026 15:29
VIEWED: 338648
PAGE 686 of 834
Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:Quote:
Originally posted by BRENDA:
When I set up the VGA and turned on the monitor a menu came up showing HMDI and VGA. The VGA was highlighted blue but my hand decided to shake and I hit the left side of the mouse enlarging it. So, I am now trying to get it back to the right size and see if it does work with my computer.
You're going to want to set it to HDMI on the monitor, Brenda. That may seem counterintuitive to you because you just bought a VGA adapter, but the monitor is only concerned which input you've put in the monitor itself.
You've put the VGA adapter into the computer video output, but then you plugged the HDMI cable into that adapter and the HDMI cable is going into an HDMI input on your monitor. (There may be more than one HDMI input on that monitor, so you will have to make sure it's pointing to the right one if there is).
And actually, you've just given me some good news here. If for some reason there's something wrong with that adapter and we can't get it working that way, it sounds like you have a VGA input on your monitor. So if you still have a straight up VGA to VGA cable from your old setup, you can just use that instead of the HDMI with the VGA adapter. Just plug in the VGA to the back of your computer, and put the other end of the cable into the VGA input on your new monitor and you should be good.Quote:
He was refeering to refurbished for both the monitor and computer at $700 Canadian.
I can get a refurbished laptop at a local place. Would have to check prices.
That's really expensive, Brenda. Maybe computer prices in Canada are different, but I think they're taking you for a ride there and that's kind of pissing me off. New monitors are really cheap now, and a refurbished computer that would more than suit your needs are going for anywhere from $100 to $200 USD and shouldn't cost you more than about $275 CAD max. Honestly, if you were able to buy it online, you wouldn't have paid much more than $350 CAD max for a refurbished desktop and a brand new monitor combined.
This is bringing back memories of my grandma telling me she paid a plumber $260 to fix her water heater and all they did was install a new $8 universal thermocouple, or when my other grandma told me that a plumber charged her over $400 to install a new kitchen sink faucet.
I don't want you being taken advantage of anymore, so let's not buy any more parts or computers for now and see if we can get you fixed with what you already have on hand.
******IMPORTANT******
I have a few questions I need you to answer for me. One of them I've asked a few times now, so I want to emphasize it here...
1. When you start your computer, do you still hear the drive and fans fire up, and do you get any LED lights on the front showing you that it is powering on. I'm asking this because I think your computer is still fine, but I want to make sure that it is actually powering on.
2. You said you were using the mouse when you said this:
Quote:
When I set up the VGA and turned on the monitor a menu came up showing HMDI and VGA. The VGA was highlighted blue but my hand decided to shake and I hit the left side of the mouse enlarging it. So, I am now trying to get it back to the right size and see if it does work with my computer.
I'm a little confused here. If the computer isn't working, I don't understand how you're using the mouse or what you're looking at on your screen. The mouse shouldn't be able to control the monitor's setup menu. So it sounds to me like you're not looking at the monitor's setup menu and you've possibly got Windows coming up on your monitor now but there is an issue with the size of everything?
If this is the case, that means that your computer is working, it's sending the signal to the monitor and the HDMI cable/VGA adapter is working and your monitor is loo
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Library on a beautiful Spring day. Trying to get some other stuff done before I tackle computer again. 
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Quote:
Originally posted by BRENDA:
I've been looking on line for refurbished desktop computer by itself. If I can just get something simple without all of this gaming crap. That I don't need. And I was in a big computer store who only want to make a buck.
Those links I sent you the other day through WOOT/Amazon are good deals on used (refurbished) desktops and laptops. Short of meeting a stranger in a one-on-one sale, I don't think you'll find better deals on those.
But I don't really think that you need to buy another computer right now and I'd rather try getting yours working for you again first. You may want to consider buying a used laptop after we get you straightened out though, just so you can still get online from home if something like this happens again.
Quote:
I'll have to look at the back of the monitor again. But I am pretty sure there is only one HDMI port on it.
Okay. You have both an HDMI and a VGA input on your monitor then. We're going to abandon the HDMI and VGA adapter for now since you said below that you used to use a Blue-to-Blue VGA to VGA connector before. (see below)
Quote:
I want it fixed. I don't want to replace or by anything else.
Right. Me too. I honestly think you've got everything you need and it's all working from what you've told me. We just have to get your stuff working together the right way is all.
Quote:
When the computer is on I hear the fans and the LED lights come on. The computer was working fine until the monitor gave up.
Okay. Like I said I think your computer is fine. We just need to get the monitor to recognize it.
Quote:
My hand was on the mouse out of force of habit. I figure to screw it up this much either my hand shook or just my finer moved or the other thing that is possible is I had a small seizure and moved something and when I came back it was all wrong.
I understand about the hand shaking. What I'm a little confused about is the fact you were using the mouse at all.
When you used the mouse, did you see a mouse pointer on the screen? I just want to know what you were looking at. Your mouse wouldn't work in the monitor's setup screen, so if you actually saw a mouse pointer moving on the screen here, your computer was booted up and sending a signal to the correct input on the monitor.
I'm trying to determine if this is the case and the resolution was possibly out-of-whack because of the HDMI with the VGA adapter. If that's the case, the display settings resolution needs to be changed using the ehow link I sent you. But before we do that...
******** THE IMPORTANT BIT *********
Quote:
Yes, I was using VGA to VGA with the blue connectors.
I want you to pull out the HDMI cable from the monitor, and pull out the VGA adapter and HDMI cable out of your PC and put it to the side.
Then I want you to get your old Blue-to-Blue VGA-to-VGA cable and plug that into your monitor and your computer, then fire up the computer and turn your monitor on.
This might get you up and running just by doing this and we may not need to do anything else.
If not, I want you to write down exactly what you're seeing at this point to the best of your ability so when you're back at the library tomorrow you can give me some good details and I can try to figure out what we need to do from there.
Quote:
I will have a look again and I do appreciate all your help.
No problem, Brenda.
I bet you're really happy you at least backed up your book to that USB stick now though, huh?
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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
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Another cold crappy day around here...
Getting some stuff done though.
I pulled out the baseboard out of the bathroom and pulled the nails out of it. I really think that I'm going to throw most of that out and just use the largest part of it to make a new piece of trim that is larger than what they currently have under the windowsill on the window. Even though this trim is thinner than the stuff I used in the rest of the house because it has to be with the shower as close to the window as it is, I want the ends of this piece under the window to extend to the ends of the trim above the windowsill like I did everywhere else in the house. I don't like it when they only make that piece wide enough to reach the inside of the trim above the windowsill. I think that looks tacky.
I've got those two brand new, very long pieces of window/door trim that my neighbor gave me that I may use for the baseboard instead. Either that, or I'll just buy a 10ft length of proper wide baseboard like I have in the rest of the house and do it that way. I'm not going to use that old window/door trim on the baseboard again either way.
I've also ripped off the surface (print) of the wallpaper banner I glued on many, many years ago. Fortunately I was able to get all of it off despite how much it wanted to fight me on that. It will make it really easy to get the paper and the sticky part off now with just a wet sponge and some time.
Got some chipping on the paint on the ceiling around the walls and at the top of the walls. I'm going to scrape all of the loose stuff off before priming everything and sealing it in and get that all ready for some DAP to fill it in. I'm going to pull that piece of trim off the bottom of the window and put the "new" piece I make from the floor baseboard beneath it after I sand down the sill and the rest of the trim. I'm also going to beat all the nails under the surface of the trim with a punch. This was an oldschool job and they didn't use brad nails... it was done with real nails that have a fairly large head to them and I don't want them showing up like that under my paint job.
Not sure what I'm going to do in the bathroom right after that though. I have to decide how crazy I want to get with electricity in there. Right now I only have one duplex outlet next to the light switch for the vanity. I know for sure I want to add at least one or two more outlets in there, and ideally I'll be busting down some drywall in the ceiling so I can install a proper exhaust fan going out the house. I know that some of the problems with the ceiling were because they painted the ceiling with a glossy paint, but if I have an exhaust fan installed that will no longer be an issue. Maybe I'll get really crazy with the ceiling and I'll put in a light above the bath too. This house was pretty old and they didn't do nice things like this back then.
I picked the right day to be doing all of this. Despite how cold it is outside and in my house in general, that bathroom gets super toasty with the door closed and the heat blowing in. It was real fun getting that heat blowing right in my face and drying out my eyes while I was pulling that border down... 
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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
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I got the border wallpaper down before I wrapped up for the day. Cool little trick my friend's dad taught me years ago was if you were careful with peeling the top off, all you had to do was put some warm water on the paper with a sponge and let it sit for a minute and you can scrape it all right off. You get a feel for how much water to keep in the sponge and the right pressure to apply so you get enough on the wall but you don't make a huge mess down the walls and on the floor too. If you don't have enough water on it though, the glue won't let lose and you'll be scraping pretty hard on those dry spots unless you hit it again.
If you rip that design top layer off like you were 5 years old, ripping into a present on Christmas morning, you're going to have a much tougher time getting the rest of it off without a steamer or a lot of patience with the sponge and water. I forgot how easy it was when you do it right. I got the few nasty water buildup spots that turned a yellowish brown off the ceiling (a guy I know told me that was happening because they painted the ceiling with a semi-gloss instead of flat paint). Everything will need a good washdown after I'm done patching and sanding, but just getting the worst of it all cleaned up while I was already up there getting the bulk of the wallpaper glue residue off the walls made sense to me.
I also had to glue the top of the right side of the window trim back to the wall and hit it with a few brad nails. The sill was a little loose so I got that in nice and tight again too. It's all scuff sanded and ready to prime. I just have to cut that bottom piece from the old baseboard and sand it down so I can get it back up there. Oh right... I've also got to get a scraper and very carefully scrape stray sloppy caulk off the vinyl window too. That really wasn't too much of a problem on most of the other windows in the house, but they were extra sloppy with this job. Maybe they were a little wobbly from standing on the step stool and toilet seat at the same time...?
I've got a pretty warm day or two coming this week. Maybe I get lucky and it isn't raining the whole time and I can get a few big things outside on the horses to sand them down without getting that all over my basement and in my lungs. I've got a few closet bi-fold doors and a over the toilet storage cabinet and medicine cabinet that need a good sanding.
One of my bathrooms have been gutted since forever, and the one I've got working has always looked like crap. Pure DIY-don't-give-a-crap work done by Uncle Bob and nobody told him to get his drunk ass back here to do it right. The vanity lights, medicine cabinet and vanity don't line up at all. They didn't even get two of them paired up right. I know I'm a perfectionist, but we're talking a few inches here and not just a couple of millimeters.
The medicine cabinet is cheap metal crap in the wall with a basic mirror on the front, the vanity lights are an out-of-style brass color metal that you just screw lights right into the face of it. It's all garbage and doesn't even match. I think what happened with the lineup is that they didn't have any idea where the studs were when they already did the lights and the vanity and they realized that they had to move that box way to the side to fit it with in the existing studs. I guess it's better than them trying to cut away the studs. I don't believe this is a load bearing wall, but with some of the things I've seen behind the walls, it wouldn't surprise me if they tried something like that and the house just caved in on them. The light fixture doesn't even line up with the vanity either. That's just bad lazy work there. You've got plenty of play with the electric and there's no excuse for not centering the vanity light over the vanity.
The new medicine cabinet I'll be putting up after I paint it is a beautiful oak piece I got from my friend when he remodeled his ba
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:Quote:
Originally posted by BRENDA:
I've been looking on line for refurbished desktop computer by itself. If I can just get something simple without all of this gaming crap. That I don't need. And I was in a big computer store who only want to make a buck.
Those links I sent you the other day through WOOT/Amazon are good deals on used (refurbished) desktops and laptops. Short of meeting a stranger in a one-on-one sale, I don't think you'll find better deals on those.
But I don't really think that you need to buy another computer right now and I'd rather try getting yours working for you again first. You may want to consider buying a used laptop after we get you straightened out though, just so you can still get online from home if something like this happens again.Quote:
I'll have to look at the back of the monitor again. But I am pretty sure there is only one HDMI port on it.
Okay. You have both an HDMI and a VGA input on your monitor then. We're going to abandon the HDMI and VGA adapter for now since you said below that you used to use a Blue-to-Blue VGA to VGA connector before. (see below)Quote:
I want it fixed. I don't want to replace or by anything else.
Right. Me too. I honestly think you've got everything you need and it's all working from what you've told me. We just have to get your stuff working together the right way is all.Quote:
When the computer is on I hear the fans and the LED lights come on. The computer was working fine until the monitor gave up.
Okay. Like I said I think your computer is fine. We just need to get the monitor to recognize it.Quote:
My hand was on the mouse out of force of habit. I figure to screw it up this much either my hand shook or just my finer moved or the other thing that is possible is I had a small seizure and moved something and when I came back it was all wrong.
I understand about the hand shaking. What I'm a little confused about is the fact you were using the mouse at all.
When you used the mouse, did you see a mouse pointer on the screen? I just want to know what you were looking at. Your mouse wouldn't work in the monitor's setup screen, so if you actually saw a mouse pointer moving on the screen here, your computer was booted up and sending a signal to the correct input on the monitor.
I'm trying to determine if this is the case and the resolution was possibly out-of-whack because of the HDMI with the VGA adapter. If that's the case, the display settings resolution needs to be changed using the ehow link I sent you. But before we do that...
******** THE IMPORTANT BIT *********Quote:
Yes, I was using VGA to VGA with the blue connectors.
I want you to pull out the HDMI cable from the monitor, and pull out the VGA adapter and HDMI cable out of your PC and put it to the side.
Then I want you to get your old Blue-to-Blue VGA-to-VGA cable and plug that into your monitor and your computer, then fire up the computer and turn your monitor on.
This might get you up and running just by doing this and we may not need to do anything else.
If not, I want you to write down exactly what you're seeing at this point to the best of your ability so when you're back at the library tomorrow you can give me some good details and I can try to figure out what we need to do from there.Quote:
I will have a look again and I do appreciate all your help.
No problem, Brenda.
I bet you're really happy you at least backed up your book to that USB stick now though, huh?
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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.
You're forgetting SIX, I don't use Amazon.
Like I said I have been thing about a refurbished laptop but again without the gaming stuff or the keys that light different colours.
Yes, there is both H
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Library in the rain.
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Hey, SIX. I got it straightened out. Right adapter, my fault. Wired it up wrong. Lady at Century House was helping me again when I thought I would try something when I got in. Just needed to wire in a bit that was for a USB port. Once I did that it was all sunshine and rainbows.
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New set-up is a little strange. Just have to get used to it.
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