FIXED FROZEN COMPUTER

TWO SIMPLE FIXES TO SAVE YOU COSTLY COMPUTER REPAIRS 

#1 - In the last few months, we have had some major thunderstorms in our area, and one tropical storm. During the storms, we lost power several times. Our HP computer would NOT reboot - all we had was a blinking green light at the back, and the computer simply appeared to be "fried". With the computer plugged in, we tried removing the side panel, disconnecting the main power supply, disconnecting the USB connector closest to the front of the computer, and then plugging the main power supply back in, and the USB connector. Usually, that worked. The last time, it didn't. 

Some "angel" posted online a "quirky, sounds-too-easy-to-work" fix. It really sounded too easy. It was easy. It worked. 

We left the computer tower plugged in, got our hair dryer out, and put it on hot, full blast, and heated up the back of the computer, where the main power supply is. It is near the fan, where the main electrical plug goes into the computer. I felt like an idiot, but after 1 1/2 minutes, it worked. The light stopped blinking, and glowed steadily, and the computer booted right up! 

The second time it happened, it took about a minute. The third time it happened, it took about 2 1/2 minutes, but it worked! It seems like a long time to hold that heat on your computer, but for some unknown reason it works. We are eternally grateful to the person who posted that fix! THANK YOU! 

#2 - Today, I noticed that our free trial of AVG had expired. I thought I had downloaded the FREE AVG, but mistakenly downloaded the FREE TRIAL of the AVG full-blown program. I did not wish to purchase it, so I ran an uninstall, from the Add or Remove Programs, accessed through the Control Panel. 

THAT was a mistake. I don't know exactly what I did wrong, but when the mandatory restart of my computer started, it was frozen on the American Megatrends black screen, with all of the data on it. No matter what buttons I pushed - F8, F11, F4, Delete, ESC, etc., nothing would budge. It was stuck on the American Megatrends screen, for 20 minutes or more. I pulled the plug on the computer, waited, put it back in, and the same thing happened. I spent about 40 minutes reading online about it, on my laptop computer, to no avail. Nothing seemed to work, despite reading tons of "geek" suggestions at reputable sites.

Everything was fine, until I removed the AVG program. Finally, in desperation, I unplugged the printer USB cable, and the yellow internet cable. Voilá! I then saw the regular Windows boot screen, clicked on the Windows XP Professional Edition, and the computer was back to normal, all things restored. 

I hope this helps someone who encounters the "American Megatrends black screen of death". It was such a simple fix, and the computer is running better than ever. A word of warning - beware of how you uninstall AVG's free trial of their paid program. I thought I was heading out to get a new computer!