Herein

This computer, the new computer, the 10 inch screen Hewlett Packard machine running Windows 10S which I am unwilling to unlock to Windows 10.

The old computer, the 14 inch screen Lenovo machine running Windows 10, which has Serif PagePlus X7, the three Affinity apps, version 1; and FontCreator.

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The old computer is the one with the problems.

In around March 2021 the old computer lost wifi ability, but still worked otherwise. Some readers may remember from the old Serif Lounge that as Currys were not accepting telephone orders due to the pandemic, a local electrician, who had done some electrical work in my home before the pandemic, with whom I was able to discuss the situation over the telephone, ordered this computer over the internet, then upon receiving it, delivered it to me with due social distance precautions. Following advice in the Serif Lounge thread I was able to download from the Lenovo website to the new computer a .exe file that would install the wifi driver software in the old computer, copy the .exe file from the new computer to the old computer using a USB memory stick, run the .exe file and after a reboot the old computer worked again with wifi to the internet.

Readers may remember that the old computer had had keyboard problems and the trackpad click no longer worked, but I have been using a USB full size keyboard and the mouse keys system from that keyboard, though the trackpad movement still works.

In fact, I much prefer the full size USB keyboard and using mouse keys for mouse clicks, so, on the day I set up this new computer I started to use a USB keyboard and mouse keys in preference to using the keys that are on the computer and the trackpad click.

Since that time the on/off switch of the old computer has gone wrong, but I found that I could still get the computer to start up using the NOVO button, a tiny hole that into which a push with a pin starts with a special maintenance menu, though that menu allows normal startup too, so I could use the computer.

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The present problem.

Unfortunately the casing has come apart near the power switch. There is a gap that can be pushed shut sometimes. I have a small Tesco toolkit and I might be able to try to use pointed nose pliers to get it together again, but before doing that I am asking for advice here please.

The symptoms on the old machine are as follows.

I plugged in this USB keyboard, which worked on the new computer before the test and still works on the new computer now, so not a physical problem with the keyboard. Please note that when all is well, pressing the NumLock key on the USB keyboard has the effect of a green light coming on above the key. Pressing it again, so in use for mouse keys, turns the green light off.

I started the computer using the NOVO button.

Windows 10 started up, showing a picture of some mountains, a message asking if I like the picture or not.

The pointer on the screen moves around properly in response to me moving it using the trackpad.

But the green light will not come up on the keyboard and pressing various keys, for a mouse click, Enter, Esc, and so on has no effect.

I tried the keyboard on both of the two USB ports for that size USB plug. No response.

So does anyone know what is likely to be happening and whether I might be able to fix it please?

It may be that the computer is a write-off, and I accept that I might need to get another computer sometime in order to be able to use Serif software and FontCreator, but nevertheless I would like to get the old computer going again if possible.

I am wondering if the physical problem has the computer "thinking" that it is shut for using the keyboard even though it is not shut for displaying on the screen, or something like that.

William