Does Replacing a Laptop Screen Ever Require The OS The Be Reinstalled?

Lgttommy on 30/03/2017 - 21:56

Hi there,

I have a HP pavilion laptop with a cracked touchscreen. The replacement screen is hard to find and i ended paying HP to replace it for me, which involves sending it to singapore.

The concern I have is that they want me to provide my windows password, which i've been objecting and questioning for weeks now.
I've owned many computers and have had my experience tinkering and modding, yet have never had to replace a laptop screen. My gut tells me it probably uses some standard connection and that it'll just be plug and play.

Anyways HP support is keeps telling me that they may need to reinstall the OS (not cool). Which is why i still haven't sent the laptop to them yet.

What are your thoughts?

Below is the latest email they sent to me:

===
Greetings from HP!!

Thank you for the email and raise the issue related to the display acereen replacement. Let me try to assist you with the required information related the same.

After replacing the hardware it is necessary to check its functionality as the replaced part is working in line with the device. For this the engineer need to check the accessibility and performance of the device after replacing the faulty part. It is required because we want you not to suffer anymore with the device after carrying out the required replacements.

Moreover, due to any OS issue the replaced part might not work as per its compatibility. Hence, the engineer needs to reinstall the OS on the notebook to make the notebook compatibility with the replaced part.

Hence, we would like to request you to provide us with the password information of the notebook so that the issue can be properly taken care of and the solution could be permanent.

Have a great day!!

Computing

Comments

  • Hiroko on 30/03/2017 - 21:59

    Ive had my laptop screen replaced by HP once, and yes for some reason it came back with a clean installed OS.

    • gttommy on 30/03/2017 - 22:07

      that sucks because i had to upgrade the OS from Win8 to Win10 and obviously has various other software and customisations to it.

      Sigh… might have to bite the bullet

  • blonky on 30/03/2017 - 22:09
    +1

    Could you stick a different temporary hard drive in when you send it to them, and switch it back once it's fixed?

  • trustnoone on 30/03/2017 - 22:10

    I'm pretty sure they usually do a reformat before it comes back, it's probably more policy then anything else. Likely getting your password is part of policy as well?, I've dealt with returns with Acer and Asus in my lifetime and they've both asked it as well. How bad is your laptop? Can you connect a HDMI cable into a tv or monitor and change or remove your password? Also means you'll likely be able to backup all your data.

    • gttommy on 30/03/2017 - 22:22

      if they reformat, then they don't really need my password.

      Yes it has been running off HDMI for about 9 months now. I will have to backup my files now.

  • Benjamin258 on 30/03/2017 - 22:11

    If you still have the device, just create a temporary or guest account (can only save files to that account's desktop and not make administrative changes) for them to login and give them the password to that.
    They may have a procedure to measure screen performance and function before the part and install job pass QC and it can be returned to customer.

  • Sage on 30/03/2017 - 22:38
    +1

    It shouldn't be.
    Really they could boot the machine from a LAN or USB if they just wanted to see the screen in action.
    They probably just want to eliminate the chance of users calling back and saying it didn't work because their OS has unrelated issues.
    Like someone else said, it could be policy to wipe the OS needlessly.

    Is it possible to rip out the storage drive before sending?

  • scrimshaw on 30/03/2017 - 23:04
    +3

    There are two ways you can avoid having to reinstall Windows — take your hard drive out and put in a blank drive, and ship your HP back for repairs.

    The second is the easiest way, just back up your entire hard drive using Windows built in imaging feature and then restore it when your laptop comes back.

    • gttommy on 02/04/2017 - 23:17

      I'm not so concerned with the data (which ican easily backup)

      My biggest concern is that the laptop originally had Win8 and I've upgraded it to Win10 Anniversary edition (it was a free upgrade at the time)

      How do I ensure that after they restore it back to Win8, I can upgraded to a fresh Win10 again?

      • scrimshaw on 03/04/2017 - 02:06
        +1

        How do I ensure that after they restore it back to Win8, I can upgraded to a fresh Win10 again?

        digital entitlement. Microsoft's servers knows your laptop has been installed with Win10 before and it's taken a checksum of all it's hardware. The next time you install Windows 10 on it, it compares the checksum with your hardware, then activates.

        Gone are the days where you need to key in 25 character license everytime you install Windows on the same machine.

        and like I said, just do an system image prior to shipping out. When your laptop comes back, re-image it again and it goes back to the way it was before you sent your laptop out.

        A system image takes into account the operating system as well, not just the files. Its pretty much a clone of your HDD.

  • KitchenSink on 30/03/2017 - 23:38

    1. Don't ever give out a password, no matter who it is unless you really trust them like a friend. Apple Geniuses use to do that too and I was reluctant to, so I generally make a guest account as others suggested for them to use. These days, OS user accounts are tied to other accounts like MS account, iCloud, Google Account etc. You don't want to send a password over email with access to these accounts.

    2. Doesn't require a complete reinstall of the OS which is quite puzzling for them to say that. I guess its them saving time for testing and QA of the replacement screen knowing their factory image is a working image of the OS with drivers and all.

  • yellowrhino93 on 31/03/2017 - 05:40

    Hi!

    No it doesn't it's a hardware component and the only software that would be rquired is the driver (which would already be installed).

    From a security point of view manufacturers run updates/clean format it. This is just to make sure all security patches are up to date and sometimes people like it

  • Randxyz123 on 31/03/2017 - 07:51

    Make a new user account called "admin" with no password.

    Since you know a little about computers surely you would have been making monthly backups of your computer and wouldn't send it to HP without an attempt to back up your files ?

  • IMFrugl on 31/03/2017 - 08:26

    Sounds very odd. The screen is hardware. At most, it will require a new driver to use the screen at optimum resolution or performance. The basic windows driver will still load the screen at a VGA resolution at minimum.

    Let them know that the hard disk holds personal banking and work related data and you are not allowed to give out your password as it would be against Australian banking policies and your Australian (employer's) policy. If you are comfortable with installing the latest driver yourself (which Win 10 should pick up automatically), tell them that you just need it to boot up with the HP load screen, windows login screen and be able to view the BIOS settings.

    Otherwise as Scrimshaw said, swap the drive and send it in with a blank drive with the same explanation. This is the best option as they are very likely to wipe your drive for no particular reason just to make it look 'new'. Backup you machine before sending it out as they will accept no responsibility for lost data - meaning they will format it if they feel like it.

  • Richardc on 31/03/2017 - 08:41
    +1

    I would just get a 2nd hand screen and DIY

  • lukey159 on 31/03/2017 - 09:06

    Where I work we have HP's with ADP so they send the part/screen to the tech here and he/she fixes it, we have never gave them a password or had our systems wiped / reinstalled. Little different to your problem I know but thought the information would help. Lenovo were the ones that did that but that and their support is for another story..

    I would go with scrimshaw & knick007 advice - either image the machine and then wipe / delete your password and files, mainly just backup everything you want after that whats the issue of just setting a weak / no password? I mean you have paid them to fix it.

    With HP we found 2nd hand screens were not to be so much of a pain as the cables / base are.

    Good Luck.

  • gttommy on 02/04/2017 - 23:19

    Thanks for all the comments guys.

    I think i'll have to prepare for the worst and assume they'll restore it back to Win8.
    Presumably with proper drivers / configuration to get the screen to work, in which case restore from image will just undo their work.

    What can i do now to ensure I can easily upgrade back to Win10 without messing up my license entitlement?

    • scrimshaw on 03/04/2017 - 02:08

      already addressed in:
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/299898#comment-4575607

      as an addendum: windows 10 is still free to upgrade from any Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 device.

      Presumably with proper drivers / configuration to get the screen to work

      Erm, no. There's no such thing as drivers for a laptop touch panel, at least not in modern devices.

      Windows has native support for touch displays through the Human Interface Device (HID) protocol.

      QUOTE
      Windows pointer devices use the Human Interface Device (HID) protocol to communicate with Windows.
      Because Windows 8 includes an HID driver, you do not need to implement one.

      • gttommy on 03/04/2017 - 07:37

        at's almost like you're saying there's no reason why they'd need to wipe the OS / reinstall the OS just for a touchscreen swap out (!)

        • scrimshaw on 03/04/2017 - 13:10

          It is part of their repair process to always wipe the system when it is brought in for repairs

          As I used to repair laptops for a school as well, we always wipe the kids laptops instead of spending a whole day debugging them. It saves my time and effort. If a system re image fixes the issue then we know it's not a hardware problem but a driver issue, or maybe it's a PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) or ID-10T error

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