Le Pan Tablet doesn’t turn on? Here’s how to fix it

A bunch of people are having problems with their Le Pan Tablets. It seems like they just randomly stop turning on. Here are a few different fixes for you try:

Fix #1: Charge the tablet by plugging it into a wall power plug

If you’re connecting the tablet via USB to a computer to charge it’s likely the tablet is not getting enough power. USB connections don’t generally output enough to charge tablets. You need to plug the tablet into a wall outlet using an AC/DC adapter.

Fix #2: Reset the tablet by pushing the reset button with a paperclip

Unplug the tablet from charging and press and hold the reset button for a few seconds. Try to power it on now.

Fix #3: Reset the tablet with a paperclip while at the same time holding down the power button

Similar to step two. Unplug the tablet. Use a paperclip to press and hold the reset button and at the same time press and hold the power button. Hold both for ten seconds.

Fix #4: Check the power button

At this point if you have a warranty you should call the manufacturer and have them repair the unit. Fix #4 will void your warranty.

If you don’t have a warranty and have nothing to loose then you can open up the tablet and see if the power button has become disconnected from the motherboard. Is it has the fix might be as simple as fixing the connection or using solder to put a broken piece back together.

 

Solution for Enter Your Administrator Password or Power on Password

When your computer tells you to “Enter Your Administrator Password or Power on Password” there are two different ways you can fix the problem:

Fix #1: Reset your BIOS by removing the CMOS battery

This fix makes the computer forget that it was asking you for a password. It’s much easier to carry out on a desktop computer than a laptop computer.

  1. Turn off your computer and unplug it. For laptops make sure you remove the battery as well.
  2. Open the computer and look inside to find the small silver CMOS battery. It’s about the size of a quarter.
  3. Remove the battery.
  4. With the battery removed and the computer unplugged press and hold the power button for about twenty seconds. This will make sure there is absolutely no power left in your computer.
  5. If there is a jumper near the battery labeled something like “CMOS” then remove it, wait twenty seconds, then put it back the way it was.
  6. Put the CMOS battery back in. Close up your computer.
  7. Plug your computer back in and turn it on.

You might get a message telling you that your settings were reset. Just select “OK” or “continue”. The computer should now startup normally. Problem solved!

Fix #2: Reset the password using unofficial utility (WARNING!)

If you do not feel comfortable opening your computer to go searching for the CMOS battery (especially an issue with laptops) there is an unofficial utility floating around on the internet that will give you a “master” password to enter and unlock your computer.

WARNING: This utility is not made by HP. It’s not made by me. You use it at your own risk. I am simply linking you to the website for information purposes.

There is a blog called “Dogbert’s Blog” that has a program you can download for your desktop or laptop. This program will allow you to generate a master password in order to unlock your computer. You need to download the program onto a second computer since yours is locked. Go to Dogbert’s Blog, find your computer through serial number, download the proper program and follow the instructions.

Good luck! If anyone has other fixes please share them in the comments.

 

How to fix the no sound problem on a Chromebook

Some users have reported that their having audio issues with their Chromebook. Either the sound is completely silent or it’s cutting in and out intermittently. There are a variety of problems that can cause this for both sound coming from the speakers and sound coming from headphones. If you’re listening only through the built-in speakers and not headphones then skip to Fix #4.

Otherwise follow each step in order until your sound is fixed! Good luck!

Fix #1: Make sure the headphone are securely plugged in

This seems like a silly and obvious solution but I’ve seen this problem fixed a few times because the headphones weren’t fully inserted into the headphone jack on the chromebook. Make sure you really insert and push the headphones in, chromebooks seem to have strange audio jacks so give it a good push until you hear the click.

Fix #2: Try a different set of headphones or earbuds

For some people the fix is just that simple. The problem lies with a pair of broken headphones rather than with the chromebook itself. So try a different set and see if that works for you.

Fix #3: The “close lid” solution

  1. Unplug your headphones.
  2. Close the lid of the chromebook and wait ten seconds.
  3. Plug in the headphones.
  4. Open the lid. The chromebook will re-scan for audio devices and should find your headphones.

OR, if that doesn’t work:

  1. Turn off your chromebook.
  2. Plug in the headphones
  3. Turn on the chromebook. The chromebook will re-scan for audio devices on startup and should find your headphones.

Fix #4: Check sound settings

Look to the lower right corner of your screen. There you will see a series of icons. Click on your account picture at the very right. A window will appear showing you information about your chromebook. Make sure that the audio is at a high volume. If it’s muted, unmute it. And make sure that the output is set to the proper destination; headphones if you want to listen through headphones, speakers if you want to listen through speakers.

Fix #5: Clear the cache

Clearing the cache on the chromebook can resolve some audio issues. To clear the cache do this:

  1. Click on the chrome setting button in the browser in the top right corner (it looks like three horizontal lines).
  2. Click Tools and then Clear browsing Data.
  3. Specify that you want to clear information From the beginning of time.
  4. Make sure only Empty the Cache is selected.
  5. Click Clear Browsing Data.

Turn the chrome book off and then on again and try the sound now. If it still doesn’t work then move onto Fix 6.

Fix #6: Disable all extensions

The sound issues could be the result of a faulty extension. To solve this you need to disable all of them. Check if the sound now works. If it does then the problem was one of those extensions. Now you need to re-enable each extension individually while checking the sound between each enable. Once the sound breaks again you’ve found your culprit.

You can find instruction for disabling extensions here: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2589434?hl=en

(Note: if this doesn’t work then remember to turn on your extensions before moving onto Fix #7).

Fix #7: Browse as guest

Turn off your chromebook and then turn it back on. At the login screen select Browse as Guest. This will allow you to run the chromebook without any special settings that might have been added after the fact. Try to play sound now. If it works there is some broken setting or component in your regular login. To fix this permanently you’ll need to reset your chromebook. Go to Fix 8.

Fix #8: Completely reset your chromebook

This step will completely wipe your chromebook so you need to backup all of your data first. Again: this will erase EVERYTHING and bring your chromebook back to the state it was when you bought it.

  1. Click on your account picture in the lower-right corner of your screen.
  2. Click on Settings. A window will appear.
  3. Click on Show Advanced Settings at the bottom.
  4. Find the “Powerwash” label and click Reset.
  5. In the window that opens click Restart.

Once the chromebook restarts you will be presented with the setup window. Go through the setup and enter your google account information. Try to play a sound now, if it works then success!

Have any more ways to fix broken sound on the chromebook? Let us know in the comments below.

 

How to run Skype on startup in Windows 8 and 8.1

Skype used to allow you the option to run automatically on startup but unfortunately the new Skype app in Windows 8 and 8.1 no longer includes this option… at least officially.

However you can still use this quick unofficial method to setup Skype to run automatically as soon as you turn your computer on.

  1. Go to the Desktop
  2. Right-Click and go to New and then click on Shortcut
  3. In the window that appears type the following into the textbox: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start “” “skype:”
  4. Click Next
  5. For the name type in Skype and click Finish. A new icon called Skype should appear on your desktop.
  6. Right-Click on the new Skype shortcut icon and click copy
  7. Now we need to move this shortcut into the startup folder. On your keyboard press the Windows Key and the R key at the same time to bring up the Run window.
  8. Type in %appdata% and press enter.
  9. Navigate through the folders to Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
  10. Right-Click inside this folder and select paste. The Skype shortcut will appear inside the Startup folder.

Restart your computer and now Skype will start whenever you turn your computer on!

 

Solution to Civilization V crashing on start

If your copy of Civilization is crashing on start-up, or when loading, a possible solution is to disable the “intro” movie. It seems like this movie causes problems on some machines.

To disable the intro movie:

  1. Completely close both Steam and Civilization V.
  2. Navigate to “Documents/My Games/Sid Meier’s Civilization 5”
  3. Open the file “UserSettings.ini”
  4. Find the entry “SkipIntroVideo = 0”
  5. Change the 0 to a 1 so that the entry now reads “SkipIntroVideo = 1”
  6. Re-start Civilization V.

As you launch the game now the intro movie will not play and any problems that the movie caused will no longer occur.

 

 

How to stop Civilization V from freezing and crashing

Civilization 5 is a great game and it’s even more accessible now that it’s on Steam. However a lot of people have been experiencing crashes and freezing while playing.

Fortunately the fixes are quite simple. I recommend you go down the list until your problem is fixed, I’ve listed solutions from most easy to least.

Solution #1: Select “DirectX 9” on the start-up screen

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This is the simplest solution and one that has worked for most people. When loading the game click on the version of the game labeled “DirectX 9”. It’ll be at the top of the list of versions. You’ll have to select this option every time you play the game.

Solution #2: Update video card drivers for ATI and nVidia

Some game crashes occur because of outdated drivers and new drivers can also contain patches bugs. You can get these drivers from the website of your video card manufacturer.

Solution #3: Quit applications before playing Civilization V

On some computers a large map can demand more memory than you have available in your RAM. By closing any applications that are running you can ensure that Civilization has as much memory as it needs.

Solution #4: Delete any mods that you have added

A faulty mod that you’ve installed in the past may be the cause of your problems. If you have mods delete all of them. If the freezing no longer occurs you can then add the mods back one by one until you discover which was the cause of the problems.

Do you have a solution of your own? Please share it in the comments below.

 

How to fix the Skype “Account::db_in_use” log in problem

If you’ve recently opened up Skype and tried to log in only to encounter a message box that says “Account::db_in_use” you’re in luck! Simply try one of the fixes listed below to fix this problem.

Solution #1: Make Sure you have enough free space on your hard drive

The simplest cause of this problem seems to be a hard disk that is completely filled with no free space left on it at all. Check your hard drive to see whether or not you’ve filled the entire thing up.If you find that you have very little space left on your hard drive then simply make some free space.

Once you’ve done that start Skype up again. It should run and login fine now. If it doesn’t (or if you have plenty of free space on your hard drive) try the next solution.

Solution #2: Delete the Skype “config.lck” file

(Warning: I don’t know what this file does and deleting it may result in the deletion of your Skype data such as history, photos, etc… However some users have deleted it and experienced no deletion of data. Your choice.)

This second solution is quite simple.

For Mac Users:

  1. Go to your User Directory.
  2. Navigate to the config.lck file located in /Library/Application Support/Skype/[Your Skype Name]/config.lck
  3. Delete config.lck

For Windows Users:

  1. Go to your user directory at C:/Users/[Your User Name]
  2. Navigate to the config.lck file located in /AppData/Roaming/Skype/[Your Skype Name]/config.lck
  3. Delete config.lck

Then start Skype up again. It should run and login fine now.

 

How to Convert Video for iPod Touch and iPhone

If you have a video in a format that will not play on your iPod Touch or iPhone simply follow these instruction to convert it to a format that your iPod or iPhone will understand:

1. Download and Install Handbrake

Handbrake is free for anyone to download from their website. Click here to download it. Once it has downloaded install it on your Mac.

2. Open Handbrake

3. Click Source

4. Find and Select your Video. Click Open

5. Click iPhone and iPod Touch on the Preset Menu.

If you don’t see a preset menu click on Toggle Presets.

6. Change the Destination Folder to wherever you want. This is where your video will end up.

7. Click Add to Queue

8. Click Start.

Once the process is completed (it’ll take at least a few minutes) the converted video will be in your Destination folder.

 

Check Apple Mac, iPod, Macbook, iPhone Warranty Online

If your Apple device is on the fritz and is in need of repair the first question you probably ask yourself is “Is this under warranty?” In the past you needed to call a phone number, navigate a phone tree, and then finally force the information out of an unhelpful rep. Well no more. Apple has made a simple webpage where you can quickly and easily check the warranty status of your device. All you need is the serial number.

Click here to go to the Apple Online Warranty Tool.

 

Headphone Jack / Earphones not Working on iPod Touch

There are several things that can cause your headphone jack to suddenly stop working. The problem can be software or hardware based. It can exist because of an earbud issue or a iPod issue. Let’s run through the different scenarios and take a look at some fixes for you to try:

Solution #1: Turn your iPod Off and then On again

Sometimes the iPod just needs to be turned off and on in order to work properly again. If this is the case then just press and hold the power button on the iPod, wait for it to turn off, wait ten seconds and turn it back on.

Solution #2: Try a different set of earphones

Before we move onto more complex fixes we should really try to figure out whether the problem is because of the earphones or because of the iPod. Fortunately there is a very simple way to figure this out: borrow a pair of headphones from someone and plug them into your iPod. If the problem you’re having disappears (and you can hear music properly) then you just need to buy a new set of earphones, but if the problem persists then your iPod is the culprit and we’ll have to move onto the next troubleshooting step.

Solution #3: Reset your iPod

Now that we’ve determined that the iPod is the cause of the problem we have to figure out whether the cause is software or hardware based. The simplest way to do this is by resetting the iPod back to factory defaults. This will erase the settings on your iPod and bring the player back to how it was when you first purchased it.

The instructions for restoring an iPod touch can be found on the Apple website: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414

If you still have the problem even after resetting the Ipod then move onto the next step.

Solution #4: Tighten the headphone jack (Advanced)

(The last two solutions require somewhat advanced technical knowledge and can result in a broken iPod. Only go forward if you know what you’re doing.)

Plug in your headphones and play a song. Press down on the iPod touch surface just above where the headphone jack is and a little higher. If you hear music start playing when you press down then chances are that your headphone jack is loose. To fix this you’ll have to open up your iPod touch and tighten the two screws that hold the jack in place.

This youtube video shows the procedure:

Solution #5: Replace the headphone jack (Advanced)

(The last two solutions require somewhat advanced technical knowledge and can result in a broken iPod. Only go forward if you know what you’re doing.)

If the above didn’t work then you’ll most likely have to replace the headphone jack itself. This will require that you know how to de-solder/solder. You will also need to purchase a replacement headphone jack to place into your iPod touch.

The following two youtube videos will show you how to do this:

Good luck!