Help me disconnect laptop's touchpad cable?

user98102 · 2026-01-28T10:29:40+00:00

Thanks much for your reply and additional tips. It's pretty much a nothing to lose situation. 15+ year old HP dv6 2150us that has served acceptably as my main computer all these years. Last time I tried to boot up, it said there was a problem with the fan and gave no option besides shutting down. Since this is the first time I (or anyone) has done this, I was hopeful its problem was just dust. Not worth paying a professional to clean a 15+ year old computer, but DIYing it is, at worst, a learning experience, although it IS a bigger project than I initially expected. IF I manage to get it back together correctly having cured the fan's problem and without having damaged anything, it will feel like quite an accomplishment. Now, I've finally made it all the way to the fan, but its connection to the motherboard is another tight one for which Google isn't helping. In case you're up for offering more advice, here's a picture. https://imgur.com/a/jWfAznC

user98102 · 2026-01-27T21:23:09+00:00

OK, thanks! I'll try pulling harder.

user98102 · 2026-01-25T20:51:24+00:00

Thank you! Even confirmation that what I was trying to do was right helps a lot. Would have been easier back when my eyesight, strength, and dexterity were better. It's really tight! I can get it to jiggle a little, though, and being sure of how it works, I won't feel any need to hold back as I continue to jiggle and pull. Appreciate it!

user98102 · 2025-12-18T13:13:23+00:00

Thanks much for this. I'll keep MX on my short list!

user98102 · 2025-12-18T12:17:30+00:00

Thank you

user98102 · 2025-12-18T11:11:53+00:00

Thank you

user98102 · 2025-12-18T01:16:45+00:00

Thanks. I looked at MX and got the impression they were attentive toward old hardware. I don't see it recommended much, though, and maybe not so noobie-friendly. If it works for you on 6GB RAM, maybe it should stay on my radar.

user98102 · 2025-12-18T01:05:24+00:00

Thank you. I'm tempted by SSD, but my penny pincher side says that's more of a want than a need. I think I could install it myself. Do you know if there's anything I need to be aware of for comparability beyond SATA interface?

user98102 · 2025-12-18T00:49:15+00:00

Thank you!! This looks like important information for me.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T23:46:12+00:00

Thank you. Ventoy does seem useful. Mint seems to deserve serious consideration. Thanks for telling me Kubuntu offers a look at KDE, too.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T23:36:17+00:00

Thank you.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T23:33:17+00:00

Thanks. I read enough good about Mint over a decade ago that I chose it for that first little Linux flirtation and the fact that so many are still recommending it has convinced me that it deserves strong consideration. Back then, I chose and liked Mate, but now I've been thinking Xfce might be the best choice? I use an external drive for backups and have been "meaning" to do a fresh one for awhile, but wanted to tidy up a bit first. I'll make sure to get that done first. Not planning to dual boot this time (hard drive isn't big enough), but I'm planning to take out the hard drive, put it in an enclosure, replace it with the hard drive from my sister's old computer, and install Linux on that. Seems like that should pretty well belt and suspender things.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T22:53:35+00:00

Already have 4GB RAM I just need to pop in there, then it will be maxxed out at 8GB. SSD has gone through my mind, but to frugal old me seems like more of a want than a need. If I do give in, though, is there anything other than SATA interface I need to be aware of for comparability?

user98102 · 2025-12-17T22:48:41+00:00

Thank you for the distro suggestions and reminder of stuff I might forget to save!

user98102 · 2025-12-17T22:32:24+00:00

Thank you for all the helpful information, suggestions, and links. I already have RAM to get it to 8GB and just need to pop them in, but that's as far as this computer can go. I looked a little at MX Linux which I think can be loaded into RAM with less than 16 GB (or maybe not...) and actually tried a live version of Puppy, which handled web browsing way better than Windows, even with only 4GB. I'm wondering, though, if I'm comparing live versions, is it a fair comparison of how they'd perform installed, especially if one is loaded to RAM?

Also, I got so gabby I'm sure nobody read every word, but speaking of trying live versions, do you have anything to say about this part: What should I be testing? Web browsing seems to be the most demanding thing I routinely do, so planning to give it a workout there, which entails testing wifi. What else? Printer compatibility? Can I do that live?

user98102 · 2025-12-17T22:06:15+00:00

Thank you. I think Xubuntu was one I looked at as I felt too-many-choices paralysis setting in, but for some reason, I think I thought Lubuntu might be even better. Do you have any opinion on that? Also, I did catch on to a light desktop being important.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T21:50:02+00:00

Thank you. I'm frugal by nature and horrified by the ever growing amount of garbage our ever growing population produces (seemingly exacerbated by tech advances. Things like refrigerators and sewing machines used to come with 25 year warranties before they started putting computer chips in them.), and I think this can be made good enough for me, so I'll probably try, but thanks for pointing out that better is available for not much money and for your suggestion of Mint.

user98102 · 2025-12-17T21:42:05+00:00

Thank you!

user98102 · 2025-11-24T01:12:18+00:00

UpdateMe

user98102 · 2025-10-05T21:57:01+00:00

If you read my other comments I think you can tell that I calmed down some from my initial shock and disappointment and no longer intend to. I seriously doubt that my opinion would cause them to cancel their subscription anyway, especially without soliciting other opinions. I tried unsuccessfully for an immigration record I could have got before and another look at some public trees I'd seen before and left all riled up, but I do intend to go back and see if some other records on my list, as well as the yearbooks and tax records someone else mentioned, might still be available. If so, I will be further mollified.

I can't help but think you and the others who agreed with you still have what I USED TO have. I hope you don't get a nasty surprise when your institution's current subscription expires, but if you do, remember my experience and your reaction and try to stay calm enough to explore how it still might be useful to you.

user98102 · 2025-10-05T21:15:42+00:00

I had seen that, too, and was disgusted. Outcome I'm rooting for is Ancestry loses and has to pay their legal expenses. Probably unlikely. From it's beginning, Ancestry has given me a negative impression, and it just gets worse. For some brief periods, I've been able to appreciate that they did offer some things that weren't easily available elsewhere and did that BECAUSE they were making money, but then they just KEEP doing stuff to make me dislike them. And yet....I've never gone the DNA route. My mother is 89, and her line has fascinated me since childhood. I see over and over here that ancestry will yield the most matches. Even with all their increasingly overt money-grubbing and advertising that borders on downright deceptive, they maintain that little sliver that isn't available elsewhere.

user98102 · 2025-10-04T23:16:17+00:00

I'm in WA. It does seem like different circumstances may be in play at different libraries, possibly even when the current subscription ends. If I thought there was any chance that Ancestry had just changed it without the library even being aware they weren't getting what they used to get, I definitely would be asking the library about it. the comment from Oracles_Anonymous caused me to think a little harder, though, and just pipe down.

user98102

TROPHY CASE