Fried Display and Motherboard Chip

[epickoalaz]

I recently ran into some major performance issues with my Envy x360 notebook, so I did some digging to find some possible solutions. Long story short, my last fix resulted in me having to reinstall Windows from a USB drive. I usually use my laptop with a(n) external monitor(s), so I was unaware that my laptop's display was not functional as well. I tried every fix provided by HP's support pages and YouTube videos so that I could see the Windows Recovery mode or the HP Bios so I could reinstall Windows off my thumb drive. It seems very cash-grabby on HP's part to not allow consumers to view Windows Recovery mode or the bios on an external monitor when the display is faulty. Maybe there's a legitimate reason as to why this is how it is. But from my POV, it comes off as a strategic move by HP to take advantage of consumers who aren't as tech-savvy as myself and feel forced to send their laptop in to get fixed.

Anyways, in a last-ditch effort, I took off the backplate of my laptop to see if resetting the RAM modules fixed my black screen, according to a fix by HP Support, and what I found underneath baffled me (sorry if the photo isn't 100% clear).

The display ribbon port and one of the motherboard components was completely fried by what I can only determine as a mixture of dust build-up and heat being expelled through the exhaust (don't worry, I cleaned up the inside before closing it back up, lol). I'm very careful when it comes to the care of my tech products so I'm very confused and extremely disappointed by what's happened. My warranty expired a few months ago and don't know what to do without dropping the cash to get it fixed. Mind you I chose to buy this laptop in the middle of the pandemic when everyone's wallets were tight, and I needed it for work. As a consumer this turns me off from ever wanting to buy or recommend HP products again because when I do my research and chose to buy a product, I intend to have it for long-term use.