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Laptops

Discussion in 'Technical Board' started by Nettdata, Dec 1, 2009.

  1. vex

    vex
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    I run a repair shop. My suggestion is to worry about brands to the extent of what it means for your repair cost. You're generally getting a 1 year warranty regardless of your brand. As far as reliability, you're asking about laptops that are known to break down. That stuff isn't discovered until laptops have been on the market for awhile and every manufacturer has them pop up.

    I recommend sticking to the most popular brands as that will make replacing parts much easier and cheaper. I personally use Dell laptops.

    As for specs, you can check processor benchmarks online. Try to get at least 3gb of Ram, if not 4gb. DDR3 is a big plus. Be sure to go through with wiping the machine when you get it. That will maximize its performance.

    I'd only recommend getting an additional warranty if it's against any kind of damage including liquid damage and screen damage.
     
  2. bewildered

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    So apparently my fiance's laptop shit the bed a couple months back and he's itching to buy a newer (read: expensive) one. He's going to be stuck on the MEU for 6 months and wants one for entertainment reasons. I say, let's fix the old one! He grudgingly agreed that maybe that would work.

    Anyways, we're thinking it's a hardware issue because:
    After a system wipe, lots of things continue to crash, including internet explorer. He can't even install all the system updates. Everything is just very unstable.

    It's a toshiba and about 1.5-2 years old. I can get the model and such later if anyone needs that. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with it? I'll ask him more details about it later.
     
  3. Binary

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    There is no possible way to diagnose it from what you listed. Not even if we have the model and serial number. It could be overheating. It could be bad memory. It could be bad memory slots. It could be blown capacitors. It could be a bad hard drive.

    Laptops are extremely difficult to troubleshoot at home because you can't easily pull them apart and start replacing things, and even those things that you can replace in access panels don't give you any kind of view of the motherboard that might tell you if you have fluid from your capacitors leaking out or dust buildups that are causing the server to overheat.

    I'd call a local shop, many/most will have a flat fee to diagnose (sometimes free diagnosis).

    If you want to do it yourself, the first thing to do is to check the Windows event logs and see if it's logging errors. They might direct you at the source of your problem - you can google the contents of the message. Another easy thing to do is to take canned air and blow out the laptop. Open the access panels in the bottom, everything. Make sure there's no dust buildup in there. Make sure the fans are operating normally.

    Also, if you want help, specifics are important. "Crashing" is not a useful term - is it giving you the "program has performed an illegal operation" message? Just closing? What is the full text of the error message? When you say you can't install system updates, why not? Error message? Can't access windows update? "Everything" is unstable - what else, specifically?
     
  4. bewildered

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    Thanks for the reply, and sorry for not having all the info needed to diagnose the machine.

    I'll talk with him tonight and get all your questions answered.
     
  5. Diablo

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    My laptop is a few years old and a few of the columns on the screen went dead, I've talked to Dell about it, but I'm obviously out of warranty, so it can't be fixed for free. I'm expecting to have to replace the screen itself. Has anyone ever had any experience swapping out just the screen on any monitor/laptop? Any advice on the work itself or ordering parts?
     
  6. joule_thief

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    It's not that bad. Dell puts the service manuals online. The worst part of the experience will probably be that you will have some rubber bumpers that will lose their adhesive backing.

    The biggest thing is to hook it up to a monitor to make sure it's a LCD problem and not one with the video card.

    Also, try reseating the video cables on both the motherboard and LCD ends.

    If it is the LCD, replacement cost depends on the model, but you can normally find replacement LCDs for around $100 on eBay.
     
  7. Diablo

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    Thanks man, I'm about 98% sure it's just the screen. When I slightly bend the screen, all the dead lines go away, and sometimes a new random one appears. Then when I let go, the old lines appear. And I'm putting only slight pressure on the corners of the screen itself.
     
  8. joule_thief

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    If the situation changes with movement, I would definitely try reseating the video cable first.

    You might also try and clean the contacts with rubbing alcohol as it's possible you might have some corrosion depending on environment. Just make sure you give it 10-15 minutes to dry before you plug it in.
     
  9. Binary

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    Also, if you go to work on your screen, or your laptop in general, be patient and work clean. Laptops all come apart differently and it's not something you want to start an hour before you have to be somewhere.

    Give yourself some time, start with a clean work surface so that you don't lose any little screws or anything, and if you're unsure of your ability to remember what went where, a really easy way to remember is to just snap photos as you go.
     
  10. Diablo

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    Thanks for all the advice guys. Appreciate it.
     
  11. joule_thief

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    You should be able to find the manual at <a class="postlink" href="http://support.dell.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://support.dell.com/</a>

    If you don't know the model number, put your service tag in here: <a class="postlink" href="http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/details?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://support.dell.com/support/topics/ ... l=en&s=biz</a>

    Then click on Manuals, or if you can't find it: <a class="postlink" href="http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/manuals?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~ck=anavml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://support.dell.com/support/topics/ ... ~ck=anavml</a>
     
  12. Diablo

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    So, I have about 8 dead pixel lines now, so I called it quits. I finally took all the advice you guys gave me about my screen being jacked up and took stuff apart today. I documented what I was removing and where I was putting it so I could put it all back together nicely. It turns out that it is my screen that is messed up, and not the connections. I unplugged everything and plugged it all back in to no avail.
    So, I took off all but one of the two large wireless antennae (there were two large and two small, only one of each was actually plugged in) and just removed my whole display. I now have a laptop, sans screen, with an almost unnoticeable wireless antennae taped to the back with electrical tape. From where I'm sitting, I can't even tell it's there, and I ran some tests, and I only need one of the four antennae. Anywho, I have the bottom half of a laptop plugged into my TV via an HDMI cable. Problem solved. Now I have a 37" LCD display and a still running laptop. Hooray for ingenuity!!
     
  13. audreymonroe

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    There was a thunderstorm and power outage last night. I unplugged my laptop pretty quickly, and then unplugged the charger about a half hour later after I noticed the power had gone out. This morning, the charger seems to no longer be working. So, I have a couple of questions.

    Do you think it was a power surge, or something? Or was the thunderstorm just a coincidence and my charger just decided to punk out on me?

    Are chargers brand specific, or am I able just to get a new one from a store or a universal one or something? Do you think it could just be one of the two parts, and I can just replace the one if I can find it? The kicker is that Im in Costa Rica, so Im without Best Buys or able to order one online for the next month. Im going to try local computer stores, but Im worried about the language barrier making me buy the wrong thing. I work online and it would really suck to not have my laptop for the next month, especially if its just dead weight in my backpack.

    Im sure these are stupid questions, but Im shameless when it comes to tech questions, sorry. Thank you!
     
  14. rexmundi

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    Chargers are cross compatible. So anything that is the same amp, volt, and will fit into the hole will work.
     
  15. Binary

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    They are cross-compatible but lots of brands have various types of connectors and there are lots of permutations on voltage so if you can't buy a manufacturer-branded one, frequently you need either a universal charger that comes with a half dozen different tips, or you need a generic that's specifically made for the brand.

    Bring your charger in and compare numbers on the back to the ones that the local shops throw at you.

    Also, test it before you leave the store in case it's not the charger, and is instead a power problem in your laptop.

    Also, with the "two parts" thing... Almost all chargers are one standard power cable with a two prong connector that plugs into the brick. This is just about universal except for a few brands (I'm looking at you, Apple). There's almost no chance that standard power cable is bad... but again, bring your charger into the shop to make sure everything is good.

     
  16. audreymonroe

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    The most powerful cervix... in the world...

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    Thanks everyone. I brought it into a local store and lucked out with someone who spoke English but it was good having some clue about what to ask for. He ordered a generic charger for me that will be delivered tomorrow, so hopefully that will work out alright.
     
  17. Devils Advocate

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    My dumbness when it comes to computers is going to show. Is it possible to get a cable for my Dell laptop to hook it up to my tv? If so, can someone point me in the right direction?
     
  18. thabucmaster

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    What model Dell is it?
     
  19. Devils Advocate

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    Latitude D610? I think? Pretty sure?
     
  20. joule_thief

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