Laptop gonna die?

[David Evil Overlord]

Ah interplanetary zombie attacks will do that :wink:

And the warranty never covers really common events like that.

 

[Abernovo]

Aargh! I've had a couple of critical failures with my laptop this last fortnight. The solution finder reckons it's a problem with BIOS and I need to update it. I've downloaded a new BIOS for this model and have it ready to install, but I've read that if anything goes wrong, the computer's nothing but junk and won't even start up. That leaves me a touch worried as it's the only computer I have and it's not crashing all the time. Plus, I can't afford a new one right now.

So, any ideas, reassurances? As you probably know, I'm not a techie person. I just need a computer that works - and gets me online.

The one good thing is that I back up everything on externals, so I shouldn't lose anything, file-wise.

 

[Kylara]

If the tool allows you to flash it in DOS, then do that, as it will minimise the risks of problems...that said I've never had an issue flashing a BIOS so you'd be very unlucky to have your computer crash whilst it's doing it

 

[David Evil Overlord]

Yes. Laptop is dead. Power button lights up. Screen does not. No sound of hard disk access.

 

[The Judge]

I've been meaning to return here and report on one of the cooling pad machine thingies we bought a few weeks ago, in case it's of help to anyone still um-ing and ah-ing over whether to buy one.

We got a Belkin as it was in a sale at PC World -- the Coolspot Laptop Cooling Station according to the PCW website, though Belkin's own site doesn't recognise the name. (We've thrown the box away so I can't check.) Anyway, it's concave, so there's a gap between it and the laptop in the middle, which helps cooling on its own, and most of the time I don't need to plug the USB thing in to power the fan -- which is just as well, as (a) its idea of "whisper quiet" isn't mine, and (b) a chill breeze emanates from it when it's working, which is the last thing I want in January.

It's slim and not at all heavy, but I found it a bit of a pain, literally and metaphorically when I first started using it. Metaphorically: since I use the laptop when I'm scrunched up on the sofa, I need cushions underneath it to raise it to the right height, and the cooling pad slips down them, so I'm continually having to adjust it and the laptop to get everything in the right place for typing -- the pad has a lip on the near edge to stop the laptop falling off, but that's not wholly effective. Literally: after I used it for the first time I woke in the night in absolute agony, with pain in my neck and radiating over the top of my shoulders. Two very unpleasant hours followed. I was OKish by morning, but I didn't use the cooling pad again for a few days. Since re-introducing it I've not had any other problems, but I sometimes use only one cushion beneath it, not two, in case that makes a difference.

I still find it awkward and I'd prefer not to have to need it, but if it prolongs the life of the laptop I'm willing to put up with the minor inconveniences.

 

[subtletylost]

My laptop died the other day. I was so sad. I was just working and my computer kept telling me to authenticate windows so I was going to put the original windows back on it and it just stopped working halfway through the install. Later I found out that it no longer recognises that it has a hard drive. It costs more to fix than to buy a new one.

 

[J Riff]

Sometimes having the battery out can help with overheating. Don't buy a thin laptop.

 

[TheTomG]

Well darn, the graphics chip on my laptop is giving up the ghost. Fortunately I had time to scrounge all the data off the HD, as the screen hasn't entirely become unreadable. Less than a year old, crappy Dell, knew I never liked Dell.

 

[Vertigo]

TTG - are you sure it is the graphics chip? I would normally expect that to either work or not work rather than the half-working that you describe. A bad connection on the ribbon for the screen would seem more likely and is relatively common; typically with this you loose columns or rows of pixels.

My company uses Dells almost exclusively and we have been very happy with them. I currently run two Dell laptops one about three years old and one about 7 years old. Apart from replacement hardrives (common problem if you carry them around with you a lot) I have had few problems and have always had excellent support from them when I have had problems.

Also, if less than a year old, it should still be under warranty.

 

[TheTomG]

Pretty sure, but could be a bad connector - more used to desktops and can tell when their cards are going out and this looks similar. Graphics cards on desktops usually partial fail and start displaying artefacts, rather than just go out entirely. Can't say if onboard chips do the same or not though, was thinking they would.

And had an Asus have the graphics card go out (fortunately it has a card and not a chip, so I replaced it like I do on the desktops and it was business as usual.) Hard to describe the effect - the screen has gone very pale and washed out (including in the start up menu so it isnt Windows or a driver) and anything on it, such as a window say, has a "stretched ghost" all the way from top to bottom that flickers a lot.

Never really been a big fan of Dell, and this was a cheaper one to be sure. It will be under warranty, but not sure I can find the receipt thanks to a lot of disruption in my life over the last year - plus it has my passwords and account information and business and personal emails on it; it stayed alive long enough for me to copy those fortunately, so maybe I will have time to erase them before it dies totally then I can send it to someone for repair

One thing I will try is to get output from it fed to a monitor, once I get an adapter, see how that looks - I figure that will tell if its the ribbon or not, as that wouldn't run through the connector.

Good info, thanks!

 

[Vertigo]

One thing I will try is to get output from it fed to a monitor, once I get an adapter, see how that looks - I figure that will tell if its the ribbon or not, as that wouldn't run through the connector.

Indeed that should certainly narrow it down. But I must agree with you pale and washed out doesn't really sound like a connection problem. Although maybe a problem with the power to the screen, rather than the actual information?

Note that if you bought direct from Dell rather than a shop then they should have a record of your purchase.

 

[J Riff]

I've had to replace three screens due to breakage, but this Toshiba has a freeze-up issue.
If you squeeze the upper left corner of the screen and hold it, the mouse moves around, everything works. Let go and it freezes, then slowly fades and bleaches.
I think its a relatively easy fix, the connector is wonked at some point. Hoping so anyway.
TomG pluggin it into another monitor will tell you what's up, good luck with that, I've been using a large Albatron with this one for months and it is easier on the eyes.

 

[Mouse]

Sooo... I know it was a long time ago now I started this thread, and I know I said I was going to do it sooner, but I've finally bought myself one of those laptop cooling thingies. Mine's just a cheapo Microsoft one with a fan in it that makes a hell of a noise.

Now, my laptop's not doing the random turning off thing that prompted this thread, but recently I've noticed my legs have been red after using the thing, so that's what made me get a cooler wotsit.

 

[Kylara]

Haha well My comp kept randomly shutting down and powering up - decided to take a proper look and it seems that it downloaded updates for certain programmes and then didn't get round to properly installing them, so half installed stuff was causing crashes - reinstalled everything and all good now

On a similar but unrelated note - my awesome ancient printer is dying. The cartridges are not aligning properly, no matter what I do - have replaced the ink cartridges, realigned them using software and all that, but they are just not staying put, so now on the hunt for another printer (with copier/scanner) for a decent amount of money...alas a long hunt I think, I'm a picky printer chooser...

 

[Vertigo]

Kylara, We use quite a lot of inkjet printers/scanners in our work and have pretty much settled on the Canon Pixma range. Does what is says on the tin and prices start around £60.

 

[Kylara]

Yeah I have the Pixma MG3250 on my list...However the whole link with printing from Apple annoys me a little silly Apple GRRRRR, I think it has a wireless function too - however the big printer in the office at my parent's is supposedly wireless too, but it has never worked!

 

[Vertigo]

We have never attempted to drive them wirelessly so I'm afraid I can't comment on that one!

 

[TheTomG]

I've used many brands of printer over the years, the only brand I use now is Canon. They are awesome, using a Pixma all-in-one which works great wirelessly, so I can print from or scan to any of the computers on my network.

Never had any trouble with Canon printers, and never had any complaints about the print quality, I thoroughly recommend them.

 

[J Riff]

We teardown printers every day and Canon/Pixma don't often show up so they must be OK. Issues lately with older printer drivers not being supported, annoying!
XP support runs out in a few months. Anyone else here running Linux?
Mouse, I allus thought you had a cool wotsit.

 

[subtletylost]

I run Linux on my netbook but I can't figure out how to install the driver for my printer on it, so I can only use my printer with my desktop, which runs windows 8. My printer is a Canon Pixma MP250 and I have dropped it once by accident, while moving it from one desk to a new one, and it still works like a charm. I dropped an HP printer one time and it shattered the glass of the scanner part and never worked again. I have to say I love my printer.