Laptop Died... Fix? or Replace?

[JD40MO77]

Don't know if it helps but my Toshiba was around a year old when the hard drive started crashing.
While I haggled with Toshiba and Seagate over the warranty I managed to download Ubuntu to a USB flash drive and boot the laptop from it and it didn't even need a hard drive in it.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

The above is a link to it. I don't know much about it just enough to stubble around between what I have learned from a guy at work and on my own.

But I have managed to use this to remove 3 viruses that had Windows all fouled up and one of these the in laws had a anti virus they were paying for and it located the virus but couldn't remove it..........

Don't know if this helps but it might help make sure it's not just the hard drive.

 

[jinman]

I think I would try the <$100 fix first, but not spend much more. We have a Toshiba Satellite that had a hard disc die. I ordered a new hard disc online and installed it and Windows XP. Everything was fine for about two weeks and the laptop started crashing again. I was ready to buy another one when my wife talked to a friend who teaches technology at a well-known high school in the Dallas-Ft Worth area. He took the laptop and returned it a week later saying he had fixed it with spare parts he had laying around. I asked him what spare parts and he said a hard disc. What? :confused2: It turns out that the hard disc I bought (a duplicate of the original) died in two weeks. At what I paid for it, it wasn't even worth returning, so I just chalked it up to experience. The laptop has worked fine for over 1-1/2 years since.

 

[IslandTractor]

$90 to fix the computer is probably worth it just to get data off and to have a spare computer available. I am a little suspicious of the guaranty though as $90 around here will get you a diagnosis on computer repair but not the actual fix.

My own strategy is to replace rather than update computers. I buy solid well configured machines (not game machines) about once every three or four years and don't touch them. Spent way too much time in the early days trying to upgrade computers before figuring out it just wasn't worth the hassle. Now I only buy relatively mature technology and purchase middle of the road computers from Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, HP etc. Never ever upgrade the operating system as that is just paying to have a nightmare experience. With Apple devices I never buy the first generation but find second or every other generation to be reliable and a worthy upgrade. I have an iphone but am waiting for the second generation ipad to see if that is worthwhile.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

You could try posting to the forums here:

Computer Hope's free computer help


Free advice. They might be able to walk you through a fix. If not, well at least the price is right.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Iplayfarmer, before doing anything else, see if it will boot up with the battery removed and just the AC adapter plugged in. Just a thought.

 

[Nasty135]

Which model dell is it?

 

[Iplayfarmer]

$90 to fix the computer is probably worth it just to get data off and to have a spare computer available...

Getting the data is not a problem. I've already checked the hard drive, and it works fine in my desktop. I figure I can probably get about $100 for the parts from this laptop on e-bay. Therefore, I'm figuring a $200 committment to this laptop to fix it. Still not a bad price for a computer.

Iplayfarmer, before doing anything else, see if it will boot up with the battery removed and just the AC adapter plugged in. Just a thought.

I hadn't tried that. What's your line of thinking there? If it boots with the AC adapter only does that mean I've just been fighting a bad battery?

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Yeah, the battery could potentially be the culprit. Sort of a long shot, but one of those "check" items that doesn't cost anything to try.

 

[Nasty135]

I hadn't tried that. What's your line of thinking there? If it boots with the AC adapter only does that mean I've just been fighting a bad battery?

Yes that is possible, If it is dead and won't do anything you won't be able to access the dell diags...

It sounds like you have removed the Key Board, Yes? If so some of the dells have a separate "ignition switch" that mount to the MOBO near the LCD end of the MOBO they can go bad, or it may just be needing reseated. On other dell models they have a module closer to the mouse pad that if they come loose the laptop will appear dead until they are reseated. Try to remove things one at a time like memory, dvd drive, etc. to see if anything is causing your issue, pcmia cards...If all fails it more than likely a bad MOBO

Oh and make sure your fan/s are free to move and blow them out if possible, Thats about all I can think of, Good Luck

 

[dmccarty]

Also search for the problem you are having, with error numbers if you have found some, and the system model number. The wifey's last laptop was a dog. Some people at work had the same model number at work and they were junk. We fixed it once or twice to get it working. It has been alive for a year or so but we now use it as a kids desktop. There were numerous problems with that system as well as other brands due to common parts.

You might have a system that has a set of known problems and fixes. Though sometimes the fixes are not worth the cost.

We bought a new lap top for her after the second fix. I actually paid for an extended warranty on the system which was good since the hard drive just puked out on the new system. In all of my years using computers I can only think of a few hard drives that have died. And when they have they have been at least five years old....

At least I bought a warranty! :thumbsup: I think this was the first warranty I have ever bought. :laughing:

Later,
Dan