Laptop Died... Fix? or Replace?

[JD40MO77]

Just making sure my post above made sense..............You can download Ubuntu or some other version of Linux and save it onto a USB flash drive and plug that into the laptop and when you turn it on change to boot sequence to make it boot 1st from the USB ports........

This should allow you to use the computer with the hard drive completely removed from the laptop. Then you can be sure your hard drive is where the problem is.

But I may be missing something ...........you talked about error lights......so you may already have narrowed it down to some other part of the computer.

I just know that this Toshiba had the hard drive go bad within a year's time and I ended calling the hard drive manufacturer and getting them to honor the warranty. Because Toshiba wanted me to send in my whole laptop and wait how ever many weeks for it to get shipped there and back..............guess that's what most places do from what I have been told. Seagate, the hard drive manufacturer let me prepay for the replacement hard drive then they shipped a new one and once I got it installed I could erase the old one and ship it back to them for a full refund............

By the way the Linux operating systems are free and I have played around with Knoppix, Ubuntu, and a couple others and sometimes I wonder why computers are being sold with windows already on them because these operating systems seem pretty stable to me and just as easy to use as Windows..........too bad consumers are offered the opportunity to purchase a computer without have microsoft forced upon them............

 

[JDgreen227]

If you order by phone and get a real human body on the line, you can sometimes buy a unit without an operating system.

My work with dead computers has always found that the cause was software problems (eMachines excluded). Now laptops seem to have a short lifespan because they get bounced around too much.

Please define "new laptop". I have a Toshiba 15.4 screen M35X that is over 6 years old as I type this, it has never given me a moments problem and STILL HAS THE ORIGINAL, OEM BATTERY. It gets moved around a lot, but ONLY after it is shut down...it amazes me how many laptop owners pick their machines up and move them around while the hard drive light is blinking...this one cost me $1200 new with an additional 1.5 GB of memory added for another $100 3 years ago. Two years ago I was able to purchase a second 15.6 screen Toshiba with Vista, $400 delivered from Newegg, no tax, with 2 GB and a 160 GB HD. It amazes me you can buy a decent laptop these days for $400-$500. Unless you have a lot of sentimental attachment to your older computers, spend the bucks and buy a new one, the OS upgrade alone is often worth a quarter of the price. As much as I am attached to my older Toshiba, if it needs repairs over $100, I will not bother as I have my moneys worth out of it after 6 years.

 

[wrangler6831]

For what its worth I have had 2 repaired by one of the EBAY vendors and both are still working over a year for one and about 8 months on the other. I don't think it was the same person, mine was out of Florida and kept me well informed on what he was testing and repairing. $95.00 well spent.


Rich

 

[westcliffe01]

Asus Eee 7 inch Display Linux Netbook - Pearl White - Asus - Toys "R" Us

$150+shipping gets you a brand new netbook running linux (no virus issues or MS spyware). For 99% of my needs I no longer need any windows code. For the remaining 1% I have a dual boot for now.

 

[Alan L.]

I have had good luck with fixing Dell latitude laptops myself. Disassembly and assembly instructions are available online, as are most parts. I have two laptops that I have replaced just about every part, including keyboard, motherboard, processor, RAM, modem, palmrest (with touchpad), hard drive, lcd display. I have bought parts on ebay and from other dealers, and have won cheap parts laptops on ebay. I've motherboards for Dell for as little as $20 and as much as $150 for a newer laptop.

These are good serviceable laptops that are a few years old but still fast enough and useful.

Kind of fun too.

A serviceable laptop should easily be worth $91 to fix.

 

[Alan L.]

Its just me but I can't imagine getting a giant iphone when I can get a fully functional Windows 7 Dell Inspiron laptop with Intel processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GM HD and 15.3 inch display, wireless, USB, DVD burner, etc for less money (just paid $399 at Best Buy a month ago). This thing is working great.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

For what its worth I have had 2 repaired by one of the EBAY vendors and both are still working over a year for one and about 8 months on the other. I don't think it was the same person, mine was out of Florida and kept me well informed on what he was testing and repairing. $95.00 well spent.


Rich

That's very valuable information. Thanks for sharing.

In response to others, I've confirmed that the problem is NOT the hard drive. I've tried all of the jiggle, wiggle, clean, and reseat that I can think of. My conclusion is that there are parts that need to be replaced.

westcliffe01 - I'm not sure I can bring myself to buy a laptop from Toys R Us.

 

[dmccarty]

Its just me but I can't imagine getting a giant iphone when I can get a fully functional Windows 7 Dell Inspiron laptop with Intel processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GM HD and 15.3 inch display, wireless, USB, DVD burner, etc for less money (just paid $399 at Best Buy a month ago). This thing is working great.

Can the laptop fit in your pocket? :laughing::laughing::laughing:

We finally got smart phones last August. Not an iPhone. Apple products are over priced and I am not paying a premium for a logo. Though the iPhone has a huge amount of after market gadgets that makes things interesting. Our smart phones were on Amazon and seems like one other retailer for $150-200. Found it on NewEgg for $50.

Having a PC in your pocket is very nice. It even as a TBN app. :thumbsup: Very nice to have one integrated device that reads email, browses the Internet, is a book reader, plays music, runs a variety of apps, is a GPS, oh yeah, its a phone too. :thumbsup::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

And it fits in a pocket. :thumbsup:

Later,
dan

 

[IslandTractor]

Its just me but I can't imagine getting a giant iphone when I can get a fully functional Windows 7 Dell Inspiron laptop with Intel processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GM HD and 15.3 inch display, wireless, USB, DVD burner, etc for less money (just paid $399 at Best Buy a month ago). This thing is working great.

I'm not an Apple fan boy but I must acknowledge that since I did finally break down and get an iPhone last year it really has changed the way I use computers. I only pull out the laptop if I absolutely need the keyboard for a long message or need something that cannot be done on the iphone. I have a notebook and a standard laptop neither of which is used nearly as much now as in the past. The iphone is just too quick and convenient. There are fewer and fewer things that it cannot do so I just go to it first.

 

[unbidden]

Concerning the iPad; no "flash" is a deal breaker at any price, along with no usb/firewire or dvd .
There are a growing number of companies now producing "pads" for a 1/4 of the price. Vizio is getting into the market as well with a pad and a smart-phone.