Laptop Died... Fix? or Replace?

[IslandTractor]

it IS 12 volt

Yes, and while I was imagining a fender mount, if he wants a 3pt mount I suppose that would work too.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Yes, and while I was imagining a fender mount, if he wants a 3pt mount I suppose that would work too.

Fender mount might work better. Where this fridge only holds 6 cans of soda, it won't work much as a ballast box.

 

[dmccarty]

Just need room to mount the laptop......

The operator might need real time advice from TBNers.....



Later,
Dan

 

[IslandTractor]

Just need room to mount the laptop......

The operator might need real time advice from TBNers.....



Later,
Dan

More than once I have used my iPhone to ask a question while in the seat with engine running. .

 

[sodamo]

More than once I have used my iPhone to ask a question while in the seat with engine running. .

Maybe that's one reason he wants an iPad?

 

[Reg]

I agree. Craigslist is a good place to look. I would want one that had all the original documentation and systems disks so you can essentially wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall everything.

I see IBM/Lenovo T41 or X60 or similar very good quality machines going for $100-200 just because someone got a new machine just to be upgraded to Windows 7.

If the hard disk works AT ALL you can usually mount it with something like SATA-wire and get all/most everything you had off it.
I bought something a bit fancier than SATA-wire from New-egg, it plugs into the USB port and can interface SATA or ide drives - $19.99 IIRC.

A really GOOD alternative to a used machine with all the original docs and install disks is one WITHOUT all that outdated encumberware.
Download UBuntu 10.10 or Debian 6.0 for FREE and have something that is CURRENT and STAYS current. Not only that, it is FIXED by the community, not just ignored or waived with mealy mouthed excuses about backward compatibility or fixed in an upcoming release.

Oh yeah, openoffice has all the word processing and spreadsheet stuff you could ever need, including microslop file format compatibility for those of us who have to work with the output from Messysoft's oriffice (deliberate spellings).
Again, all included, no $300 plus "office suite" to buy.

Beware firefox on Debian - for licensing reasons it is called Iceweasel (-:
The same add-ons and plug ins work with it the same way, just a name/license issue.

 

[Reg]

I used this Firefox add on over the holiday season to buy stuff. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/the-camelizer-price-history-ch/

The add on tracks the price of items on Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg. It only goes back a year or so but for the things I was shopping it was very accurate. It can be helpful deciding on when to buy as well as the best price.

I also noticed prices at Dell, Best Buy, Amazon, and Newegg would often change. Usually prices would rise on Friday and drop on Monday. Cheapest prices, like airline tickets, were in the middle of the week with highest prices on the weekend.

EDIT: Once installed the browser has to be restarted. You will see a little Camel in the bottom right of the browser frame. Click on the Camel while viewing a product on Amazon, Newegg or Best Buy. The browser will split in half and show a price history of the item at the three stores.

Later,
Dan

I just tried that, then something weird happened;
When I re-started Firefox my password was requested for TBN, but of course I don't remember it because I had asked Firefox to remember it for me.
So I opened up Tools>Options>Security>Saved Passwords>Show passwords
to see what it was and it was there.... Hmmm, OK, I'll give it that one.
Then the tab that I had my e-mail on, similar thing except it had apparently lost my username too.
That is just TOO suspicious - for ME.
So I disabled and uninstalled it.
Re-started Firefox, I (& my password) is remembered everywhere I need to log-in.

Not raising an alarm, but I am changing all my passwords WITHOUT the camel thang.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

If the hard disk works AT ALL you can usually mount it with something like SATA-wire and get all/most everything you had off it...

I got everything I needed from the old hard drive. I still can't bring myself to sell it, though. I had a lot of personal information on that laptop. Even deleted stuff isn't really deleted.

 

[dmccarty]

I just tried that, then something weird happened;
When I re-started Firefox my password was requested for TBN, but of course I don't remember it because I had asked Firefox to remember it for me.
So I opened up Tools>Options>Security>Saved Passwords>Show passwords
to see what it was and it was there.... Hmmm, OK, I'll give it that one.
Then the tab that I had my e-mail on, similar thing except it had apparently lost my username too.
That is just TOO suspicious - for ME.
So I disabled and uninstalled it.
Re-started Firefox, I (& my password) is remembered everywhere I need to log-in.

Not raising an alarm, but I am changing all my passwords WITHOUT the camel thang.

That did not happen to me.

But I do not blame you for being paranoid. They ARE out to get you. Hopefully not the Camalizer.

My assumption is that Camalizer IS reading what I look at on NewEgg, Best Buy and Amazon. That would help them collect prices.

Later,
Dan

 

[Reg]

That did not happen to me.

But I do not blame you for being paranoid. They ARE out to get you. Hopefully not the Camalizer.

My assumption is that Camalizer IS reading what I look at on NewEgg, Best Buy and Amazon. That would help them collect prices.

Later,
Dan

I believe that too.
I am not paranoid, just realistic.
I don't know at what point the cameliser installer has been compromised and I don't particularly care - the copy I got did something bad - removing it returned my system to it's previous non bad state.
The installer and/or the package may have been hi-jacked, maybe the web site itself.
=============================
For little more than idle curiosity I may create a virtual machine (build a cage) to let it run wild in and see what happens.
Trouble is I would then have to build some number of fake identities to use fake logins at various sites.

I could get caught doing that, it might be very hard to explain away.
Despite some pure intentions I could get into some serious trouble.
So maybe I won't go any farther with it.
=================================

OK, if anyone else tries this thing and gets similar weird symptoms I can only suggest removing it before entering any uernames or passwords at sites requiring logins - for which you had firefox remembering your login credentials.