Laptop question

[Vicki]

I'll try to make this short. I had a Lenovo laptop, but had so many problems with it that I had to exchange it, and I got a Dell. I've had it about a month, and it has had the same problem since I got it. It doesn't always power on when I hit the power button. It doesn't happen all the time, but several times a week. My tech that I trust told me how to fix it by resetting the battery...pulling out battery while holding the power button, then reinsert battery. That always works, but I'm sick of having to do it. Plus, I've burned out 3 A/C power cords too, and I think the problems are related.

Well, the tech working on my laptop (not my tech) said he could not duplicate the problem, which doesn't surprise me. So, they are just going to replace the motherboard. Isn't that kinda like getting a new PC? The processor (dual core) is brand new, heck most of the parts are fairly new as it is a refurbished laptop.

I hope this is the end of my problems, and I'm so glad I bought a laptop warranty. Sure has come in handy, and only cost $29.99 for a year.

 

[momofthegoons]

What a pain! I got so disillusioned with pc's that I opted for a Mac this time around. I love it. All the issues that I had with my Gateway and my three Dells are a thing of the past. These darn things are so great when they work, but such a hassle when they don't.

 

[wake n blake]

I second mac love...

Though, Lenovo makes good machines too... better than Dell, I've heard.

I've also heard that the new HP and Asus machines are quite the performers as well.

Yes, warranties are ALWAYS worth it... anything that costs over a couple hundred bucks, I usually opt for the warranty. I know I had like... $700 worth of repairs done to my aluminum macbook a few months ago FOR FREE. Was awesome.

A new mobo isn't entirely a NEW pc... however, if your mobo is faulty, a replacement can make a world of difference.

 

[turtles]

What model dell?
I know I've worn out 4 of the new style ac adapters

 

[wilf789]

A member of my family is head of IT for a large law firm in London and has always referred to Dells as the 'disposable cameras' of the laptop world. They give them to the old partners so that if (and when) they break them they're not too much of a cost to the firm as a whole.

I've often also heard people who do have them talk about how they have excellent customer service - perhaps because they're so used to replacing people's broken laptops?

Of course many, if not most, people may have had perfectly fine experiences with them, but I haven't heard another company negatively referred to so many times before.

Like many things, you get what you pay for. I'm certainly no computer expert, but it seems to me that if you spend a bit more and get a quality Toshiba or HP etc. it's going to last a year or two longer than a Dell or Acer etc. If you can afford it, Macs should last even longer - it's like an investment.

What makes a good laptop does tend to produce strong opinions from those pro-mac/anti-mac etc. so I guess at the end of the day it's a bit like a vaporizer: you just have to find what type and price-range works for you.

 

[Vicki]

What model dell?
I know I've worn out 4 of the new style ac adapters

It's a Dell Latitude D630

 

[steiner666]

lol yeah this is a common problem, not just with Dells, but yeah i guess it is mostly with them IME. I've worked on dozens if not hundreds of them personally/professionally and Dells are the most frequently repaired brand by far lol, of course they're probably also the most popular brand these days...

Anyway, when your computer does this, how are you shutting it down? I ask because oftentimes if you put the computer into a sleep mode, it can cause this. I think its because the laptop is still supplying a small amount of voltage to the ram to maintain the data in (this is why the PC wakes up so fast as opposed to a cold boot, where it has to load the OS and startup progs/services from the disk to RAM), and maybe it is enough to drain the battery completely if its already low when put to sleep. The real mystery is why removing and reinserting the battery fixes the problem tho... which I havent been able to figure out in how many years lol. Although it could be the opposite way around, and maybe your computer doesnt power up when shut down completely but will start up when it was just put into sleep mode.

It could be something else, but yeah look at what your power options are set too, like what its set to do when you push the power button and what its set to do when you close the lid, maybe you'll find a pattern to when this happens depending on whether the laptop is or isnt completely shut down. and once the problems been replicated its easy to fix

I dont suppose you've performed and sort of BIOS updates on the computer?

And with the level of integration on laptop motherboards, a new motherboard IS pretty close to a new computer i suppose. whats really nice is when you're lucky enough that they replace your motherboard with an updated model with better graphics chipsets and such rare but it does happen.

 

[charliedontsurf]

I loathe macs, I loathe their company policies, I loathe how they think their customers are morons and treat them as such, and I loathe how they charge 4X what the hardware is actually worth. Steve Jobs has done things again and again which are moralistically unsound.

I warn people to stay away from the 200-400 laptops getting slung around alot these days, since they're built to such a low quality they they're bound to fail in a few years. I don't know if yours is a cheapie Vicki, I'm just saying. I'm typing right now on a 8 year old Toshiba which has been flawless since new, except when I spilled some Deschuttes Green River ale on the keyboard and had to replace it for like 30 bucks. Toshiba is known to make superb laptops, and Acer has recently been getting acclaim for their laptop build quality - I would consider a PC laptop from these two companies, and tread very lightly when it comes to companies like Dell and HP.

Dell was pretty good, years ago. They helped define the modern PC market; but I do admit their quality has gone in a tailspin since 3 to 5 years ago.

 

[Vicki]

I just got back from the computer store. They replaced the motherboard. Hopefully that solves the problem.

**I always shut down my laptop completely

 

[pakalolo]

I (well, me and my wife) have owned nine IBM/Lenovo laptops, and I still have five of them at home, all in perfect working condition except for dead batteries. The only reason we don't use them anymore is that we both use applications that have outstripped the capabilities of the old warhorses. The office where I worked also used IBM/Lenovos in the dozens for years, and none of them ever had the problem Vicki describes, nor any other issue that wasn't due to user error. They now have several Dells and those have also stood up well without problems, so I wouldn't trash Dells either.

Vicki, if the problem hasn't changed despite getting a different laptop, and it could not be reproduced elsewhere, and you've burned out three A/C power cords, I'd suspect the power at your house. Any other electronics acting up?

 

[Vicki]

I (well, me and my wife) have owned nine IBM/Lenovo laptops, and I still have five of them at home, all in perfect working condition except for dead batteries. The only reason we don't use them anymore is that we both use applications that have outstripped the capabilities of the old warhorses. The office where I worked also used IBM/Lenovos in the dozens for years, and none of them ever had the problem Vicki describes, nor any other issue that wasn't due to user error. They now have several Dells and those have also stood up well without problems, so I wouldn't trash Dells either.

Vicki, if the problem hasn't changed despite getting a different laptop, and it could not be reproduced elsewhere, and you've burned out three A/C power cords, I'd suspect the power at your house. Any other electronics acting up?

I didn't take the Lenovo back over power issues. It had a continual keyboard problem. I exchanged it for the Dell I'm using now. Only the Dell has had the power issues. We have 2 other laptops in the house, an HP and another Dell. The power issue has not ever happened to either of them, just this new Dell.

Thanks guys. Hopefully this new motherboard will solve the problem.

 

[Hippie Dickie]

Apple ][ Forever! (thus spoke the Woz)

i recently got an HP Omni 200 with i5 quad and just love it to pieces -- it's kind of like a laptop (all-in-one), except it has a decent keyboard and a real honest to god mouse.

 

[Vicki]

Well, the new motherboard did nothing. When they returned my laptop, they gave me a battery that would not charge past 26%, and the A/C power adapter died yet again!!! I'm sick of this shit. Now I just want my money back.

We went to CompUSA and bought a NEW (not refurbished) laptop for me. It's an HP Pro Book 4525s Notebook PC. It has an AMD Athlon II P340 Dual Core Processor 2.20GHz. 4GB RAM. 320GB Hard Drive. ATI Radeon 4250 video card. Windows 7, which I don't care for, but this is the first time I have ever used it. It was on sale for $399.99.

The only thing I dislike about it so far is the mouse. It's not even centered. It's off to the left.

 

[Smokey]

Macs are smooth, have greater battery life, keyboard and screen are state of the art and the multitouch trackpad...well once tried I refused to go back. So when talkin about laptops, macs are so freakin fabulous...and since I moved to logic, my positive opinions went further.
I agree on the crazy prices, but to me..are simply justified, if I crash my macbook today, I'll go for a new one tomorrow first thing in the morning.
P.s. I used, and still use, windows alot, not a mac fanboy.

 

[gobbly]

the motherboard is a major component, but is certainly not the whole thing. It's kinda one of three core pieces, along with the CPU(s) and peripherals (lately more and more of the necessary peripherals are showing up on mobo's, like integrated video). If you're technically inclined you can kinda think of the mobo as a large collection of busses, and some chipsets to control them, it organizes all the communication between peripherals, memory, and cpu. Oh, it also controls the power supply on modern PC's and laptops, which is most likely why they replaced it in your situation.

Far as PC brands, sony makes some of the best notebooks out there (though I've had some issued with their techs), their hardware is top notch. Toshiba makes surprisingly good hardware for the price. I've had dell's and though their service was actually pretty good, their hardware leaves a lot to be desired. HP also makes a very solid notebook, I used to work for them as an engineer where they are put together, really solid systems.

Mac's are solid as well, and really, apple, sony, and HP, have the best hardware around, and mac excels in several areas. I have to warn you though, as someone inside the industry, apple is engaged in a lot of questionable business practices right now (imo at least), and by buying apple you end up being locked into apple's system. It's something to consider before you buy one purely because they truly do make some of the best hardware out there!