IT Help Required.. My laptop died

[Cibby]

I require the assistance of a learned IT person in the auckland area!! ;)


Last night my laptop died.. it lost power. completely.. :gob:

turned it back on again, it started up, just really slowly.. and then...

wait for it...

it died.. AGAIN! :angry: :angry:

No more KB at night time for me...

Any ideas????? Help???


ANYONE????? :)

Thanks

Cibby..

p.s beer / food / money or ride on race bike available for payment... ok well maybe not a ride on the race bike.. well maybe.. depends.

[WRT]

Shame Tonto's over seas or he could have brought it into work for me to have a look at. I'm busy for the next few nights but if you havent had any joy by thursday then give us a yell and pop on over with it.

Just as a point of interest, do the charging/AC lights on the front show up when you plug it in? Sounds a bit like its trying to run off a flat battery. If the lights dont come on then it could be a poked charger.

[ManDownUnder]

Was the power cord in?

Sounds like a dead battery to be honest. If you let a battery "rest" it'll get some life back... but not much. And I'd expect it to do what you described...

As for the offer of you letting me have a ride... Postie would be pissed off... and my wife would REALLY have a problem with it LOL...

If the power was plugged in (assuming it was on) it soulds like a possible power supply issue?

[Cibby]

wow.. do i really come across that blonde?

The power supply was plugged in and the light on the cord was on so i assume its not a power cord supply, could be a lose wire but it seems strange as it starts and then dies, and the time varies..

Thanks thou MDU :)

[WRT]

Does it start if you remove the battery and just run it off mains? And also, when its turning itself off, does it go off like someone flicked a switch or does it seem to shut itself down before the power goes off?

[Cibby]

Shame Tonto's over seas or he could have brought it into work for me to have a look at. I'm busy for the next few nights but if you havent had any joy by thursday then give us a yell and pop on over with it.

Just as a point of interest, do the charging/AC lights on the front show up when you plug it in? Sounds a bit like its trying to run off a flat battery. If the lights dont come on then it could be a poked charger.

I could give it to james maybe????

[Keystone19]

Does it start if you remove the battery and just run it off mains?

That's what I was going to ask.

I had a similar problem recently and it was the back up battery that had completely died. Once I took the battery out it would then fire up off mains power but wouldn't until I had removed the battery.

[Cibby]

Does it start if you remove the battery and just run it off mains?

na tried that.. makes no difference. Still started up.. still died...

[WRT]

Yeah, sorry forgot your living with him now. Yeah, by all means, tell him to bring it in and I'll have a squiz at it for ya.

[Cajun]

slide the battery in and out

just plug it in with out turning it on, you should in theory get the green light on it?

Could try boot it up with out the battery in(some laptops you can do this others you can not) Or just boot up out off battery no power

bit of trial and error really.

if this is correct, turn it on,

If it gets as far as starting windows before restarting you are having windows problems not really hardware problems, and if thats the case, restinstall windows.

[Cibby]

Yeah, sorry forgot your living with him now. Yeah, by all means, tell him to bring it in and I'll have a squiz at it for ya.


cheers... :) i'll bring it in tomorrow.. thanks :)

it starts as far as windows sometimes..

Sometimes i just get a black screen, it beeps three times and then dies again.

I think it likes to vary things,, be spontanous...

as far as reinstalling windows.. i cant get it started far enough to be able to do that.. i dont know enough..

Thanks everyone.. we will see how WRT goes :)

Cheers

Cibby ;)

[The Stranger]

What brand and model?
Is the battery usually good?

[John Banks]

Usually there is a light which shows if the battery is charging or charged. Is the battery saying it is fully charged, or does it still say it is charging?
Likely it's not the battery at all. As said before, it could possibly be a Windows problem - if so, someone with a live boot CD would be able to boot up the operating system on the CD and run that without any problems to prove that it is Windows.
The other possibility is overheating. I've known a few laptops to beep at you then shut off when it gets too hot. It's possible the little fan inside is broken.

[ManDownUnder]

wow.. do i really come across that blonde?

The power supply was plugged in and the light on the cord was on so i assume its not a power cord supply, could be a lose wire but it seems strange as it starts and then dies, and the time varies..

Thanks thou MDU :)


LOL

it's not a blonde thing - it's a STUPID thing that's confused 85% of the IT community at some point or other... the lights are on but ain't no power going nowhere. (edit - that's not to say you're stupid...)

The beeps are sgnificant. The number (and pattern) of beeps indicates a more fundamental problem. Look up "beeps" and the model of your lappy on Google and see what comes up. That's how it'll tell you if a memory fauly or bettery fault or... whatever fault exists...

If a nice hardware fault is hiding in there, the beeps is the only clue.
MDU

[Cibby]

The other possibility is overheating. I've known a few laptops to beep at you then shut off when it gets too hot. It's possible the little fan inside is broken.

hmmm yes.. that is starting to sound reasonable..

i left it off all night and it worked this morning.. for about 15 minutes...

[John Banks]

Take a look at the air intakes see if you can feel anything when you turn it on. Only problem with overheating is the more you turn it on, the more damage it can do.

[cowpoos]

I require the assistance of a learned IT person in the auckland area!! ;)


Last night my laptop died.. it lost power. completely.. :gob:

turned it back on again, it started up, just really slowly.. and then...

wait for it...

it died.. AGAIN! :angry: :angry:

No more KB at night time for me...

Any ideas????? Help???


ANYONE????? :)

Thanks

Cibby..

p.s beer / food / money or ride on race bike available for payment... ok well maybe not a ride on the race bike.. well maybe.. depends.

okay luv....pull the 50cent peice out of the disk drive....and take the condom off the joystick and it should work fine again...

[Wasp]

What brand of laptop is it? if its a Toshiba i could pull some strings for replacement parts etc etc (im a registered tosh techy ;)).... (pm me if you need them)

Sounds like a blowen power/mainboard to me though....

i doubt its overheating (might be though - depends on the construction of that model/brand), weve left laptops running stress tests (maxing out everything in it) over long weekends and came back on tuesdays and they're fine (just have to let em cool before stripping em down again lol).

[Cibby]

What brand of laptop is it? if its a Tosh i could pull some strings for replacement parts etc etc (im a registered tosh techy ;)).... (pm me if you need them)

Sounds like a blowen power/mainboard to me though....

i doubt its overheating (might be though - depends on the construction of that model/brand), weve left laptops running stress tests (maxing out everything in it) over long weekends and came back on tuesdays and they're fine (just have to wait before stripping em down again lol).


ohh.. are you just :)

its an Acer.. so i dont think you can help me..... but thank you anyways! :)

[Wasp]

yea.... pity im in welly otherwise i'd be round in a flash to sit on the race bi... oh er i mean "look" at the race bike and "fix" the laptop :blip:

[N4CR]

Starting up slowly - either overheating so CPU is thermal throttling to save itself, OR hard drive is dead. Could be faulty solder joins on the mainboard (dry breaks) too... a few things it would be but those are my picks.

Wires on your power supply not kinked/frayed? They can cause shorts and screw stuff up on the mainboard as the resistance changes - blowing small mainboard fuses is common... sigh. Seen it all.

[scracha]

hmmm yes.. that is starting to sound reasonable..

i left it off all night and it worked this morning.. for about 15 minutes...


From the symptoms it sounds like your Windows install is borked. Batter the F1 (or it could be F2, escape or F10) key to get in to the bios. Tell it nicely (be undre boot order or summit) to boot from a CD first.

Find a bootable copy of memtest 86 to check the memory (doubtful). Or better still, Knoppix 4 and then you won't have to worry about buggering up Windoze.

Everyone should have a backup knoppix disk in case of emergencies.

[scracha]

Hmm...funny how all us techies come up with different answers.

[Karma]

What brand of laptop is it? if its a Toshiba i could pull some strings for replacement parts etc etc (im a registered tosh techy ;)).... (pm me if you need them)

Sounds like a blowen power/mainboard to me though....

i doubt its overheating (might be though - depends on the construction of that model/brand), weve left laptops running stress tests (maxing out everything in it) over long weekends and came back on tuesdays and they're fine (just have to let em cool before stripping em down again lol).

Sweeeeeeettt....

Ok, I've got a Toshiba Satellite Pro 2450 or something... I want a docking station for it so I can wander about the house and not have to worry about unplugging all the cables etc...

I've not seen one around, can you find one of these and give me a rough price?

I'd be very grateful.

[vtec]

There's tonnes of things it could be, would have to have a play around with it to figure it out, cause average joe ain't going to be able to give you the clues you need through the forums.

My first thought when you said that it did run sometimes, and for differing amounts of time and the slow load up sounded a lot like overheating, check that the fans are running, like they used to. Also could be a failure in the connection between the CPU and the Heatsink... Has it been dropped recently?

Seriously though, the only way to find out what's faulty is trial and error... Try swapping the easy things first like the RAM (could be the fault) or the HDD (unlikely in my opinion, but entirely possible). But the fault could also be in the motherboard or CPU, quite expensive. Best of luck.

As someone said... beeps mean hardware failure. Everytime I've seen a machine make beeping noises, it was either something wasn't plugged in properly like a loose ram stick, or there was a hardware failure.

[Karma]

Has anyone mentioned virus?

[N4CR]

COuld also be corrupted sectors or bad sectors or fucked file system, BUT it should atleast still turn on from what I can tell by waht she said it didn't always turn on, so should be hardware... physical.. hdd or cpu.. ram is usually not that intermittant but can't rule it out, had some satanically weird sticks before., edit mobo blah blah it's best if one of us comes around and looks at it some time, i'm not free till after 7 most days with gym and shit

[texmo]

My advice to you cibby is to pay somebody who knows what they are doing.

[John Banks]

My advice to you cibby is to pay somebody who knows what they are doing.

If you take it into the computer shop you're most likely going to get it handed to someone payed only slightly more than your average McDonalds worker to be charged $60 an hour for a second rate job. I'd say better help could be gained from here for free, considering how many people on KB work in IT.

[N4CR]

If you take it into the computer shop you're most likely going to get it handed to someone payed only slightly more than your average McDonalds worker to be charged $60 an hour for a second rate job. I'd say better help could be gained from here for free, considering how many people on KB work in IT.

Yeah, what he said... oh so sadly true. I need another job :|

I'll shout you cibby (I can't shout hardware if that is the case cus it needs to be purchased.. some one on here can help with that, but I'll atleast come and diagnose and repair software for free if that's the case), just you and Postie need to feed me well.. I'm a growing lad! :P

[.produKt]

I'd actually really like to know what the problem was in the end :)

Keep us posted Cibby chick :D

[Karma]

it starts as far as windows sometimes..

Sometimes i just get a black screen, it beeps three times and then dies again.

Ok... finally bothered to read the thread properly...

The three beeps are generally the BIOs reporting that something is not well... in this case it refers to the RAM.

Being a laptop, have you recently spilt anything on it / dropped it / left it on a dusty carpet / type of thing?

I'd imagine that if it isn't doing it all the time then the RAM could be ok, but might just be loose or have some stuff in there that needs cleaning out, I'd be ready to spring for a couple of new ram sticks though.

(Disclaimer) Any information imparted upon you by Mr. Weasel is merely conjecture, and based on no facts other than life experience.

[Mr Skid]

Has Maurice been anywhere near it?
Could be 'liquid' damage.

[Cibby]

Wow, i cant believe i'm getting so many responces...'

and i'm kinda getting confused!!!!!!

The laptop is currently with WRT, so if he cant fix it then next dips probably goes to N4CR... happy to cook food, i'm rather good a that..
.

Weasle, your probalby right about the ram.. i dunno.. but it does run fairly slowly and is getting slower, and i did have it on teh carpet the other day but i vacumed so i dont think that is a big issue..

I half in suspense waiting for WRT's verdict..!!!!!!!!

[mikey]

Was the power cord in?



hahahahaha BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRN

[Beemer]

When did Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki/etc start making laptops? Do they have hard rides instead of hard drives?

You'll get smacked on the hand (and red repped) for posting in the wrong forum - if you haven't already!

[Cibby]

When did Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki/etc start making laptops? Do they have hard rides instead of hard drives? :zzzz:

You'll :zzzz: get smacked on the :zzzz: hand (and red repped) for:zzzz: posting in the wrong forum - if you haven't already! :zzzz:


well who had to come and spoil the party.. geeze beemer.. incase you havnt read, everyone so far seems more than happy to help me, in the interest of getting me back on kb in the eveningss so i can make enlightening and worthwhile contributions to Kb!!!

besides.. how can "general biker ravings" not be the right forum. I'm a biker and i'm raving...

so :nya: :nya:

[Qkkid]

wow.. do i really come across that blonde?

The power supply was plugged in and the light on the cord was on so i assume its not a power cord supply, could be a lose wire but it seems strange as it starts and then dies, and the time varies..

Thanks thou MDU :)
Stay off those naughty sites while Ash is away overseas:nya:

[crashe]

I only know a little about comps.


I reckon the RAM has be accidently knocked or you have crap in the RAM slots, Pull them out and clean the area and put them back in.

Mine gives the 3 beeps on start up and thats what I have to do to fix the problem.



Comp going slower and slower - Have you cleaned out your History and Cookies recently? Have you also done a defrag recently as well?
Give your comp a good clean up - you know comp housework.

If not then do it asap and do it on a regular basis.

Then you will notice the comp will run a lot faster.

Do the defrag when all your browsers are shut down and you have nothing open just as you are going to bed set the defrag on... leave the comp running and by morning it will be all done. If you defrag at least monthly or even more often depending on what you use the comp for, then the time it takes is a lot less time taken.

Good luck in getting your comp sorted.

[Drunken Monkey]

I only know a little about comps.
....

Yes, we know that from your previous posts...

[Cibby]

Allrighty one.

So far, WRT reckons it is the memory that is died..

sooo..

Does anyone have any spare memory that we could borrow and test??? naturally you will get it back....

eventually........ :)

Anyone?????

[WRT]

LOL yes send in your memory . . .

This is one unhappy laptop. Didnt want to fire up, would just give three short beeps during POST with nothing on the screen, then flick off again. Cant find the beep codes from Acer (its an Extensa 2000), but from past experience would hazard a guess that three is memory. Do we have any Acer tech's here that could confirm?

Certainly after reseating the memory, it would at least turn on. Managed to start a Memtest on it, but part way through, our three beeps came back (LOUDLY) and the laptop powered off. Didnt sound like the normal sound from memtest when it finds faulty memory tho, normally you get a pretty much nonstop beep, but this was three distinct loud beeps.

Does anyone have any memory that they would be willing to try in this beast to see if it works? Looks like its DDR-266, its got 256mb in it at the moment but any size would be good just to try it out.

[The_Dover]

If it is PC133 SODIMM's then I have some.

Somewhere in my piles of shit.

[ManDownUnder]

Acer beeps codes

http://www.bioscentral.com/postcodes/acerbios.htm

Another http://support.acer-euro.com/documents/reports/bootblock.html

Note if the beeps are long or short, how many, in what order etc
MDU

[9cents]

Sounds like it's overheating to me, and if it is then turning it on more without resolving the issue is just going to cause further damage. Get someone who knows what they are doing to open it up and look at it properly, I'm guessing that's what you are doing so well... good luck lol :yes:

[WRT]

Needs to be DDR266 unfortunately . . . nice avatar tho.

[Badcat]

Allrighty one.

So far, WRT reckons it is the memory that is died..

sooo..

Does anyone have any spare memory that we could borrow and test??? naturally you will get it back....

eventually........ :)

Anyone?????

let us know exactly what memory it is.
surely someone will have some in their stash drawer.
maybe even me.

[WRT]

MDU - cheers for that, but those are the post codes rather than the beep codes - cant see Acer on the list on the right, or am I missing something obvious? Unless someone has a mini PCI post card the codes alone wont narrow it down.

9cents - fans are working, and circulating the air plus it doesnt seem to be getting too hot so fairly confident its not overheating.

[Karma]

So far, WRT reckons it is the memory that is died..

Score!

What do I win?

[Badcat]

Needs to be DDR266 unfortunately . . . nice avatar tho.

OK - as a mac guy, i'm probably speaking swahili , but here's one that looks matbe right.
256 mb DDR PC2100 CL2.5 on the Dimm itself
and on the (sealed) pack,
P/N STA-PBG4266/256
256 mb pc2100 DDR sodimm
it's a simpletech piece.
yours if it fits Cibby.

Ken

[Cibby]

Score!

What do I win?


TUT TUT weasle.... not yet..... to be confirmed.....

Thanks everone.. all techincal questions may be directed to WRT for expert somethingorrather....

[Cibby]

OK - as a mac guy, i'm probably speaking swahili , but here's one that looks matbe right.
256 mb DDR PC2100 CL2.5 on the Dimm itself
and on the (sealed) pack,
P/N STA-PBG4266/256
256 mb pc2100 DDR sodimm
it's a simpletech piece.
yours if it fits Cibby.

Ken

WALT??? WILL THIS WORK?????????

[Badcat]

WALT??? WILL THIS WORK?????????
oh - and i have some PC2700 256s too.
dimm says
PC2700S-25330
256MB DDR 333 MHZ CL2.5
HYMD232M646D6-j AA

i have 2 of these - unsealed but prolly all good too.


k

[Cibby]

oh - and i have some PC2700 256s too.
dimm says
PC2700S-25330
256MB DDR 333 MHZ CL2.5
HYMD232M646D6-j AA

i have 2 of these - unsealed but prolly all good too.


k
Thansk heaps badcat.

We will see how that first one goes, and if that doest work well. then plan b.. or c.. or d... :doobey: :doobey:

Cheers :)

[Karma]

I prefer plan double d's

[Sniper]

I have a spare stick of SODIMM 256MB ram if you need Cibby. Not sure on condition though.

I also have an Intel Celeron 1.7 Cetrino Prosessor ( Cant vouch for condition). Both came out of a liquid damaged NEC Versa M400 and I cant look for the official bits and bobs till I get home.

[WRT]

Ok, sorry just been busy with "work" . . . pfft, rude buggers. Dont they know I'm busy?

Ok, badcat, I think the PC2700 should work, as thats whats labelled on the RAM already in there. Had assumed it was 266mhz as Memcheck detected a 133FSB.

If you dont mind parting with that we can give it a try and see whether the RAM is the problem or not?

Your help is all much appreciated guys.

[Sniper]

Just had a look and I was wrong.

It is a stick of 256MB DDR SDRAM for a lapto

the Processor is an Mobile Intel Pentium 4 2.3GHz- 3.06GHz with enhanced Intel Speedstep technology (WOW!!)
L2 cache is 512kb
533MHz is Processor bus speed.

If they help.......

[WRT]

Cheers Sniper, will just try it with the new memory for now and see how that goes.

[Sniper]

No worries mate

[scracha]

Allrighty one.
Does anyone have any spare memory that we could borrow and test??? naturally you will get it back....
Anyone?????
Got plenty RAM if required.

[dhunt]

Cheers Sniper, will just try it with the new memory for now and see how that goes.
What happens if u power it up with the memory removed? It should have some memory on the motherboard (probably another 256MB) - non removable so still run.

[Wasp]

i doubt it dhunt, atleast if it was a tosh i know it wouldnt.

but thats a good idea, remove the memory if it gets the same stage of not booting then there ya go.....

[Cibby]

well everyone thats right..

My laptop appears to be working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our lives may all now go on....

My RAM was kaput... dead... totally fucked...


Firstly.. huge thanks for WRT :first: for expertly diagnosing the problem..

and

Secondly to Badcat :second: for providing me with two bran new RAM's for it that fit perfectly..

and lastly

Thanks to everyone else that offered their support and technical skills.. I'm feeling very loved..

Feel the love people!!!!! :love:

[Wasp]

Good to hear cibby, course we luv ya :hug: (or is it that sexy racebike of yours :shifty:)

Fingers crossed it doesnt chew up the new lot, just like with a bike some of the time there is a reason why things happen.

[Cibby]

Good to hear cibby, course we luv ya :hug: (or is it that sexy racebike of yours :shifty:)

Fingers crossed it doesnt chew up the new lot, just like with a bike some of the time there is a reason why things happen.



haha hay watch it!!!! me and my mini-cibby come as a package.. you luvs both of us or none at all!!! hehe

Yeah.. it has been dying for about a month i suspect... probalby all that porn i've been making for postie while he is away.. so all good :)

:nya:

[Karma]

So it was the ram, I was right, what's my prize?

[Cibby]

So it was the ram, I was right, what's my prize?



welll atually...

IT JUST FUCKEN DIED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



so its not the ram.... but the new ram has helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANY OTHER IDEAS??? ANYONE??????????????

[Karma]

ok... new ram in there...

I suggest backup important docs, then format and reinstall windows.

[Badcat]

welll atually...

IT JUST FUCKEN DIED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



so its not the ram.... but the new ram has helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANY OTHER IDEAS??? ANYONE??????????????

sorry - i'm a mac boy, so i'm of no real tech help.
K

[Wasp]

oh damn badluck - TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO BACKUP YOUR STUFF!!!!

courier it down to me eh? could be a number of things - just the other day i was dealing with a laptop that when you plugged the battery in the light to show the power adaptor was connected came on.... and would only turn on with no dc and a charged battery :(

A new mainboard will cost you $1k-$1.5k + hour-hour and half labour (hours labour from us is twice your average mechanic - this is why i dont mindputting my bike into the workshop;)) + GST on average (depends on model make and availability).

Get a new laptop me thinks.....

EDIT: brain wave after post (bwap): just before it normally comes up with the "windows loading screen" tap the F8 key a couple of times and let it sit in whats knowen as the "boot menu" - just let it sit, if it resets its not a windows issue ;) (this wont be stressing the machine either so it wint tell you if its overheating)

How old is the laptop? has it been dropped? are the screen hinges loose? look at all 4 corners for cracks in the plastic (not that any of this will fix it)

[Karma]

format and reinstall... works every time

[Wasp]

only every time windows is to blame (99.99999999999...........%)

some day i'll share some photos of the number of laptops i can touch at any given time ;) (needless to say my desk is very messy and i clean it every second day or so...)

[scracha]

only every time windows is to blame (99.99999999999...........%)

some day i'll share some photos of the number of laptops i can touch at any given time ;) (needless to say my desk is very messy and i clean it every second day or so...)
Or for the umpteenth time get a knoppix boot disk. At least you'll be able to use it to get your files of the NTFS partition onto a pen drive or burn a CD/DVD.

[Wasp]

pah, just buy a usb 2.0 laptop drive bay for $20 and copy em to another comp easy as pie and then you dont have to learn how to do without "that nasty windows virus" (bloody linux nerds......hmph)

[Drunken Monkey]

EDIT: brain wave after post (bwap): just before it normally comes up with the "windows loading screen" tap the F8 key a couple of times and let it sit in whats knowen as the "boot menu" - just let it sit, if it resets its not a windows issue ;)

Best advice yet. Although, to all these helpful techs who suspect overheating, system lock up or freezing is a much, much more common symptom of overheating. A system is unlikely to overheat quickly, especially if the fans are still operating (you'll be able to hear them). I'm not ruling it out, but let's not over analyse here!



Get a new laptop me thinks.....


Probably the next best piece of advice.

[Wasp]

wow thanks drunken monkey, tommorow i shall ask for a pay rise and get my job title changed from "junior technician" (i made that up and it stuck) to something more suitable like "Not so junior tech"..... pass me a tui.

i also agree 100% with your theory on how overheating is not the problem...

[Cibby]

allirghtly everyone..

i talked to my sister who is a bit of a techie and also her boyfriend who is a bit of a techie...

and they think it is either

a. a trojan using to much memory consitantly and causing the CPU to over heat and shut down.. this would explain why my laptop has been slow the last month. It would also explain the differences in time it takes to shut down.

b. an issue with the internal power supply box thingie...


so.. tonight i'm backing everything up, and then sunday they are going to have a lil looksie...

if that doesnt work.. I think wasp is looking at getting the next go at it...

Or smashing it with a hamer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is my next option..

Wish me luck everyone.. thanks for your help again :)

[Shaun]

.

and i did have it on teh carpet the other day but i vacumed

That sounds like something Mrs Poos would be doing:doobey:

[Cibby]

.

and i did have it on teh carpet the other day but i vacumed

That sounds like something Mrs Poos would be doing:doobey:

*shudders*

thanks for that Shaun!!!!! you shouldnt encourage him or give him ideas!

[The_Dover]

smash it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beemer]

well who had to come and spoil the party.. geeze beemer.. incase you havnt read, everyone so far seems more than happy to help me, in the interest of getting me back on kb in the eveningss so i can make enlightening and worthwhile contributions to Kb!!!

besides.. how can "general biker ravings" not be the right forum. I'm a biker and i'm raving...

so :nya: :nya:

You obviously wouldn't recognise irony if if jumped up and bit you in the arse! :nono: I hope your laptop is up and running again soon - I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to these "enlightening and worthwhile contributions". :innocent:

[Drunken Monkey]

Your sister and her boyfriend are well meaning, but their first guess is just leading you astray.

Nothing thrashes your CPU, RAM and I/O like startup. If CPU load alone could overheat your computer, rebooting an already warm PC would crash it, every time.
Also, the NT HAL will stop any win16 or win32 trojan from ever having enough access to the hardware to hit it that hard.
A trojan can effect Windows performance, but will not cause system rebooting or lock up unless you have another (typically hardware) problem.

[Cibby]

Your sister and her boyfriend are well meaning, but their first guess is just leading you astray.

Nothing thrashes your CPU, RAM and I/O like startup. If CPU load alone could overheat your computer, rebooting an already warm PC would crash it, every time.
Also, the NT HAL will stop any win16 or win32 trojan from ever having enough access to the hardware to hit it that hard.
A trojan can effect Windows performance, but will not cause system rebooting or lock up unless you have another (typically hardware) problem.


ug!

this is confusing.. my darlin sis and her bf have about 40 years of it experience between them,

if they cant fix it then

i'm going to smash it with a hammer! ;)

UG!

Thanks DM....... might ask you for any other ideas once they have seen it.

[Qkkid]

welll atually...

IT JUST FUCKEN DIED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



so its not the ram.... but the new ram has helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANY OTHER IDEAS??? ANYONE??????????????
Blondes there all the same :nya: :nya: :nya: :nya:

[The_Dover]

I have a hammer.

It's a very nice hammer.

Very good for smashing things.

[Drunken Monkey]

ug!

this is confusing.. my darlin sis and her bf have about 40 years of it experience between them,

if they cant fix it then

i'm going to smash it with a hammer! ;)

UG!

Thanks DM....... might ask you for any other ideas once they have seen it.

IT experience can mean anything these days. Someone can be a perfectly competant software developer, IT Project manager, or even the local office MS Access guru => but they wouldn't know how to assemble a PC or diagnose a laptop hardware issue to save themselves.

The best advice as already been given to you - weigh up how much the laptop is worth to you, how much it may cost to fix (another member's previous estimate of $1k - $1.5k does not sound unreasonable), and how much a new one is (entry level laptops, good for most day to day tasks, start from around $1000).

If repair is still your favoured option, the best people to look at your machine are the service agent, probably Portables Plus on Great South rd. This will cost you $$$, but they will sort you out for sure. They also do a quote first service, if you go ahead with the job there is no charge for the quote. If you decide not to proceed, it will probably cost you an hourly rate, anywhere up to a couple hundy I imagine.

[WRT]

Just to add another 2c into the mix . . . when I had the laptop the other day (with the old memory), it was a definate hardware problem. The thing would power off even when in the BIOS setup. So Wasp was on the right track, but I'd already gone back one step futher, and removed any chance of a prob with the HDD. Also note that the BIOS is already running the latest release for that laptop.

IF the symptoms are still the same with the new memory, then I doubt that it is software that is causing this trouble. I'm not saying that there isnt any virus or spyware in there (as the laptop wouldnt run long enough to check this), I'm just saying that its not responsible for these shutdowns.

I also doubt its overheating, the fans working fine and the laptop would shut off at random times, at least once when it had been off for a while it still only ran for a few seconds (and note that the fan turns on as part of the POST so its not going to be overheating in that time).

My gut feeling is that if the symptoms are still the same, that its mb or something to do with the internal charging circuits, tending towards the mb option.

If the symptoms have changed, the obviously all bets are off as I havent seen the laptop since having the new memory installed. Also note that if it is hardware, and we have already ruled out memory (assuming that the replacement memory was good), then any further diagnosis is going to require parts replacement which will only be able to be done by an specialist laptop repair center. In which case, DM's recommendation of Portables Plus is a good one, I have dealt with them quite a bit in the past and they have always come across as professional and thorough.

Either way tho Cibby, if there's anything else I can do to help with it just sing out.

[The_Dover]

HAMMER TIME?
Please......

[Cibby]

You obviously wouldn't recognise irony if if jumped up and bit you in the arse! :nono: I hope your laptop is up and running again soon - I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to these "enlightening and worthwhile contributions". :innocent:


oh beemer.. was there really any need to give me red rep over this??

Incase my cheeky teasing was also missed on you..

i'm sure the :nya: :nya: :nya: should have given the intent of my post away shortly..

I'm truely sorry that you were offended enough to give me red rep but was it really necessary..

[Cibby]

Just to add another 2c into the mix . . . when I had the laptop the other day (with the old memory), it was a definate hardware problem. The thing would power off even when in the BIOS setup. So Wasp was on the right track, but I'd already gone back one step futher, and removed any chance of a prob with the HDD. Also note that the BIOS is already running the latest release for that laptop.

IF the symptoms are still the same with the new memory, then I doubt that it is software that is causing this trouble. I'm not saying that there isnt any virus or spyware in there (as the laptop wouldnt run long enough to check this), I'm just saying that its not responsible for these shutdowns.

I also doubt its overheating, the fans working fine and the laptop would shut off at random times, at least once when it had been off for a while it still only ran for a few seconds (and note that the fan turns on as part of the POST so its not going to be overheating in that time).

My gut feeling is that if the symptoms are still the same, that its mb or something to do with the internal charging circuits, tending towards the mb option.

If the symptoms have changed, the obviously all bets are off as I havent seen the laptop since having the new memory installed. Also note that if it is hardware, and we have already ruled out memory (assuming that the replacement memory was good), then any further diagnosis is going to require parts replacement which will only be able to be done by an specialist laptop repair center. In which case, DM's recommendation of Portables Plus is a good one, I have dealt with them quite a bit in the past and they have always come across as professional and thorough.

Either way tho Cibby, if there's anything else I can do to help with it just sing out.

i have your memtest disk by the way.

would you like to have anoth erlook at it?? i'll have james bring it in tomorrow again if there is anything else you can do.

Portables plus i think could be the plan, after all this..

The new ram did help as i had it running for about an hour and a half, and then i started it up again enough to post another message and then again to check if i had any unnecessary processes..

curiouser and curiouser!!

[WRT]

Depends, was it the same problem? Just sudden power off? Only thing is I wont really have change to test it for an hour and a half at work, as the boss sits just across from me . . . hate sharing offices!!

As for the memtest disk, can just chuck it if you like. Just burnt it off for testing your laptop.

[Madmax]

hardware fault
about when it gets to that bit in bios
its trying to enable the A20 GATE this lets other programs
put stuff in memory,
used to see this a lot on AST computers
you could try changing the ram but its most likly the CPU/motherboard
(Buy the way say hi to sam at portables plus if he still there):innocent:

[imdying]

How healthy is the battery in this laptop. Our laptop repair division reports that some laptops malfunction when the battery isn't able to hold any charge. Is it 'must be on the power socket all the time' (because the battery is screwed, not by design) sort of laptop. If it requires power all the time, stuff a meter up the DC output of the adaptor, and wiggle the wires to ensure it isn't an intermittent break in those.

Your sisters advice about a trojan is incorrect if it's doing it in the BIOS screen also.

The overheating is well worth a look, desktops will typically lockup, some (older) laptops will simply reset.

Startup is hard on the machine, but certainly not the biggest workout it will be under.

Keep the memtest disc, it's a good tool.

Sometimes they also fail to function correctly when the internal battery charging circuit fails. That would be unfortunate as it's expensive to fix, and requires either an Acer tech, or someone quite clued up to diagnose.

[Drunken Monkey]

>... but certainly not the biggest workout it will be under...

True for a lot of cases, but I don't think she's playing 3D games or relinking databases on it. Most low requirement users (i.e. mostly Internet access, Email, maybe some word processing or image viewing) don't hit high loads for any more than a few seconds at a time. We've seen form her reports that it isn't running ok most of the time and only falling over when she's ripping MP3s or pirating DVDs with DVD Shrink...

[Karma]

What about streaming strip shows to her absent boyfriend?

[Sniper]

I like playing with System restore, that will fix the laptop :yes:

[imdying]

We've seen form her reports that it isn't running ok most of the time and only falling over when she's ripping MP3s or pirating DVDs with DVD Shrink...Ahh, haven't followed it too closely. That indeed points towards either RAM, heat, or power supply problem. You've eliminated the RAM, only two more things to go! Whip the panels off, and use some compressed air (don't go hardcore, high pressure air can cause little electrical bits to be ripped of the boards) to clean out the cooling fan ducts, and any other dust n crap out. Also ensure that the cooling fan is actually spinning. After that, you're really only left with post (or something obscure, like a dodgy cpu, but kiss).

[Drunken Monkey]

...Whip the panels off, and use some compressed air (don't go hardcore, high pressure air can cause little electrical bits to be ripped of the boards) to clean out the cooling fan ducts, and any other dust n crap out. Also ensure that the cooling fan is actually spinning...

I would suggest that, while it is a simple enough task for the technically able, is probably just a little out of her scope and comfort zone.

[Cibby]

I would suggest that, while it is a simple enough task for the technically able, is probably just a little out of her scope and comfort zone.


you are mostly right.. i had a go at pulling the panels of last night to have a look at the fans but i didnt have a little enough phillips screw driver,

i have an actual computer techie from teh site picking it up tonight so we may all have a verdict before the weeks out!!!

Exciting stuff eh???

haha ;)

[The Stranger]

you are mostly right.. i had a go at pulling the panels of last night to have a look at the fans but i didnt have a little enough phillips screw driver,

i have an actual computer techie from teh site picking it up tonight so we may all have a verdict before the weeks out!!!

Exciting stuff eh???

haha ;)

This laptop is exactly why I hate computers.

I picked up the laptop and first thing i noted is that the fan runs all the time, now we have little to do with Acer, but that didn't ring right.

Started checking for adware just to give it a bit of exercise but machine died under load. In short it will run for a long period (say a couple of hours) on very light load but will die in say 15 minutes at heavy load. This is repeatable.

Again, not having much to do with Acer, but the air from the fan feels very hot.

So me thinks, overheating. The symptom is like a disconnection of power, except the CPU fan still runs. No errors are logged.

So whip the unit apart. 2 things strike me as odd. 2 screws which should have ben securing the video heatsink are floating around inside the case. Next thing is the amount of thermal transfer compound is huge and oozed out all over the socket etc, plus if is dry and powdery.

So clean the bastard up properly and apply some Arctic Silver and re-assemble. Ok, fan does not run for a while, me thinks yes, but alas no.

I am able to load it up more for longer, but it still fails.

It is as though more heat is being generated than the heatsink can disipate, This is one flash copper heatsink/fan. Hard to imagine you could get a bigger or better design in there. The heat sink gets bloody hot, hot enough to burn the skin, and that is on the top of the heatsink, the core must be way hotter, too hot.

The question is why?

Only things I can come up with are over voltage to the CPU causing the CPU to run too hot or perhaps faulty CPU.

Any other bright ideas?
Anyone know if the voltage on an Acer extensa 2000 can be varied?

[Drunken Monkey]

What spec is the CPU? I would expect the heatsink to be hot enough to burn to be normal for anything made in the last half dozen or so years, it's not just there for looks.
You could try replacing the CPU with a new one, but unless you have a spare sitting around it's unlikely to be a cheap test. On top of this, the CPU may only be overheating becuase of another fault, although there's no way to be sure that the CPU now isn't damaged, especially after multiple failures.
If you're getting to the point you want to check voltages all over the board with a multimeter, your time must be too cheap.
I still say unless you want to throw money at getting it checked properly, just chuck it in the bin and get a new one.

[Sniper]

I have a spare CPU.

[WRT]

Its a fairly recent laptop, so would expect the CPU heatsink to get too hot to touch, but is the CPU or the GPU cooler you are talking about? The CPU will handle overheating a lot more than the GPU would (thermal throttling and all that, not like the old days), but would expect video corruption from a naffed video card.

Also, the fan was going off and on quite happily during the time I had the laptop, might pay to double check that the cooler doesnt have one of the old school sensors attached to it? If so just make sure that's not been knocked or disconnected in any way. Sounds a bit iffy if there are loose screws in there, they dont normally come undone by themselves.

One other thing, I know the RAM has been swapped, but my understanding is that it was second hand RAM that was used? As the change in RAM had a definate impact on the frequency of the problem, would it pay to try more conservative memory timings in the BIOS incase the RAM's not all that it could be?

[The Stranger]

Ok, proof that it is heat related i feel.

If I leave the panel off of the laptop over the heatsink I can run it quite hard and it hasn't faultered (yet)

This may actually suffice for a fix.
The processor is a Celeron 266

Doh!, that should have read 2.66 as in 2.66GHz

Yeah, my rate is way too cheap. I don't charge friends for my time.

[Badcat]

Its a fairly recent laptop, so would expect the CPU heatsink to get too hot to touch, but is the CPU or the GPU cooler you are talking about? The CPU will handle overheating a lot more than the GPU would (thermal throttling and all that, not like the old days), but would expect video corruption from a naffed video card.

Also, the fan was going off and on quite happily during the time I had the laptop, might pay to double check that the cooler doesnt have one of the old school sensors attached to it? If so just make sure that's not been knocked or disconnected in any way. Sounds a bit iffy if there are loose screws in there, they dont normally come undone by themselves.

One other thing, I know the RAM has been swapped, but my understanding is that it was second hand RAM that was used? As the change in RAM had a definate impact on the frequency of the problem, would it pay to try more conservative memory timings in the BIOS incase the RAM's not all that it could be?

Hey - i supplied the ram.
the 2100s - (2x 256) were both known good and pulled from new machines.
the 2700 (1x 256) was new and sealed.

ken

[Drunken Monkey]

Its a fairly recent laptop, so would expect the CPU heatsink to get too hot to touch, but is the CPU or the GPU cooler you are talking about? The CPU will handle overheating a lot more than the GPU would (thermal throttling and all that, not like the old days), but would expect video corruption from a naffed video card.


Indeed, and I've known several video cards that were overheating to only show corruption in 3D mode. They would lock up without visible corruption in Windows, so this is also a plausible answer.

CaN, don't spend too much effort chasing the symptoms instead of the cause! What did 'House' say the other week? "You wake up, the curtains are missing, the wallpaper is peeling and the water is boiling. Which do you attend to first? None, you get out of the house - it's on fire!"

Addendum: Celeron 266? It's definately a chucker! Throw it in the bin Cibby, don't let anyone spend one more minute on it! (Keep the hard disk though, no reason to throw out good quality bike pr0n)

[The Stranger]

Ok, maybe the heatsink should be too hot to handle.
We usually deal in HP gear, this would be the first Acer I have had here in about 4 yrs, and this thing is putting out way more heat than anything else we have had through.

It aint going off and on here, slow and fast, but not off and on. That said with the cover removed it is coming close i.e at times it will shutdown for a few seconds.

I doubt it is RAM at this stage as it really is co-incident with stress, heat and the fan being on high for an extended period. The problem you were seeing I understand, it was beeping then shutting down. This is not beeping at all

The thing anoying me is, why now?
If the heat sink has been adequate for the last x months/years why should it now be inadequate?

Anyway, it is still surviving a burn in test with the cover off, so fingers crossed.

[Drunken Monkey]

...so it survives a burn in test. Cibby gets it back and it works ok for 2 days then back to square one...

People normally pay me $120 an hour to say this, but I'm going to give it to ya for free, just becuase I like ya: CHUCK IT IN THE BIN.

[The Stranger]

...so it survives a burn in test. Cibby gets it back and it works ok for 2 days then back to square one...

People normally pay me $120 an hour to say this, but I'm going to give it to ya for free, just becuase I like ya: CHUCK IT IN THE BIN.

Yeah, hate to admit it but I feel you are right.
Still never know, may last longer.

Could be a demand for this though,
Combined computer/coffee maker.

[GR81]

People normally pay me $120 an hour to say this, but I'm going to give it to ya for free, just becuase I like ya: CHUCK IT IN THE BIN.
i coulda offered that advice for $99+gst

[The_Dover]

Shit man, I gave that advice gratis.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=633069&postcount=89

[WRT]

Hey - i supplied the ram.
the 2100s - (2x 256) were both known good and pulled from new machines.
the 2700 (1x 256) was new and sealed.

ken

LOL - no offense intended there mate, especially after such a generous donation. However, I hope it was the 2700 that was used, as I'm pretty sure that is what the original was - but if the 2100's were used, then my original suggestion of more conservative memory timings would be a good'un, no?

Meanwhile, CaN, you sure it was a Celeron 266? Havent come across a 266 running DDR before . . . that would make the RAM the same speed (or faster) than the CPU! Whacking another digit on the end would have been closer to the speed, I would have thought. If your using software to determine the speed of the CPU make sure its not being throttled back in low power mode as this will give you a false reading.

[Badcat]

LOL - no offense intended there mate, especially after such a generous donation. However, I hope it was the 2700 that was used, as I'm pretty sure that is what the original was - but if the 2100's were used, then my original suggestion of more conservative memory timings would be a good'un, no?

.

no offence taken.
i'm a complete n00b with dirty ol' windows.


K

[Cibby]

no offence taken.
i'm a complete n00b with dirty ol' windows.


K

Ken, i've still got that other ram to send back to yoU!!! will do shortly.

I'm thinking chucking it may just be the option.. :bash: maybe we could to burn outs on it.. show it how hot it can really really be!!! MUAHAHAHAH

will have to see.. maybe i can convince postie to go halves with me on one.. :blip: :blip:

Is there anyone else who wants to have a go?? Walt ?? (Happy birthday for yesterday by the way) :ar15: :calm: :ar15: :bash:

A big thanks to CAN for having a go at this for me.. next round of drinks on me.. :drinkup: :drinkup:

[Cibby]

Addendum: Celeron 266? It's definately a chucker! Throw it in the bin Cibby, don't let anyone spend one more minute on it! (Keep the hard disk though, no reason to throw out good quality bike pr0n)

I wonder if there is any way i can claim under the consumers guarentee act.

A laptop should last longer that 1.5 years.. i might take it back to them and complian and threaten fair go or the small claims court saying that it has never run sufficiently.. see what they say..

D/Monkey? is the celeron 266 a crapper??? is it that bad? is it known to do this?

Ta

Rach :) (thats my "real life" name)

[Cajun]

if you can find out the model make and number aka acer 234 or simlar would be helpful
it should be on it somewhere, or the little sticker on the bottom

[Drunken Monkey]

I wonder if there is any way i can claim under the consumers guarentee act.

A laptop should last longer that 1.5 years.. i might take it back to them and complian and threaten fair go or the small claims court saying that it has never run sufficiently.. see what they say..

D/Monkey? is the celeron 266 a crapper??? is it that bad? is it known to do this?

Ta

Rach :) (thats my "real life" name)

That's a very interesting question, there is some case law regarding this. I know of a rep who had to go down country to testify that the expected lifetime of a computer is expected to be about the same as the warranty period, typically 1 to 3 years. A pissed off lawyer had a laptop die after 5 years and successfully convinced a court/judge that it wasn't unreasonable to expect it to work after that period and managed to get the reseller (NOT the manufacturer) to replace it with a new one. However this was for commercial use, so consumer garauntees didn't apply. I don't remember all the particulars, but I do know the witness and could ask if I actually gave a shit. Otherwise, the law library would be the best place to check.

We're getting some conflicting information here. A 266MHz CPU can only be one of two types, either a 266MX (basically a sooped up Pentium) or a genuine Pentium II. (I lie, there's bound to be an AMD equivalent, possibly IBM were still into Cirux CPUs back then as well...). These were out of production in the late 90's, and as WRT also pointed out, didn't use DDR RAM (they used EDO, PC66, PC100 or PC133 RAM, depending on the exact type). Even a 1.5 year old hand held would have a faster CPU, I think my 3 year old iPaq has a 400MHz CPU!

I can't really answer your question RE the CPU for the reason above. However, if it actually was a genuine Intel Pentium II/266, it was a solid CPU in its day. Most CPUs are, even AMD CPUs have been good units for a long time. To tell the truth, it's been a looong time since I've seen a hardware fault that was just a faulty CPU. RAM, disk drive, PSU and motherboard problems are much more common, some of which may give faulty CPU-like symptoms.

Out of warranty usually means out of luck. There's a reason Acer laptops are cheap and typically only warranted to 1 year - they're consumable junk for consumers. Even consumer targetted brand machines will only be warranted for a year, without an additional extended warranty purchased (for around $300 or so). Only machines targetted to commerical purchasers have 3 year warranties by default, and these machines usually cost twice as much to begin with.

I don't fancy your chances in small claims court. You may be able to annoy the vendor, but Acer themselves won't be involved - it's between you and your reseller.

[Sniper]

There is only one thing for it............ DESTRUCTIVE RECOVERY!!!!!

[The Stranger]

I wonder if there is any way i can claim under the consumers guarentee act.



You could contact the commerce commission.

We tried this when we had a run of IBM laptops failing at 15-18 months. IBM were absolutely not interested at all.

They said that because they were business use the consumer guarantees act would not apply, but felt there was a case under such circumstances if they were not business use.

[Badcat]

talk to the reseller.
1.5 years is not "a fair product life" for a computer.
The CGA does apply to you if you bought it as a consumer.
your beef is with the reseller - as the contract was between you and them.
the manufacturer is also liable under NZ consumer law, but only if you can't get satisfaction from the reseller.
pressure your reseller (their head office) - they'll pressure Acer (as the resellers ALWAYS refuse to carry the can in these situations) and hopefully Acer will sort you out to silence the reseller.

that's how i've seen it work - first hand.

k

[Cibby]

...so it survives a burn in test. Cibby gets it back and it works ok for 2 days then back to square one...

People normally pay me $120 an hour to say this, but I'm going to give it to ya for free, just becuase I like ya: CHUCK IT IN THE BIN.

Bloody hell mate,

luckily i didnt listen to your $120 an hour advise!!!!!! :nya: :nya:

After CAN had the laptop for a few days, he confirmed that it was overheating and shutting down.

I have sinced (very artistically I might add) drilled some holes in the top cover thingie above the keyboard over the fan and the CPU and it has run like a gem!!! Not a single issue whatsoever..

Laptop fixed.. well kinda.. still not sure what caused it to over heat now and not previously but it is working so all good...

We may all continue with our lives :)

[Lias]

Bloody hell mate,

luckily i didnt listen to your $120 an hour advise!!!!!! :nya: :nya:

After CAN had the laptop for a few days, he confirmed that it was overheating and shutting down.

I have sinced (very artistically I might add) drilled some holes in the top cover thingie above the keyboard over the fan and the CPU and it has run like a gem!!! Not a single issue whatsoever..

Laptop fixed.. well kinda.. still not sure what caused it to over heat now and not previously but it is working so all good...

We may all continue with our lives :)
If one of the dorkland crowd is up to it, it might also be worth stripping it down, removeing the CPU heatpipe assembly, regooping it and making sure it seated properly. Also making sure the is clean and spinning well, and the cooling ducts arnt blocked with dust etc.

[dhunt]

If one of the dorkland crowd is up to it, it might also be worth stripping it down, removeing the CPU heatpipe assembly, regooping it and making sure it seated properly. Also making sure the is clean and spinning well, and the cooling ducts arnt blocked with dust etc.
Yip it certainly sounds like dust problems to me. I have heard that some laptops experience overheating within 6 months of purchase due to the small fins on the heatsinks trapping dust.

What happens if you prop it up with a book to allow more air to circulate underneath? Or reducing the speed frequency?

[Drunken Monkey]

Well if you're happy with drilling holes in your laptop case, then you have found a suitable solution. Jury-rig/band-aid fixes aren't typically acceptable to my customers.
CaN was the man with the machine, so I would go with his expert opinion. OTOH, there is no explaination as to why a supposed perfectly good laptop (otherwise) was overheating.

I trust it still runs ok?

[Cibby]

Well if you're happy with drilling holes in your laptop case, then you have found a suitable solution. Jury-rig/band-aid fixes aren't typically acceptable to my customers.
CaN was the man with the machine, so I would go with his expert opinion. OTOH, there is no explaination as to why a supposed perfectly good laptop (otherwise) was overheating.

I trust it still runs ok?

haha.. drilling holes in my laptop was actually kinda satisfying in a way, i was going to use my angle grinder but then it may not have worked at all ! haha :)

The laptop has worked perfectly since i did that, and i have had no issues with it whatsoever so that is cool :)

[Paul in NZ]

haha.. drilling holes in my laptop was actually kinda satisfying in a way, i was going to use my angle grinder but then it may not have worked at all ! haha :)

The laptop has worked perfectly since i did that, and i have had no issues with it whatsoever so that is cool :)

Cool...

I'm sending this thread to our IT dept to see if I can get some 'speed holes' added to my laptop .... In fact, I reckon there is a little business opportunity here, body kits and cooling scoops for laptops? Feck! This could work..

Who want s to invest in my start up company 'Pimp Your 'top' (top is cooler than Laptop)

Cooling vents...
Active cooling (old fridge parts glued on)
Spinners (real and clip on in chrome)
Neons
Extra speakers
Fluffy covers

Anything else??

oh oh.... a blow off valve for the cooling vent - laptop gets to a certain temp and it goes 'pish' REAL loud...

[riffer]

oh oh.... a blow off valve for the cooling vent - laptop gets to a certain temp and it goes 'pish' REAL loud...

Hey that sounds great. My laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300) does something kind of similar every so often but only with its fan as it vents the heat out to the side. A "pish" noise would just finish it off nicely...

[Karma]

Oh oh oh and SPOILERS!!