Massive Laptop Failure

Post by **ClockWise** » Fri May 08, 2009 11:48 am

Argh! My laptop is broken. I think that maybe the on-board video is shot. When I power on, the lappy seems to boot just fine, the hard-drive spins up and the CD-ROM spins around and the blinky lights all blink. But the screen is blacked. Googling around, I have found that this is a "common problem" and is, in fact, a problem with the video.

If this is the case, I guess I need to replace the whole motherboard.

Could it be anything else? What are the odds that the monitor itself is faulty?

One thing I like about Korea is the "after-service," as they call it here. Companies fix broken things. I bought a Sansa mp3 player from some random internet shop and it broke. I took it to the Sansa service center and they fixed it and mailed it back to me three days later. No charge for the service or for the mailing.

I called the HP center and they even offered to fufill the warrenty, even though I purchased the laptop in Canada. Meanwhile, they said that if I need a new motherboard, they will sell me one and install it for 200 bucks. I only hope that that is the problem.

This sort of service is not common in Canada.

Interestingly, this is the reason Apple products are not so popular here... Apple isn't really willing to play ball with the free parts and service.

Meanwhile: my laptop is broken. Fuck. I won't be so active on the forum until I can get it fixed.

Windozed · Post by **Windozed** » Fri May 08, 2009 4:26 pm

You'll be sorely missed! Hope you're back online soon.

Post by **ClockWise** » Sun May 10, 2009 6:08 am

The guy at the service cener told me it is probably my motherboard. He'll call next week to let me know how soon they can get the part in, and how much it will cost.

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon May 11, 2009 12:30 pm

I might have my lappy fixed by Friday of this week! Wee!

My brother told me that this particular motherboard failure affects not only HP models, but machines by all sorts of manufacturers. Apparently, the high failure rate is because the mobos are no longer made using high quantities of lead.

The lead was taken out due to environmental concerns...

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon May 18, 2009 12:30 pm

So they replaced the motherboard. And my lappy worked for an hour and then stopped. It wouldn't boot at all. Like... this was worse than before!!

I took it back to the shop this afternoon.

Maybe the, um, power supply unit is shot? Damn.

Windozed · Post by **Windozed** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:31 am

Typical. Clockwise loses the use of his laptop and the whole Korean peninsula goes into crisis mode.

Seriously, though, hope things are OK with you.

Post by **ClockWise** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:39 am

Maybe one week more...

Meanwhile, a nuclear bomb was detonated. An ex-president has killed himself after his bribe-taking was made public...

Post by **ClockWise** » Fri May 29, 2009 1:47 pm

I got my laptop back.

Now the battery doesn't hold a charge. What the heck?

Maybe it is, um, "battery conditioning" or whatever since the machine has been turned off for a couple weeks. I will leave it plugged in all night.

ALSO: HP seems to have updated the BIOS. I've been avoiding the most recent BIOS update because it makes the fan run full blast ALL OF THE TIME. It is meant to prevent what happened to my video... but it still pisses me off. I'd rather just spend 150 bucks each year buying a new mobo than put up with the noise.

You see, I am a man WHO HATES ALL NOISE. Noise of any sort bothers me. I have to turn my refrigerator down at night. I'm sensitive....

Post by **ClockWise** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:27 pm

Still waiting, still waiting. HP is starting to get on my nerves.

It is bad enough that I (and 10 million other people) bought a laptop with a crap motherboard, but now I have to wait a month for them to fix it...

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:03 pm

The guy at the HP service center told me the new battery would cost between 100 000 and 200 000 Korean won (about 70 to 140 US dollars).

He said that he knows that they wrecked the battery when they were replacing my mobo the first time, but that he would have to call his bosses to see if they can replace it for free.

Stupid HP.

I will ask my partner to call them next time. She knows more Korean cuss words than I do...

Post by **Cat_7** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:52 am

How can they wreck your battery in a repair? That admission would get you a free battery, won't it?

Cat_7

Post by **ClockWise** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:19 am

No. Fucking. Idea.

I didn't see any scorch marks...

It may well be that they gave me a SECOND shitty motherboard. Who knows. The battery might be fine. They insist, however, that the battery is at fault.

They have since told me that they will pay for the replacement battery, but they made it out like they were doing me a favor.

Stupid HP.

Post by **ClockWise** » Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:39 am

You were correct, Cat_7. The battery was not the problem. They are going to install ANOTHER motherboard and see what happens. This will be new mobo number THREE.

This time I will keep the lappy at home and bring it back when the part arrives next week.

I gushed about wonderful service in the first post of this thread. NOW I think I'm about done with HP laptops. Maybe I'll buy a Mac next time.

It makes me angry that my 22 year old Macintosh Plus is still working without any problems, but my goddam one year old HP Pavillion is no longer working.

Post by **ClockWise** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:22 am

I now, finally, have a working laptop! Finally!

Post by **ClockWise** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:39 pm

Now I have the hinge crack:

http://www.notebookhingecrack.com/

I cannot close the lap-top.

This is yet another DESIGN FAILURE by Hewlett-Packard. If they had designed the machine properly, my video card would not have melted. If they had designed the machine properly, the hinge would not have broken.

Stupid HP.

I suppose I will take another trip to the service centre next week.

Meanwhile, I will NEVER AGAIN buy a Hewlett-Packard product.

Who makes lap-tops that DO NOT BREAK? Dell? Apple?

ataxy · Post by **ataxy** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:04 pm

laptop that does not brake hummmmmm..... nope impossible! recently i had to bake my xps gpu in order to make it work again or else i had to pay around 450U$ to get a refurb one that probably got reflowed with a more specialized oven but so far so good mine as been back in the game for the last 3 month or so playing lots of game and using cam software.

in my point of view a laptop would need to weight around 15pound in order to get enough cooling and material around the weak spot

Post by **ClockWise** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:40 pm

It's nice to see you on the forum again, ataxy.

Welcome back!

ataxy · Post by **ataxy** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:47 pm

thx! i have always been dropping by here and there but i must say that with two kids and a machine shop i had to cut on my web time.

Stephen Coates · Post by **Stephen Coates** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:27 pm

I have heard very good things about IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads.

I have heard plenty of bad things about Apple's more recent products.

There is someone on the 68kMLA whose MacBook kept breaking so he eventually sold it and bought a ThinkPad which he has been very happy with.

Post by **ClockWise** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:33 pm

I've heard good things about the ThinkPad, also. I will check that out next time I am in Canada.

I want to get a very large machine. At least seventeen inches. I don't really carry my computer around. I only need a laptop instead of a desktop so that I can move it from country to country every couple of years. Once I get to a place, the machine never leaves my apartment.

My experience with my current HP machine suggests to me that maybe I should assume that any laptop will have to be replaced after a year and a half or two years, so I should probably stick to budget models or generic machines. I paid extra for this god damn HP machine because I thought it would be more reliable than a cheaper alternative. Whoops.

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:49 am

Here's a ton of links about the hinge crack issue with the dv9000 model:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... f&oq=&aqi=

I'm going to call the HP service centre this afternoon. HP charges at least $200 to fix this in the US. I'm not sure I want to pay that much. Fortunately repairs are usually cheaper here in Korea. We shall see. If it costs too much, I'll just wait a few months and buy a whole new computer (since I guess the hinge is bound to fail AGAIN in a year and a half, and the video is bound to also fail in a year and a half).

Post by **ClockWise** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:43 am

The tech guy called to say that they have the part already and can fix it today or tomorrow.

We'll see.

I predict that I will have to take seven or eight trips to finally repair the problem (like last time).

I'm not sure I mentioned what seemed to be the problem last time. The (second) problem was that in replacing the motherboard (because of the melted video), they either damaged or knocked loose the socket where the power cord plugged into the laptop. And so the battery wouldn't hold a charge. Not noticing (until much later) that had happened, they replaced both the battery and the mobo two or three times. Silly.

Anyhow, they will charge about 70 dollars for the hinge.

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:09 am

Fixed! They charged only 31 dollars. This after they had to order the part from the US warehouse. What does that say about HP's American pricing?

Post by **Cat_7** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:10 am

Hi,

Good to see your laptop is OK again! About the price: I guess they charge what they can get away with in a specific country, as I believe all companies do. It's the Hamburger index, stupid!.

Best,
Cat_7 (who just returned from three weeks at the canary islands)

Post by **ClockWise** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:01 am

You're back!

Earlier today I did a "find all posts" search for you on the forum just to see when you last posted! I was very worried that we'd lost you.

Were you spending some time on the beach?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands