Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
- nirvines88
- Posts: 391
- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:38 pm
Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
My 2.5 year old Compaq (HP) laptop just died. Based on Google searches and the Geek Squad at Best Buy, the motherboard is trashed. It would cost more than I paid for the laptop to fix it. I think it overheated despite being on a flat wooden surface. The fan seemed like a piece of junk and the laptop always seemed quite warm, even when using a supplemental fan. The worst part is that it died a few months after the warranty expired. To top it all off, the company wanted to bill me $60 just to do remote troubleshooting over the phone, which I found a bit surprising/disappointing based on previous customer service experiences with different tech companies. Call me naive, but I think companies have an obligation to the customer to provide a quality product that lasts and help provide support when necessary.
What actions can I take, if any? Send a letter to the company? Just avoid HP in the future? Tweet at the company? (don't have Twitter, but I'm willing to try )
P.S. All my other computers have had long healthy lives, so I don't think it's me!
What actions can I take, if any? Send a letter to the company? Just avoid HP in the future? Tweet at the company? (don't have Twitter, but I'm willing to try )
P.S. All my other computers have had long healthy lives, so I don't think it's me!
"Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship" - Poor Richard
- BrandonBogle
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Sounds like you are saying the warranty was for two years. If that is the case, did you pay for it fully with a single credit card? If so, check to see if that card has a warranty extension on it. Most cards will double the warranty, up to one additional year, if fully paid on that card. Then it's just a matter of going through the paperwork.
AmEx (direct, don't know about through other issuers) is easiest, and gives you the warranty extension on warranties up to five years in length.
Visa is good, and gives you the warranty extension (if offered on your card) on warranties up to three years in length.
MC is not bad, but the hardest of the bunch to work with. While MC offers similar warranty extensions, they have a more complicated paperwork process.
For instance, on an stereo that died after about 18 months, called AmEx, explained it, and got a credit to my card of my original purchase price within days. VIsa I heard have been good, but have no direct experience. My iPod was purchased on MC (before I got AmEx) and when it failed, they wouldn't pay out the device nor would they replace it. I "HAD" to get a repair estimate and they would reimburse. Thankfully, the lady at the Apple Store was very nice. Even though she said they would not even attempt repairing it, she wrote an estimate to "repair" it equal to the price of a new one. MC sent me a check for that.
AmEx (direct, don't know about through other issuers) is easiest, and gives you the warranty extension on warranties up to five years in length.
Visa is good, and gives you the warranty extension (if offered on your card) on warranties up to three years in length.
MC is not bad, but the hardest of the bunch to work with. While MC offers similar warranty extensions, they have a more complicated paperwork process.
For instance, on an stereo that died after about 18 months, called AmEx, explained it, and got a credit to my card of my original purchase price within days. VIsa I heard have been good, but have no direct experience. My iPod was purchased on MC (before I got AmEx) and when it failed, they wouldn't pay out the device nor would they replace it. I "HAD" to get a repair estimate and they would reimburse. Thankfully, the lady at the Apple Store was very nice. Even though she said they would not even attempt repairing it, she wrote an estimate to "repair" it equal to the price of a new one. MC sent me a check for that.
- stevewolfe
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
How much did you pay for this laptop when it was new? How about relative to the other computers that lasted a long time?
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I would write a polite letter to the president of HQP/Compaq telling them that you have had good experiences with the brand in the past but were recently very disappointed with the fact that this laptop died right after the warranty period. I've had pretty good luck with this approach. If this doesn't work, I'd stick to my guns and never buy another HP product. But sure not to say that in the letter. It should be 100% polite and professional.
P.s. the credit card warranty check is a good idea too.
P.s. the credit card warranty check is a good idea too.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Yep you have to look at purchase price, if you paid $400 or less you got what you paid for. Having worked at HP for 10 years in my past life I will say people at HP don't like making [poor quality products --admin LadyGeek] but a lot of America is committed to buying it. They would rather pay $300 every year and a half than $800 once.
If you paid a reasonable amount I'd say contact HP and in the future make sure you read reviews of products prior to buying. A lot of the early failures will be caught that way.
If you paid a reasonable amount I'd say contact HP and in the future make sure you read reviews of products prior to buying. A lot of the early failures will be caught that way.
Last edited by Quickfoot on Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
You win some you lose some. Did you leave it running 24/7?
Higher equals better.
Higher equals better.
http://www.rescuecom.com/news-press-rel ... -2013.aspx
The computer reliability report scores for 2013 are:
1. Samsung (648)
2. Asus (332)
3. Lenovo/IBM (228)
4. HP (124)
5. Toshiba (118)
6. Apple (76)
7. Dell (60)
8. Sony (54)
9. Acer (28)
Nothing is free, someone pays...You can't spend your way to financial freedom.
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
You're lucky you got 2.5 years out of the mother board. It's not unusual for them to fail. I had one fail after a year (covered under warranty), then another fail about 3 years later (still covered under warranty). After another 3 years, it failed again. Part of the way computer manufacturers keep costs down is they tolerate a certain percentage of failure in parts - that's why paying for a long warranty is worth it. Alternatively, you can just plan to get a new computer every few years (and consider yourself lucky if it lasts longer). Dell business laptops are likely to last longer than their home division laptops, but the quality isn't what it used to be for business (their cheapest business line might not be much better any more).
HP laptop parts are incredibly flimsy - in parts, that's what you get when they make laptops lighter and thinner, but HP parts are flimsier than they have to be. They're also poorly designed - I had to essentially disassemble an entire HP laptop to replace the screen for a relative. I thought it would be a miracle if it worked after being reassembled because the parts were so flimsy (it did).
HP laptop parts are incredibly flimsy - in parts, that's what you get when they make laptops lighter and thinner, but HP parts are flimsier than they have to be. They're also poorly designed - I had to essentially disassemble an entire HP laptop to replace the screen for a relative. I thought it would be a miracle if it worked after being reassembled because the parts were so flimsy (it did).
- BrandonBogle
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I bought my mom a $399 HP laptop back on Black Friday 2006. It still works fine, but given all the advanced media on the Internet now, I replaced it with a $300 Dell earlier this year. I felt we got our money's worth from the laptop and had it died a year or two earlier, I still would have felt that way.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
It pays to use a CPU temperature tool on a laptop. Heat is the enemy of computers, especially laptops. Cleaning fans, and even replacing them (if you are handy with electronics) will do a lot to lengthen their lifespan. In 2006 I bought an HP dv8000t and have replaced the keyboard and CPU fan on it to keep it going. Since it was a high end machine at the time it's still a fairly useful machine for basic applications.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Understand your frustration about the machine dying after 2.5 years.
Ever consider buying a mobo on Ebay and replacing it yourself? Laptops are not particularly hard to work on.
I have a 2008 era Dell Latitude on its 2nd mobo and it's going strong.
Ever consider buying a mobo on Ebay and replacing it yourself? Laptops are not particularly hard to work on.
I have a 2008 era Dell Latitude on its 2nd mobo and it's going strong.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Was your data backed up?
If the motherboard died, the hard drive is probably good. You should extract the hard drive, find a way to plug it into another computer, and harvest the data.
Perhaps you can find another laptop that will work, but it may not boot due to the differences in low-level hardware interface (Windows may not like having a different motherboard than what it was installed on). In that case, boot from a live CD, connect an external hard drive and copy the data over.
The old hard drive might be able to be used as a backup drive for the new laptop.
If the motherboard died, the hard drive is probably good. You should extract the hard drive, find a way to plug it into another computer, and harvest the data.
Perhaps you can find another laptop that will work, but it may not boot due to the differences in low-level hardware interface (Windows may not like having a different motherboard than what it was installed on). In that case, boot from a live CD, connect an external hard drive and copy the data over.
The old hard drive might be able to be used as a backup drive for the new laptop.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Rest in peace.
Even educators need education. And some can be hard headed to the point of needing time out.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I am sorry but I lost 2 HP laptops within a month after warranty. Somehow they lowball other brands and stop working immediately after warranty. I dont like their quality and bloated OS so I am back to Dell
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I've done business over the years with Dell, and I've never been disappointed by the brand, or the company. Has Micheal sold it off yet? Then it won't be the same.ejvyas wrote:I am sorry but I lost 2 HP laptops within a month after warranty. Somehow they lowball other brands and stop working immediately after warranty. I dont like their quality and bloated OS so I am back to Dell
Even educators need education. And some can be hard headed to the point of needing time out.
- BrandonBogle
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I, on the other hand, have had the exact opposite experience with their Optiplex desktops. But that was also a decade ago. I was apprehensive about getting a Dell laptop a few months ago, but so far it's been good and a great value.rustymutt wrote:I've done business over the years with Dell, and I've never been disappointed by the brand, or the company. Has Micheal sold it off yet? Then it won't be the same.ejvyas wrote:I am sorry but I lost 2 HP laptops within a month after warranty. Somehow they lowball other brands and stop working immediately after warranty. I dont like their quality and bloated OS so I am back to Dell
- abuss368
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Even thought we like Apple products and have an iPhone, iPad, and iPod, I will admit we are hesitant to purchase a $1,500 - $2,000 Apple laptop. That said, Apple's products are high quality and without any of the problems of Windows.
Technology products are constantly outdated and don't last long. A difficult decision indeed.
Technology products are constantly outdated and don't last long. A difficult decision indeed.
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
- nirvines88
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Thanks for the responses everyone! My responses to your responses:
The laptop was mid $300s. Is it a cheaper model? Of course, but for what I do on a computer (browse the internet, make powerpoints) I don't need a lot of power.
Good question, I will look into it tomorrow. I definitely have the receipt lying around somewhere and I think I paid by credit card. It came with a 1 year warranty and I extended it by one year (I bought the extension because the batteries tend to lose their ability to hold charge and I did indeed use the warranty to replace the battery!).BrandonBogle wrote:Sounds like you are saying the warranty was for two years. If that is the case, did you pay for it fully with a single credit card? If so, check to see if that card has a warranty extension on it. Most cards will double the warranty, up to one additional year, if fully paid on that card. Then it's just a matter of going through the paperwork.
Bought a desktop (Emachine) when I was 15 for $450. It worked properly over the course of 9.5 years, but I recycled it a year ago because I rarely used it after buying the laptop. Hindsight is 20/20 hahastevewolfe wrote:How much did you pay for this laptop when it was new? How about relative to the other computers that lasted a long time?
The laptop was mid $300s. Is it a cheaper model? Of course, but for what I do on a computer (browse the internet, make powerpoints) I don't need a lot of power.
Was definitely planning on doing this in a nice manner as you suggested. Will write one this weekend if the credit card thing doesn't pan out.kenschmidt wrote:I would write a polite letter to the president of HQP/Compaq telling them that you have had good experiences with the brand in the past but were recently very disappointed with the fact that this laptop died right after the warranty period. I've had pretty good luck with this approach. If this doesn't work, I'd stick to my guns and never buy another HP product. But sure not to say that in the letter. It should be 100% polite and professional.
As a teacher in NC, $300 is a reasonable amount to me . The reviews that I read made it sound like it was well suited to my needs.Quickfoot wrote:If you paid a reasonable amount I'd say contact HP and in the future make sure you read reviews of products prior to buying. A lot of the early failures will be caught that way.
I turned it off every night to avoid the battery losing its ability to hold a charge. I would say it ran, on average, 12 hours in day, but that includes sleep/hibernate mode. The day it died I may have been checking my e-mail more than ordinary, but I would hope a laptop can handle gmail without overheating!mike143 wrote:You win some you lose some. Did you leave it running 24/7?
Interesting - I've always heard buying extended warranties is a good way to throw away money on average, but of course statistics don't really matter to the individual affected! Then again, I have heard some people say the only exception to the avoid buying extended warranties rule is for computers.lindisfarne wrote:Part of the way computer manufacturers keep costs down is they tolerate a certain percentage of failure in parts - that's why paying for a long warranty is worth it.
I think I would feel the same way if it lasted 6 years or so. I spent a little less than that for a 2010-2011 laptop and it's deceasedBrandonBogle wrote:I bought my mom a $399 HP laptop back on Black Friday 2006. It still works fine, but given all the advanced media on the Internet now, I replaced it with a $300 Dell earlier this year. I felt we got our money's worth from the laptop and had it died a year or two earlier, I still would have felt that way.
May have to look into that for my next laptop.Ged wrote:It pays to use a CPU temperature tool on a laptop.
I read about it a bit during my random Google searches - might be beyond my expertise!stevep001 wrote:Understand your frustration about the machine dying after 2.5 years.
Ever consider buying a mobo on Ebay and replacing it yourself?
My data was 98% or so backed up to a flash drive. Glad I did this at the end of last school year, or a lot of my lesson plan stuff could have potentially been lost. Don't think this will be an issue though, the hard drive should be good according to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. My friend says he has a device to copy the data over, maybe he was referring to the live cd/external hard drive thing you mentioned.LadyGeek wrote:Was your data backed up?
If the motherboard died, the hard drive is probably good. You should extract the hard drive, find a way to plug it into another computer, and harvest the data.
Perhaps you can find another laptop that will work, but it may not boot due to the differences in low-level hardware interface (Windows may not like having a different motherboard than what it was installed on). In that case, boot from a live CD, connect an external hard drive and copy the data over.
The old hard drive might be able to be used as a backup drive for the new laptop.
Resisting urge to smash until I extract the content from the hard drive. Although hopefully I'll be sending it back to HP. Most likely I'll end up recycling it!rustymutt wrote:Rest in peace.
"Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship" - Poor Richard
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
^^^ By your posts expressing a cautious lack of confidence, I'd say to let your friend take care of the hard drive. Laptops can be tricky to take apart, even if you know what you're doing. Deferring to someone else is a good decision.
Remember that you have a lot personal data on that hard drive, perhaps financial or personal info. I assume you trust your friend to handle this discretely (or have him do the transfer in your presence). Actually, I'd trust a friend more than a store - you don't know what they're doing with the contents.
As the previous post states, destroy the contents if you ship the laptop (with hard drive) back to HP intact. Your friend should know how to format the drive (secure data deletion).
Remember that you have a lot personal data on that hard drive, perhaps financial or personal info. I assume you trust your friend to handle this discretely (or have him do the transfer in your presence). Actually, I'd trust a friend more than a store - you don't know what they're doing with the contents.
As the previous post states, destroy the contents if you ship the laptop (with hard drive) back to HP intact. Your friend should know how to format the drive (secure data deletion).
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Credit Card warranty if purchased wholly is best bet. I used a squaretrade warranty on my latest desktop, thogh used amazon credit. Laptops just simply don't last that long. By comparison, I sometimes use an old Pentium 3 desktop from 1999 w/Linux whenever I can't use my current PC.
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
To recover data from your hard drive, you can buy something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0 ... UTF8&psc=1
Vantec CB-ISATAU2 SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter Supports 2.5-Inch, 3.5-Inch, 5.25-Inch Hard Disk Drives
It essentially turns a hard drive into an external drive - you have to hook it up to another computer via a USB connection in that computer. You have to be a little careful so if you've never messed around inside a computer, get someone who has to help you. It's pretty straightforward, however - just make sure what you buy will work with your drive. (The above one probably will - it had pretty good reviews on Amazon & I use it myself.)
As an fyi ... if you've had the operating system on a hard drive get messed up & the hard drive will no longer boot up, you may be able to recover data using this as well. (This won't work if your drive failed mechanically, but most failures are software-based. Then, after pulling everything off, you can reinstall the OS.) Of course, back up often, but this may help get those files you hadn't backed up.
By the way, HP may tell you NOT to send the hard drive if you ship the laptop to them - Dell didn't want them. They had hard drives their technicians used when running diagnostics. I would NEVER ship the hard drive.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J0 ... UTF8&psc=1
Vantec CB-ISATAU2 SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter Supports 2.5-Inch, 3.5-Inch, 5.25-Inch Hard Disk Drives
It essentially turns a hard drive into an external drive - you have to hook it up to another computer via a USB connection in that computer. You have to be a little careful so if you've never messed around inside a computer, get someone who has to help you. It's pretty straightforward, however - just make sure what you buy will work with your drive. (The above one probably will - it had pretty good reviews on Amazon & I use it myself.)
As an fyi ... if you've had the operating system on a hard drive get messed up & the hard drive will no longer boot up, you may be able to recover data using this as well. (This won't work if your drive failed mechanically, but most failures are software-based. Then, after pulling everything off, you can reinstall the OS.) Of course, back up often, but this may help get those files you hadn't backed up.
By the way, HP may tell you NOT to send the hard drive if you ship the laptop to them - Dell didn't want them. They had hard drives their technicians used when running diagnostics. I would NEVER ship the hard drive.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
When replacing it consider a Lenovo energy star rated laptop...90% are.I think it overheated
I recently bought a ThinkPad Edge e530 and I can't feel any heat from anywhere at all. It replaced a 2006 purchase of a Dell Inspirion 9400 / 1705 that was always hot but it didn't fail just hot.
Desiderata
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I am assuming that you are currently following this up with the Credit Card company. If that does not materialize, and you need to get a new laptop I would *strongly* encourage you to buy Apple. I am a relatively recent convert to Apple products and would not buy anything with Windows unless I am buying it for work, or buying to do any serious software development.nirvines88 wrote:My 2.5 year old Compaq (HP) laptop just died. Based on Google searches and the Geek Squad at Best Buy, the motherboard is trashed. It would cost more than I paid for the laptop to fix it. I think it overheated despite being on a flat wooden surface. The fan seemed like a piece of junk and the laptop always seemed quite warm, even when using a supplemental fan. The worst part is that it died a few months after the warranty expired. To top it all off, the company wanted to bill me $60 just to do remote troubleshooting over the phone, which I found a bit surprising/disappointing based on previous customer service experiences with different tech companies. Call me naive, but I think companies have an obligation to the customer to provide a quality product that lasts and help provide support when necessary.
What actions can I take, if any? Send a letter to the company? Just avoid HP in the future? Tweet at the company? (don't have Twitter, but I'm willing to try )
P.S. All my other computers have had long healthy lives, so I don't think it's me!
For most consumers, who are interested in browsing, streaming etc., Apple is more than enough. I presume that is what this computer will be used for. Additionally, everything on an Apple computer is "owned" by Apple (technically that is not true, but OS and hardware, two things likely to break, are serviceable at Apple/online through upgrades). You don't have a separate OS vendor, a separate hardware vendor. Thus, break something and you know where you need to go to fix it up -- Apple store. You pay a premium for their products, but the customer service in case the product breaks, is really top notch.
Windows is cheaper initial investment, but you end up paying a lot for maintaining the system over the years. With Apple its upfront, and it lasts longer than Windows machines, in my experience.
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
TheOscarGuy wrote:If that does not materialize, and you need to get a new laptop I would *strongly* encourage you to buy Apple. I am a relatively recent convert to Apple products and would not buy anything with Windows unless I am buying it for work, or buying to do any serious software development.
For most consumers, who are interested in browsing, streaming etc., Apple is more than enough. I presume that is what this computer will be used for. Additionally, everything on an Apple computer is "owned" by Apple (technically that is not true, but OS and hardware, two things likely to break, are serviceable at Apple/online through upgrades). You don't have a separate OS vendor, a separate hardware vendor. Thus, break something and you know where you need to go to fix it up -- Apple store. You pay a premium for their products, but the customer service in case the product breaks, is really top notch.
Windows is cheaper initial investment, but you end up paying a lot for maintaining the system over the years. With Apple its upfront, and it lasts longer than Windows machines, in my experience.
According to Consumer Reports, Apple is slightly better than the best PC options in terms of repairs, but not enough to justify the price differential, in my opinion. I know people who have purchased Macs that have failed within a year or so. Software is also a concern especially if someone has bought it for the PC - it won't work on the Mac. Macs are good computers, no doubt, but not especially superior to PCs. Apple is also moving toward computers that really cannot be repaired (in part due to trying to reduce size & weight) by the owner.
See also http://www.technibble.com/top-5-myths-c ... ing-apple/
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
nirvines88 wrote:My 2.5 year old Compaq (HP) laptop just died. Based on Google searches and the Geek Squad at Best Buy, the motherboard is trashed. It would cost more than I paid for the laptop to fix it. I think it overheated despite being on a flat wooden surface. The fan seemed like a piece of junk and the laptop always seemed quite warm, even when using a supplemental fan. The worst part is that it died a few months after the warranty expired. To top it all off, the company wanted to bill me $60 just to do remote troubleshooting over the phone, which I found a bit surprising/disappointing based on previous customer service experiences with different tech companies. Call me naive, but I think companies have an obligation to the customer to provide a quality product that lasts and help provide support when necessary.
What actions can I take, if any? Send a letter to the company? Just avoid HP in the future? Tweet at the company? (don't have Twitter, but I'm willing to try )
P.S. All my other computers have had long healthy lives, so I don't think it's me!
Just to make sure, unplug it and take the battery out. Hold down the power button for 60 seconds. Put the battery back in and plug it in. Turn it on.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
The price difference goes into a high level of support and Apple's coffers. Some people want that support and are willing to pay for it. Others, like me, find that the hands off locked down hardware that goes with owning Apple actually detracts from the value of the computer because it prevents them from using the machine to it's potential.lindisfarne wrote:According to Consumer Reports, Apple is slightly better than the best PC options in terms of repairs, but not enough to justify the price differential, in my opinion. I know people who have purchased Macs that have failed within a year or so. Software is also a concern especially if someone has bought it for the PC - it won't work on the Mac. Macs are good computers, no doubt, but not especially superior to PCs. Apple is also moving toward computers that really cannot be repaired (in part due to trying to reduce size & weight) by the owner.
See also http://www.technibble.com/top-5-myths-c ... ing-apple/
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Was the geek squad correct?
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- nirvines88
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Just called Discover credit card company. They extend warranties by one year. I bought a 24 month warranty that ended in September 2012, so I have a little less than one month to file a claim. I have to call back M-F to talk to a claims officer, but the lady I talked to today made it sound like I would qualify. Thanks to everyone for the help, hopefully this will result in a refund! I had heard about credit cards extending warranties before, but I figured it would be one year after the manufacturer's warranty expired. Luckily, it sounds like it is a year after the manufacturer's warranty or the purchased warranty expires.
@ Boglenaut - After Googling for fixes, I tried that method to no luck.
EDIT: After reading lots of reviews, I went ahead and bought an Asus laptop. Loving it so far (except for the whole Windows 8 thing!). Had to get a laptop ASAP for work, hence the quick turnaround after the HP burning out!
@ Boglenaut - After Googling for fixes, I tried that method to no luck.
EDIT: After reading lots of reviews, I went ahead and bought an Asus laptop. Loving it so far (except for the whole Windows 8 thing!). Had to get a laptop ASAP for work, hence the quick turnaround after the HP burning out!
"Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship" - Poor Richard
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
They have the Macbook Air, which has options under $1,000, including a solid state hard drive, which cuts down on failure issues and heating problems, and makes it instant-on and sleep, almost like an ipad. They're also feather-light, so easy to take anywhere, and of course battery life is fantastic. You can find used models on Amazon or Craigslist for much less, and lots of people sell other used Mac laptops for fairly low prices. Then Apple usually has good prices on refurbished laptops that are as good as new, with a warranty. And of course you can install Windows on if if you want/need that option.abuss368 wrote:Even thought we like Apple products and have an iPhone, iPad, and iPod, I will admit we are hesitant to purchase a $1,500 - $2,000 Apple laptop. That said, Apple's products are high quality and without any of the problems of Windows.
Technology products are constantly outdated and don't last long. A difficult decision indeed.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record ever set by a Windows machine in my house.
Last edited by eharri3 on Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
- cflannagan
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Likewise. Macbook Pros are quite pricey, but they are worth every dollar I paid for them. Their performance don't decrease over time like Windows machines do.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
I've been PC/Windows guy my entire life (well, since late 1990's at least), and switched to Macs relatively recent (late 2009). Never looked back.
As a result of continued frustrations with Windows machines, I've gotten my wife a nice iMac for Christmas. She loves it. I've never had to "service" her machine like I used to do with Windows machines/laptops.
They're not cheap at all, but you do "get what you paid for" with them.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Every company makes lemons. In my experience, HP has been pretty solid most of the time. I wouldn't avoid buying another HP just due to one bad experience.
- BrandonBogle
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I look at Apple products much like many look at luxury cars. There are other cars that can get the work you want done, and there are other cars that have different features or ways of accomplishing certain features. And if the car is simply about getting from A to B, there are cheaper options available. But if you want the refined experience of a premium product and the upscale service of the luxury make, then a luxury car/laptop/desktop buys you that.
For work, I use PCs all day long. When I come home, I use my Mac and don't have to worry about problems. I have an iMac from 2007 that still works great and is my daily machine and just picked up a used 2009 MacBook Pro for $250 + $100 for a new hard drive. I do not anticipate having problems with either.
That said, I would not expect have any serious problems with any machines that I could not fix myself, Windows-based or Mac OS X-based. It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs. It also doesn't hurt that the same analogy above applies to my iPhone and AppleTV. I had a Palm Pre before my iPhone and while I LOVED the system, the hardware desperately needed enhancement and anytime I had a problem, Verizon was not the most helpful to deal with. The one time I had a problem with my iPhone, I walked into the mall, showed them my problem, and left 15 minutes later with a brand new iPhone at no cost. This is what I'm paying the premium for!
Full Disclosure: I previously posted that I had a $400 HP laptop for my mom I bought many years ago that I just changed for a new $300 Dell since the HP could not keep up with streaming videos online and general multimedia-rich websites. I would not hesitate to buy another HP if I had a reason to buy another Windows-based PC.
For work, I use PCs all day long. When I come home, I use my Mac and don't have to worry about problems. I have an iMac from 2007 that still works great and is my daily machine and just picked up a used 2009 MacBook Pro for $250 + $100 for a new hard drive. I do not anticipate having problems with either.
That said, I would not expect have any serious problems with any machines that I could not fix myself, Windows-based or Mac OS X-based. It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs. It also doesn't hurt that the same analogy above applies to my iPhone and AppleTV. I had a Palm Pre before my iPhone and while I LOVED the system, the hardware desperately needed enhancement and anytime I had a problem, Verizon was not the most helpful to deal with. The one time I had a problem with my iPhone, I walked into the mall, showed them my problem, and left 15 minutes later with a brand new iPhone at no cost. This is what I'm paying the premium for!
Full Disclosure: I previously posted that I had a $400 HP laptop for my mom I bought many years ago that I just changed for a new $300 Dell since the HP could not keep up with streaming videos online and general multimedia-rich websites. I would not hesitate to buy another HP if I had a reason to buy another Windows-based PC.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
But the thing I don't understand is what "serious" problem are you anticipating that requires paying premium when the product itself is 3x what others cost?BrandonBogle wrote:It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs.
The hard drive is what goes bad most often. Other than that, the only thing that has gone bad for me on a PC is a zapped Ethernet port from a lightening strike.
Dell Optiplex 3020 (Win7 Pro), Dell Precision M6300 (Ubuntu Linux 12.04), Dell Precision M6300 (Win7 Pro), Dell Latitude D531 (Vista)
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I have a 5-year old Dell Precision laptop that I bought *used* that is still going strong.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
I seriously don't understand what people are doing to damage their Windows PCs.
Dell Optiplex 3020 (Win7 Pro), Dell Precision M6300 (Ubuntu Linux 12.04), Dell Precision M6300 (Win7 Pro), Dell Latitude D531 (Vista)
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
- danwhite77
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:21 am
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I've owned three Windows laptops before switching to Mac and I've had this experience. I don't know what it is, but between three and four years my Windows laptops would routinely slow down and crash frequently, to the point that the computer was essentially useless (or the computer became infected with viruses). Hence my switch to Mac after using Windows for roughly two decades.KyleAAA wrote:I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
"While some mutual fund founders chose to make billions, he chose to make a difference." - Dedication to Jack Bogle in 'The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing'.
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
By the time my Dell Inspiron 6000 was three years old I had replaced the following (all under warranty, but getting warranty repair often involved spending hours on the phone on hold or doing things the Dell technician suggested - as I became more knowledgable, I learned techniques for getting them to replacement much sooner.):KyleAAA wrote:I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
2 mother boards (Actually, this number is 3, because one failed at about 1 year, it was replaced, & that one failed within 24 hours - I think the problem was the technician who while replacing it, didn't handle the motherboard as carefully as I thought it should be.)
2 hard drives
keyboard
3 adapters
hinges (which also got me a new plastic outside piece for the base of the laptop) plus new touchpad
(These are the things I remember for sure. There might be one or two things I am forgetting!
by the time it was 5 years old (when the warranty ended), I had almost replaced everything in it at least once (plus one more hard drive and one more motherboard), except the screen. The screen needed replacement after the 5 year warranty ended, & after a little over 6 years, the third motherboard developed problems which led me to retire that computer.
As much time & frustration I experienced (far more than was really necessary if customer service had been better), I learned a lot from watching the technicians & talking to computer IT folk at my job, & developed the confidence to go into computers (once out of warranty) on my own & do repairs.
My sister had a Dell inspiron (different model) which she hardly ever used & it had multiple problems as well. Dell Latitudes (their business model) is supposed to be better than their home computers. I have one for work & it has had far few problems in 3 years (although there's always been a line of noise which goes across the screen at random (to me) times - it last about 1 second and isn't too frequent so I've ignored it rather than deal with replacing it).
Dell often uses refurbished parts for warranty replacement - replacement parts often fail.
Last edited by lindisfarne on Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
But isn't the crashing a hard drive problem?danwhite77 wrote:I've owned three Windows laptops before switching to Mac and I've had this experience. I don't know what it is, but between three and four years my Windows laptops would routinely slow down and crash frequently, to the point that the computer was essentially useless (or the computer became infected with viruses). Hence my switch to Mac after using Windows for roughly two decades.KyleAAA wrote:I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
Are you saying you never had a hard drive problem with a Mac?
Research has shown that Mac owners are more forgiving of problems with their Macs than with PCs.
I guess they have to justify buying the Macs somehow.
Dell Optiplex 3020 (Win7 Pro), Dell Precision M6300 (Ubuntu Linux 12.04), Dell Precision M6300 (Win7 Pro), Dell Latitude D531 (Vista)
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
And what if I was to tell you that a HP desktop PC that my late father bought in 2003 and that we gave away in 2013 never had a single problem?lindisfarne wrote:By the time my Dell Inspiron 6000 was three years old I had replaced the following (all under warranty, but getting warranty repair often involved spending hours on the phone on hold or doing things the Dell technician suggested - as I became more knowledgable, I learned techniques for getting them to replacement much sooner.):KyleAAA wrote:I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
2 mother boards (Actually, this number is 3, because one failed at about 1 year, it was replaced, & that one failed within 24 hours - I think the problem was the technician who while replacing it, didn't handle the motherboard as carefully as I thought it should be.)
2 hard drives
keyboard
3 adapters
hinges (which also got me a new plastic outside piece for the base of the laptop) plus new touchpad
(These are the things I remember for sure. There might be one or two things I am forgetting!
by the time it was 5 years old (when the warranty ended), I had almost replaced everything in it at least once (plus one more hard drive and one more motherboard), except the screen. The screen needed replacement after the 5 year warranty ended, & after a little over 6 years, the third motherboard developed problems which led me to retire that computer.
As much time & frustration I experienced (far more than was really necessary if customer service had been better), I learned a lot from watching the technicians & talking to computer IT folk at my job, & developed the confidence to go into computers (once out of warranty) on my own & do repairs.
Dell often uses refurbished parts for warranty replacement - replacement parts often fail.
Dell Optiplex 3020 (Win7 Pro), Dell Precision M6300 (Ubuntu Linux 12.04), Dell Precision M6300 (Win7 Pro), Dell Latitude D531 (Vista)
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I don't want a desktop. I want a laptop. You're comparing apples to oranges - it's an irrelevant comparison to anyone who wants a computer that they can take with them. Yes, the smaller components in laptops can lead to more technical challenges & smaller parts which may have more problems.ieee488 wrote:And what if I was to tell you that a HP desktop PC that my late father bought in 2003 and that we gave away in 2013 never had a single problem?
Additionally, manufacturing standards can change dramatically over time. Early on (up to mid 1990s), the old Gateway desktops were very good computers, but I bought one in 2000 which was a lemon, and their computer service was so horrendous I swore never to buy a Gateway again. The second hard drive failed within a year & rather than get another crummy refurbished one under warranty, I went out & purchased a good one myself that never failed (the computer worked the last time I used it, which hasn't been for 5+ years now).
I've also disassembled an HP laptop purchased in the last 5 years & it was poorly designed (you had to almost completely disassemble it to replace the screen) & with very flimsy parts. I've spoken to computer techs who have agreed with me on this. As bad as I think Dell is, I think HP is worse. When I buy another personal computer, it probably will be a Dell Latitude, although given the current changes at Dell, I may reconsider. We'll see.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I am right now typing on a Toshiba laptop which is the first non HP laptop I have ever owned. I used them for over 20 years without problems ----- but then they started going south!
Back in the days of Bill Hewlett and David Packard quality was number 1 with them. Now competing in the retail market is drastically different than when they were making the best electronic test equipment of anyone!
I knew David Packard personally and worked with them a lot. I was a customer dealing in microwave radio (not cookers) equipment. Believe me high quality was absolutely the most important sales tactic they had and it worked!
They were developing a new series of test equipment to measure microwave performance. David asked me to help his engineers confirm that their design really met the needs of the customer. This occurred about 40 years ago and we flew in his private jet to Scotland for the meetings and were there for about 2 weeks. Their product worked very well, their engineers had big ears and listened closely to my recommendations.
It turned out to be a great improvement in microwave test equipment. David gave me one of the test sets (for the company I worked for) at no charge for the help I had given them to make the product user friendly. It was worth about $45,000 in 1972 money.
Back in the days of Bill Hewlett and David Packard quality was number 1 with them. Now competing in the retail market is drastically different than when they were making the best electronic test equipment of anyone!
I knew David Packard personally and worked with them a lot. I was a customer dealing in microwave radio (not cookers) equipment. Believe me high quality was absolutely the most important sales tactic they had and it worked!
They were developing a new series of test equipment to measure microwave performance. David asked me to help his engineers confirm that their design really met the needs of the customer. This occurred about 40 years ago and we flew in his private jet to Scotland for the meetings and were there for about 2 weeks. Their product worked very well, their engineers had big ears and listened closely to my recommendations.
It turned out to be a great improvement in microwave test equipment. David gave me one of the test sets (for the company I worked for) at no charge for the help I had given them to make the product user friendly. It was worth about $45,000 in 1972 money.
Contrary to the belief of many, profit is not a four letter word!
- BrandonBogle
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Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
That would not be hardware problems, but software problems with Windows. I'm paying the premium for durable hardware (that you could find elsewhere) and premium software (which, if you want to hack it, you could make it work on non-Apple PCs). In the past decade, I only once had a software problem/bug/issue. My machine runs stable without issues, crashes, unexpected results, etc.ieee488 wrote:But the thing I don't understand is what "serious" problem are you anticipating that requires paying premium when the product itself is 3x what others cost?BrandonBogle wrote:It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs.
The hard drive is what goes bad most often. Other than that, the only thing that has gone bad for me on a PC is a zapped Ethernet port from a lightening strike.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Yeah, but Windows machines do, too, objectively, which is why I find the Mac cult so interesting. Apple pretty much never ranks at the top in terms of actual reliability. I find that difficult to square with the frequent anecdotal reports of Macs being more reliable. Somebody mentioned above that Apple users tend to be more forgiving of issues in the Apple ecosystem than with identical issues on Windows. That seems to match my experience, as well. I've had extensive experience with PLENTY of laptops, both Windows and Mac (and Linux), and Windows holds its own very well.BrandonBogle wrote:That would not be hardware problems, but software problems with Windows. I'm paying the premium for durable hardware (that you could find elsewhere) and premium software (which, if you want to hack it, you could make it work on non-Apple PCs). In the past decade, I only once had a software problem/bug/issue. My machine runs stable without issues, crashes, unexpected results, etc.ieee488 wrote:But the thing I don't understand is what "serious" problem are you anticipating that requires paying premium when the product itself is 3x what others cost?BrandonBogle wrote:It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs.
The hard drive is what goes bad most often. Other than that, the only thing that has gone bad for me on a PC is a zapped Ethernet port from a lightening strike.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I have several Dell laptops about 7 or so purchased in the last 5 years or so which makes some of them as old as from 2000.lindisfarne wrote:I don't want a desktop. I want a laptop. You're comparing apples to oranges - it's an irrelevant comparison to anyone who wants a computer that they can take with them. Yes, the smaller components in laptops can lead to more technical challenges & smaller parts which may have more problems.ieee488 wrote:And what if I was to tell you that a HP desktop PC that my late father bought in 2003 and that we gave away in 2013 never had a single problem?
Additionally, manufacturing standards can change dramatically over time. Early on (up to mid 1990s), the old Gateway desktops were very good computers, but I bought one in 2000 which was a lemon, and their computer service was so horrendous I swore never to buy a Gateway again. The second hard drive failed within a year & rather than get another crummy refurbished one under warranty, I went out & purchased a good one myself that never failed (the computer worked the last time I used it, which hasn't been for 5+ years now).
I've also disassembled an HP laptop purchased in the last 5 years & it was poorly designed (you had to almost completely disassemble it to replace the screen) & with very flimsy parts. I've spoken to computer techs who have agreed with me on this. As bad as I think Dell is, I think HP is worse. When I buy another personal computer, it probably will be a Dell Latitude, although given the current changes at Dell, I may reconsider. We'll see.
All of them bought used.
All of them still running.
It seems that people who pay a premium for Apple products don't want to admit that they paid a premium for something that broke.
It seems okay to trash Windows PC though. I don't get it.
I find it hard to believe no one has had a problem with Apple. Really?
Or are they too ashamed to admit it.
Dell Optiplex 3020 (Win7 Pro), Dell Precision M6300 (Ubuntu Linux 12.04), Dell Precision M6300 (Win7 Pro), Dell Latitude D531 (Vista)
- danwhite77
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:21 am
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I'm glad you asked. Yes, I have in fact had a hard drive problem with my Mac . . . caused by Windows. I ran Bootcamp for awhile so I could use the Windows version of Quicken. Quicken (and then Windows) crashed while I was uploading a file, corrupting the Windows partition of my Mac hard drive. This caused issues when I tried to boot into OS X. Finally, I managed to get into OS X and delete the Windows partition once and for all. After that I have not had a single problem in three years. In fact, today my MBP runs as well (or better) than it did the day I bought it. Even better now that Windows is off of my machine forever.ieee488 wrote:But isn't the crashing a hard drive problem?danwhite77 wrote:I've owned three Windows laptops before switching to Mac and I've had this experience. I don't know what it is, but between three and four years my Windows laptops would routinely slow down and crash frequently, to the point that the computer was essentially useless (or the computer became infected with viruses). Hence my switch to Mac after using Windows for roughly two decades.KyleAAA wrote:I just don't understand claims like this. Who exactly out there is having significant problems with a 3 year old Windows machine? I've owned many and I've NEVER had a problem with a machine less than 3 years old. I have more problems with my Mac at work than any Windows PC I've ever owned, and it's less than a year old.eharri3 wrote:My MACBOOK PRO is going on about 3 years now without a single malfunction. Breaks any record every set by a Windows machine in my house.
Are you saying you never had a hard drive problem with a Mac?
Research has shown that Mac owners are more forgiving of problems with their Macs than with PCs.
I guess they have to justify buying the Macs somehow.
"While some mutual fund founders chose to make billions, he chose to make a difference." - Dedication to Jack Bogle in 'The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing'.
- BrandonBogle
- Posts: 4467
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:19 pm
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
I have had the same experience on the flip side. Nary a problem with my Macs, but problems almost every week with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. I am happy that so far, I have not had problems with Windows 8 in the two or three months it's been in our household. But all this time, almost each week I was diagnosing problems, fixing this or that, installing updates, etc and constantly losing time to keeping our household computers browsing the Internet effectively.KyleAAA wrote:Yeah, but Windows machines do, too, objectively, which is why I find the Mac cult so interesting. Apple pretty much never ranks at the top in terms of actual reliability. I find that difficult to square with the frequent anecdotal reports of Macs being more reliable. Somebody mentioned above that Apple users tend to be more forgiving of issues in the Apple ecosystem than with identical issues on Windows. That seems to match my experience, as well. I've had extensive experience with PLENTY of laptops, both Windows and Mac (and Linux), and Windows holds its own very well.BrandonBogle wrote:That would not be hardware problems, but software problems with Windows. I'm paying the premium for durable hardware (that you could find elsewhere) and premium software (which, if you want to hack it, you could make it work on non-Apple PCs). In the past decade, I only once had a software problem/bug/issue. My machine runs stable without issues, crashes, unexpected results, etc.ieee488 wrote:But the thing I don't understand is what "serious" problem are you anticipating that requires paying premium when the product itself is 3x what others cost?BrandonBogle wrote:It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs.
The hard drive is what goes bad most often. Other than that, the only thing that has gone bad for me on a PC is a zapped Ethernet port from a lightening strike.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
That seems...unlikely.danwhite77 wrote: I'm glad you asked. Yes, I have in fact had a hard drive problem with my Mac . . . caused by Windows.
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Perhaps you could give some example of the problems you are diagnosing and fixing every week? Neither I nor anybody I know has ever had that experience with a Windows box.BrandonBogle wrote:I have had the same experience on the flip side. Nary a problem with my Macs, but problems almost every week with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. I am happy that so far, I have not had problems with Windows 8 in the two or three months it's been in our household. But all this time, almost each week I was diagnosing problems, fixing this or that, installing updates, etc and constantly losing time to keeping our household computers browsing the Internet effectively.KyleAAA wrote:Yeah, but Windows machines do, too, objectively, which is why I find the Mac cult so interesting. Apple pretty much never ranks at the top in terms of actual reliability. I find that difficult to square with the frequent anecdotal reports of Macs being more reliable. Somebody mentioned above that Apple users tend to be more forgiving of issues in the Apple ecosystem than with identical issues on Windows. That seems to match my experience, as well. I've had extensive experience with PLENTY of laptops, both Windows and Mac (and Linux), and Windows holds its own very well.BrandonBogle wrote:That would not be hardware problems, but software problems with Windows. I'm paying the premium for durable hardware (that you could find elsewhere) and premium software (which, if you want to hack it, you could make it work on non-Apple PCs). In the past decade, I only once had a software problem/bug/issue. My machine runs stable without issues, crashes, unexpected results, etc.ieee488 wrote:But the thing I don't understand is what "serious" problem are you anticipating that requires paying premium when the product itself is 3x what others cost?BrandonBogle wrote:It's just I choose to pay the premium to avoid having to deal with problems in the first place on my Macs.
The hard drive is what goes bad most often. Other than that, the only thing that has gone bad for me on a PC is a zapped Ethernet port from a lightening strike.
- BrandonBogle
- Posts: 4467
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:19 pm
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Usually it would be one of these problems:KyleAAA wrote: Perhaps you could give some example of the problems you are diagnosing and fixing every week? Neither I nor anybody I know has ever had that experience with a Windows box.
- Flash is out of date and needs to be updated
- Wifi would cease providing Internet. Network Connection display would show connecting to proper WiFi (based on SSID name), but "Unknown network" and thus couldn't access any websites.
- Internet Explorer would stall "(Not Responding)" and need to be killed/"End Now"
- Startup time gradually grew to the point were it took 23 minutes back in March to go from the clicking the user icon at login to getting IE to display yahoo.com
- Blue Screen of Death (hasn't happened on the Win 7 machine)
- Selecting text and doing a copy causes machine to stall for upwards of 30 seconds. Mouse can move, but cannot click anything or switch programs.
- Clicking on Facebook links causes IE to change to a generic error page
- Desktop icons would move to different locations from restart to restart
- Some IE windows would open "off screen". Would minimize, maximize, restore a couple times before it showed up on the screen -- there is NO external monitor EVER connected to this laptop
- Sound would stop playing until restart, even when Sound Control Panel and/or Volume Mixer indicates mute is NOT enabled and volume is turned up
The above is in order of how often these issues came up, most often to least often.
- danwhite77
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 8:21 am
Re: Laptop Dead After 2.5 years
Yeah, that's what I thought. Then I discovered that nothing makes me more unhappy than a Blue Screen of Death that led to a light blue screen of a Mac that refused to boot. But sure enough, once I was able to get OS X up and running and delete everything on the Windows partition (and then format the partition back to be Mac compatible so that I had my entire hard drive available in Mac mode again) all was right in the world. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to, my imagination is not that powerful.KyleAAA wrote:That seems...unlikely.danwhite77 wrote: I'm glad you asked. Yes, I have in fact had a hard drive problem with my Mac . . . caused by Windows.
"While some mutual fund founders chose to make billions, he chose to make a difference." - Dedication to Jack Bogle in 'The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing'.