Laptop or Desktop or Other?

[MoonRise]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

Use Kubuntu on both. Have an Acer a500 that I wish I could get Kubuntu on, but their offering from what I've seen isn't quite there yet and I don't think they have it geared to the many types of mobile devices there are.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

....
I've been very pleased with my HP Pavilion g7. It's a 17.3" LED (makes it quite a bit lighter than LCD screens). Of course, it's 'last years' model (but still available on Amazon.com as of a few days ago), and the price for what you get is, to me, very good.

I've always liked HP, and except for a couple models which have upside down webcam images, they have always worked well with about any version of Linux I've tried.

BUT .... Now that HP had dropped its PSG division (i.e., computers too) I won't be considering their equipment in my future decisions.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

HP laptop owners... eventually, some of you will encounter a problem where your laptop will refuse to boot. Oh, the lights and fan might power up, but the screen remains completely dark: not even the backlight comes on. Don't waste your time calling HP, because they'll charge you just to walk you through the following process:

1. Remove the AC
2. Remove the battery
3. Attach the AC
4. Hold the power button 30 or 60 seconds -- no consistency in their scripts
5. Lose your temper when you realize you could have Googled this yourself

The problem is a poorly-designed heatsink. The GPUs in many Pavilions run so hot that they eventually cause the solder to begin disappearing and lose electrical contact. It happened to my wife's Pavilion just last month, in fact.

There are numerous videos on YouTube that show how to perform a repair. I followed the steps in this video by a repairman in Florida -- he shows how to disassemble the laptop, melt and reflow the solder using a small butane torch, and prevent the problem from recurring by constructing a much larger heatsink. My wife's laptop actually runs a bit cooler now.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

WOW!!!

At about 10 minutes into the video the guy shows what is necessary to cure that problem... create Copper heat sinks to set on top of the CPU and GPU. He also had to clean out the exhaust fins because dust blocked them, which may have been all that was necessary in the first place, but the added Copper heat sinks lowered the operating temp of the HP by TEN DEGREES. It really points out the poor design and cheap implementation by HP.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

My wife's Acer is having the exact same issue.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

Of course, as you probably know already, my first suspect would be dust blocking the cooling exhaust ports, which should be removable with a good squirt from a can of compressed gas.

[oshunluvr]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

In my wife's case, it's compounded by her putting it into her laptop bag plugged in and occasionally still running... :P

[SteveRiley]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

He also had to clean out the exhaust fins because dust blocked them, which may have been all that was necessary in the first place

I was hoping my repair would have been that simple. Alas, the fan and exhaust in my wife's laptop were clean, no blockage at all. So I tore the whole thing down and followed the "reflow" procedure exactly. Had to run to a hardware store for a couple parts: I didn't have a butane torch (charcoal grill lighter isn't hot enough) and I wanted some good-quality copper sheeting for the heat sink. What really sucked was how the existing "heat sink" was attached to the GPU: a measly little thermal pad. I scraped that off and built up a replacement with a small copper square under a much larger one, and all parts attached with a good quality thermal grease. I wish now I would have taken a photograph -- the kitchen table was covered with computer parts. Fortunately everything went back together without a hitch, not even a single left-over screw!

[vinnywright]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

He also had to clean out the exhaust fins because dust blocked them, which may have been all that was necessary in the first place

Fortunately everything went back together without a hitch, not even a single left-over screw!

LMAO ....yes it's good when you don't have to many leftovers

VINNY

[Detonate]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

The HP Laptop I have, as posted earlier, an older model, a DV1000, has a thermal limit cut off for the CPU. If it gets too hot, it shuts down. I did not know that there was no such protection for the GPU. My cooling fan died once and the computer shut down when it reached the maximum allowed temperature. I ordered and replaced the fan and have has no problems with that since. Why don't they make these things so that they won't boot if the cooling fan is not working as it is with a desktop?

[MoonRise]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

I've actually repaired quite a few laptops here. recently replaced an LCD screen. The ones I've had issues with regardless of needing repair on not are Toshibas. I've had the worst "luck" with those machines. Anything micro like laptops are going to require a little more maintenance than say a Desktop, but those Toshibas take the cake, for me anyway. I know a few here who have a Toshiba and I don't want to sound like I'm bashing. Just my luck with them!

[GreyGeek]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

.....
LMAO ....yes it's good when you don't have to many leftovers
...

AND, the box still runs!

Fortunately everything went back together without a hitch, not even a single left-over screw!

Congrats!!!

That repair process shown by the video was very extensive and elaborate. Taking a laptop apart far enough to remove the mobo, is NOT an easy task, and getting it back together again is even harder if you can't remember how to retrace your steps, or, you do end up with an extra screw of two and have to tear things apart to make sure those screws are put where they belong. It gets especially hairy on older laptops when the plastic connectors & plugs are brittle and they break.

[dibl]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

The ones I've had issues with regardless of needing repair on not are Toshibas.

LOL -- I hear that. I love my Toshiba NB205, but I admit it was necessary to order a set of Torx drivers to get a #6, just so I could open the drive cover and install an SSD. Toshiba obviously did not intend for me to be able to do that!

[Detonate]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

If I had to go that far into a laptop to do a repair, I would just tell the customer that it is not economically repairable. Remove the hard drive and mount it in my computer and back up their data and throw the rest in the trash.

[vinnywright]

Re: Laptop or Desktop or Other?

If I had to go that far into a laptop to do a repair, I would just tell the customer that it is not economically repairable. Remove the hard drive and mount it in my computer and back up their data and throw the rest in the trash.

LOL.........yup if it isent the CPU,RAM,HD or CD/DVD drive grab the data and run

VINNY