Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with laptop

Help me avoid laptop death!

karyotypical — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:05:27 -0800

My computer is flaking out on me (perhaps due to my NVIDIA driver?). I can't get it to a tech support place until Thanksgiving! Help! I have a HP Pavilion dv2000 pc with a NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 driver (bought June 2007). I use my computer everyday to do powerpoint presentations for my job, so I hook my laptop up to an LCD projector. However, as of late (especially after using the LCD projector), if my computer is shut down, put to sleep, or hibernates, it shuts down completely and will not turn back on. I'll press the power button, and the power light will come on but none of the keys work and the fan doesn't run no matter how long I wait. I have to keep turning the power button on and off 10 or 15 times before the screen randomly comes back on.

Further complicating things, when it does turn on, it will either say the NVIDIA driver recovered from an error or the screen will turn black and I can only get it to display by toggling between display modes (fn + f4). Also, and this may not be related, but the battery life indicator doesn't seem to be working, so I don't know when my computer is about to shut down due to reaching critical battery level.

So far my only solution has been to keep the power on with the charger in all the time. I'm don't know a whole lot about computers, but even I know this can't be good.

Any idea what might be causing this? Any ideas how to fix this (besides keeping my computer running all hours of the day)? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Finding the right laptop to use with Photoshop

mizrachi — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:16:14 -0800

My girlfriend needs a laptop with Photoshop to do her freelance design work on the road. She uses an iMac at home and is worried about compatibility. Must she continue using a Mac? Or can she use a more affordable pc laptop? Options:

Buy a new mac laptop (which model?)
Buy a used mac laptop (ebay?)
Buy a pc laptop (which one?)
Rent one (from where?)

I need some advice about buying a portable lightweight laptop.

gregb1007 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:16:24 -0800

I need some advice about buying a portable lightweight laptop. I am looking to purchase a really light laptop that I could carry in a backpack or a briefcase and still walk around comfortably.

Basically, if I walk two miles in one direction and a few more in another, all within the span of an hour, the weight of carrying that laptop should not incur any pain on my back, shoulders, or what have you.

I also want this to be an inexpensive laptop great for Internet applications, word processing, listening to music, and watching videos. (It should have built-in wifi. A good keyboard easy to type on would be nice as well.) Since I really don't need it do to anything else, especially handle graphics or play games, it should really be a bargain. Under $500 dollars. (Note: My old 500 mhz desktop let me browse the Internet, watch videos, and listen to music just fine, even if it was a bit slow. But a bit slow is acceptable for me.)

Oh, and last but not least, I want this laptop to run Windows. Reason: I have some great applications on my desktop at home that are Windows-only that I am not willing to part with. I know there are many Linux fans out there, but believe me when I tell you that there are some companies, especially small ones, that develop their programs exclusively for Windows and it is incredibly difficult to find alternatives that perform the same functions. (Sidenote: Macs can run Windows, but that's beside the point, since Apple notebooks are outside of my price range anyway.)

Burning CD/DVDs on Laptop

zzazazz — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:14:50 -0800

I own this laptop and I love it except I am having trouble with the cd/dvd burner. It reads just fine but when I try to burn, no matter what program I use, it doesn't burn properly. Sometimes it leaves the disc blank or leaves a song here and there blank while other songs are burned properly. Do you think it's a defective burner or something to do with how it communicates with the OS?

I'm a PC

jak68 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:04:58 -0800

mac purchase advice: I'd like to pick up a used mac laptop on ebay for under $400. What specs or models should I look for that will give me the least buyers regret? ie, how fast a processor do i need? Should I choose a g3? g4? intel processors? how much memory do i need? etc.

I dont need usb 2.0, i dont need pc card slot, just wireless and a cdrom drive.

Mainly my concern is to not pick up something that is dog slow. I guess i'd like it to be able to run the latest OS (is that possible on older macs?)

I dont know diddly about macs by the way. I"m a pc guy all the way (and will remains so ;) but I want to experiment with macs a bit to prepare for a school-related project that will involve some macs.

Bringing U.S. laptop to Buenos Aires

cookie googleman — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:59:11 -0800

What king of laptop adapter/transformer do I need for Buenos Aires? I have a U.S. Apple MacBook Pro with a THREE-pronged grounded cable. As far as I'm aware, I will need both an adapter that will work with my 3-prong grounded U.S. cable and also a converter or transformer to adjust the voltage. Is this correct? Does anyone know where I could purchase these items? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you

Help me find and fix my wifi card problem.

philomathoholic — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:05:46 -0800

I've replaced my wireless card, but my laptop still intermittently locks up. The problem occurs whether I'm running XP or Ubuntu, and disappears when I disable the wifi in bios. * I assume the freezes are related to when the card is transmitting.
* Ubuntu will work fine until it connects to an AP. Then it immediately has problems.
* XP has problems on the login screen, but works great (immediately) after disabling the wifi (via the wifi-radio button).
* Both XP and Ubuntu are fully up to date.

* My laptop is an HP Pavilion dv5000 (custom build), with a Broadcom mini-pci a/b/g wlan card.
* I thought the old card was the culprit, so I replaced it with an identical one from HP, but the problem remains.
* Ethernet works fine.

Should I suspect the motherboard? Do people replace the motherboard on laptops? Isn't that expensive? Don't people just replace the laptop instead?

What else could/should I be checking, to narrow down the problem?

What is the likelihood of recovering data that has been deleted inside an OSX account that also has been deleted?

skylar — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:53:11 -0800

I know there are dozens of data recovery question on here, but nothing that appears to address my specific question. I have an Apple Powerbook G4 laptop running 10.4.1. In preparing to sell the machine I transferred a bunch of files across to an external drive, then deleted them, emptied the trash and deleted the entire user account (while telling it not to store a disc image of that account.) Since then nothing has been written to or deleted from the disk. Now I find that not all of my files were successfully copied to the external drive so I've lost a lot of data. In particular I would like to save just one folder full of Excel spreadsheets - my past few months of accounting. What is the likelihood of being able to achieve this, either myself or using a data recovery company?

Laptop Brick Quick!

swngnmonk — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:46:18 -0800

Random shot-in-the-dark-question: A laptop brick for a 4-year old Thinkpad on short notice outside of Boston? I just checked into my hotel, realized I forgot my power brick, I have an hour of battery life - help! Thinkpad t41, a fast solution appreciated. Thank you!

Help me find an affordable gaming laptop

Kudos — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:24:02 -0800

Cheap gaming laptop recommendations Catering more to the cheap side than the gaming. I'd like to be able to run hl2/orange box, spore, and eventually starcraft 2, and maybe some wow. I've been looking at the dell xps m1530s, and the configuration would be around $1,300. Is there something of equal power that i can get for cheaper? I've had little luck. Thanks.

Help! There's a hole in my computer!

brandman — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:30:51 -0800

I have a Dell Inspiron e1505, and a small chunk of the white plastic frame around the keyboard/cpu area has broken off. How can I fix this? I don't know how it happened...at first, I noticed some cracks in that area, then one day the piece was gone. For the past few weeks, I've had a piece of tape over the hole, but I'd like something more robust/permanent. Is there some sort of plastic/fiberglass/etc. repair solution I could use, that will be effective on a rounded surface?

Why am I being prompted to install Windows XP SP3 when I already have it?

Rhaomi — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:03:32 -0800

I just got a notification on my Windows XP laptop to install Service Pack 3. Thing is, I already have SP3 installed. Is this a necessary update? A redundant Microsoft goof? Or something more sinister? The notification looked like a standard Windows Update prompt, just a little bubble in the taskbar saying "updates are ready for your computer." So I clicked it and got this pop-up.

It struck me as odd, since

a) I thought service packs were major events in the Windows world, and that I would have heard something about this before now

and

2) I was pretty sure that said major event had already happened, and that I had SP3 installed

A check on Microsoft Word confirmed (2). Help -> About Microsoft Word, and the first line reads:

"Microsoft® Office Word 2003 (11.8227.8221) SP3"

So, why am I getting this prompt? Is it really asking me to reinstall all of Service Pack 3 (which I understand to be pretty large), or is it just an update for it? Is it merely a mistake on the part of Windows? Could it possibly be a virus or some other malicious program masquerading as a system update?

Basically, should I install the thing or just ignore it?

Eee-only?

matthewr — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:50:58 -0800

Could I use an Eee 1000 as my only PC? I'd be getting the 10-inch 1000H, with XP Home and an 80Gb HDD.

Specifically, is it practical to watch DVDs on the move, via a bus-powered external US DVD drive? Or would that use so much power that the battery wouldn't last the length of a film?

And if I were to plug in an external monitor at home, what's the maximum resolution the Eee could output, via the VGA port? I've read various forum posts about changing Xandros config files, but nothing for XP.

Steering Wheel Desk

JosephP — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:35:08 -0800

I'm looking for a steering wheel laptop desk that can handle the widescreen laptops most of us use nowadays. Most of the ones I've seen are too expensive (>$60), or too small. Anyone have one they really like?

Battery takes charge, but won't work!@#$

yazi — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:48:13 -0800

Dell battery may be dead, or maybe it's software. I'm stumped. My Dell Latitude D820 laptop (about 2 yrs. old) will no longer operate on battery power. The battery is model #DF192 -- specifically 85Wh. If I install it, I get the flashing orange color icon. With the battery removed, the computer is fine on line-power, and does not flash any icons at me. The Device Mgr. says that the Battery/Adapter drivers are "working".

However, the battery seems to able to receive a good charge. When I first took it out and left it on my desk about 12 weeks ago, I pressed the test button and all green lights lit. When I tested two days ago, no lights. (Does battery power slowly leak out over months?) But I simply popped it back into the laptop and later, when tested, all lites were green again!!

A) a messed up battery? or B) insidious software problem? Pls recommend the best (reliability, price) source for a new or rebuilt battery; or if B), what can a non-tech do?? How to make proper tests?

Lagging edge notebook computer for less than $500?

WestCoaster — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:04:53 -0800

I'm looking for a lagging edge (can be large, heavy, and have poor battery life) *new* notebook computer, for less than $500. Suggestions? My sister-in-law wants a new (not used) notebook computer. She is only going to use it at home, but wants to be able to move it off the desk when she's done (so let's rule out a desktop computer). It can be "lagging edge" because she doesn't care about (a) weight or (b) size or (c) battery life. She would like at least a 15 inch monitor, and it needs to be a Windows machine (I'd prefer Windows XP). And yes, I've checked dell.com; they do in fact sell notebook computers with 15.4 inch monitors for less than $500 (not counting shipping and tax). I'm interested in suggestions for alternatives - what's available that's really solid, so I won't have to do tech support (or apologize for my recommendation)?

Can a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop with High Definition Audio 2.0 sound card perform 16-bit recording ?

eebs — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:58:24 -0800

Can a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop with High Definition Audio 2.0 sound card perform 16-bit recording, which is supposed to be required for Dragon Naturally Speaking? The other sound card options are:

Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition (add $25)

ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card (add $80)

Thanks so much.

UnDead Powerbook - Good or Evil?

blapst — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:12:18 -0800

Should I revive my Titanium Mac Powerbook? My laptop's hard drive just ate itself. The fine people at NYC's Tekserve can replace the hard drive for $250 or thereabouts. However, it's an old laptop, (I think it was the 2nd generation Titanium powerbook), now considered vintage, and so replacement parts are no longer made, and I was told that if I encounter any further problems with this machine, they likely cannot be fixed. Furthermore, the battery likes to fall out, so it usually needs to be plugged in to a wall.

I just got a new desktop recently, so there's a bit of a sting at the thought of buying a new laptop, too. But $250 seems like a lot for something that might not last long.

I would use the laptop mainly for word processing, internetting, and perhaps a little music sequencing (reason), either when I travel (which is at least once every month or two), or when the desktop is in use by my wife.

So, do i spend the $250 to revive this heavy clunker or not?

mac? pc?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:48:54 -0800

When and where should I buy a laptop (also: what kind?!)? I'm leaving the US for France for about a year on September 16. I want/need a laptop for my job and entertainment. I can't think clearly about this anymore (stressed out about 10000 other things!) so I thought I'd consult AskMe.

I was planning on buying a MacBook when the product line was refreshed. Current rumor on that, though, is around October 14thish and I really wanted a laptop sooner than that. If I buy a Mac now, I can take advantage of their education discount which will give me a "free" iPod Touch (after rebate). If I wait until mid-October to buy a newer release Mac I will have to pay more for it because they cost more in France (also no iPod Touch). I really like Macs because Apple fixes anything that's wrong with them and I find them to be really well-made and happy (my last two computers were Macs). I was looking forward to a new Mac because aluminum casing is really desirable to me.

I am also considering getting a netbook/ultraportable laptop (MSI Wind or Inspiron Mini or Eee PC 1000 or ???) and running Linux on it because the price tag isn't as bad as Macs and I like the idea of being able to shove the laptop in a large purse and wander around. I do not, however, want Windows, because it frustrates the hell out of me.

I want whatever I get to have a built-in webcam and microphone so that I can Skype, I don't play games on my computer, I don't program, I like full-sized keyboards, I don't particularly like glossy screens, I don't like heavy laptops, I am sort of attached to my optical drive, and I am annoyed that the base MacBook only comes with a combo drive rather than super drive.

So, should I buy a laptop in the US and get a "free" iPod Touch and old MacBook, should I wait until mid-October and buy a new MacBook for $300ish more, or should I buy a cheaper PC? (money both is and isn't an issue because if I am convinced that I am making the BEST choice I will buy it within reason but I don't want to spend money on something too frivolous (ie: dropping $1,700 on a MacBook Air)).

Aaak, what should I do (sorry for the rambly-ness of this question, I have a lot on my mind right now)?

Ultra comfy laptop usage

zaebiz — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:46:36 -0800

How can I get a suntan on my back and use my laptop at the same time comfortably? I guess I'm looking for some contraption that lets me comfortably lie on my stomach while having my arms and neck free to type and view. Also interested in indoor options which allow laptop use lying face down. Comfort enabling options for other postures also welcome.

When will we see new MacBook Pros? When should I buy mine?

nokry56 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:19:34 -0800

I will have $3000 saved by the end of this month. I am hoping to spend it on a high-end 15" MBP. I am currently a high school senior, and am looking to replace my aging P4 desktop with a laptop that will last me into college. When is it likely that Apple will release new MBPs? If they release them within the month should I go ahead and get one, or should I wait until closer to when I am starting school next year? (Fall 2009)

Is it likely that Apple releases new MBPs before Christmas? If they do will they likely release another new model before next fall?

I have read the macrumors Buyer's Guide, but am looking for more info. Such as where do quad-core mobile processors fit into the scheme of things, and where does Nehalem come in?

Will we see new graphics cards?

I realize these are questions without definitive answers, but am just looking for some advice/thoughts.

MacBook Pro damage: I REALLY need a hug

NikitaNikita — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:57:34 -0800

Work gave me an awesome laptop. Which fell out of my computer bag 3 days later. Now what? My office recently purchased a very, very, very nice laptop for me to use (top of the line Macbook Pro). Less than a week later, I'm picking up my laptop bag when it falls out from over a foot high, onto the concrete floor at a friend's loft. Powers on but the hard drive is shot, bottom frame is bent in several places and dented, who knows what else -- the damage is nasty.

I feel really horrible about this because 1) it was the nicest, prettiest, fastest computer I've ever used 2) I've only been working here for 2 months 3) I constantly worry about doing a good job at work anyway, and now THIS.

My boss and the tech guy seemed very "oh well" matter of fact about it, but at times I'm beside myself worrying about what they REALLY think (well, mostly my boss.) The laptop is now out for repair, but there's no way it will come back looking like new, if it's deemed "repairable" at all. So, now what? Do I offer to buy a new one? No, I don't have surpluses of extra money so I'll be buying this on credit. I *do* work for a large employer, but it's academia so it's not like writing off financial issues is taken casually.

Besides the "how do I deal with this?" human relations question, I also have a technical note: how reparable is the MBP, anyway? I've only owned PCs made of either plastic or, I think titanium? (IBM thinkpad T-series) and nothing like this has ever happened before. :(

Why shouldn't I buy the Asus EPC?

onepapertiger — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:52:23 -0800

Why shouldn't I buy the Asus EEEPC? I think i want to buy one and I've read rave reviews about it online. But I am kind of wondering what the downsides are. I most recently owned an iBook that now refuses to turn on. Anyone know why buying the Asus EEEPC would be a mistake?

Pimp My Pavilion.

RandlePatrickMcMurphy — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:48:52 -0800

What to do with a new laptop to make it run as well as possible? What unnecessary MS or HP bloatware should I remove? What should I install? (I'm talking utilities or system accessories, not functional programs like Firefox or an office suite, etc.) Or something in the hardware?

Besides the basic internet and home office stuff, the main function will be to manipulate RAW and JPG images in Photoshop. No big gaming or anything, I'd just like it to start up fast and process images quickly. And I'm planning to leave Vista installed for now, so wipe it out and install Linux is not helpful advice.

Here's the specs:

* HP Pavilion GA341UA dv9548us Core 2 Duo T5450

* Operating system: Window's Vista Premium

* Microprocessor: 1.66 GHz Intel Centrino Duo processor technology featuring Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5450

* Microprocessor cache: L2 Cache 2MB

* Memory: 2045 MB DDR2 system memory (2 Dimm)

* Hard drive: 200 GB (5400 RPM) dual HDD-120 GB and 80 GB SATA

* Video graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS

* Video memory: up to 1023 MB total, 256 MB dedicated

* Optical drive: LightScribe Super Multi 8x DVD+/-R/RW with double layer support

* Display: 17 inches WXGA+ HD BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)

* Fax/Modem: high speed 56k modem

* Network: Integrated 10/100/1000 gigabit Ethernet LAN

* Wireless connectivity: Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN

* Multimedia: HP Imprint Finish, HP Pavilion WebCam with Integrated Microphone and Integrated Fingerprint Reader

* Sound: Altec Lansing

* Keyboard: 101-key compatible; 2 quick launch buttons for HP quick play menu and DVD; and pointing device touch pad with on/off button and scroll pad

* PC Card Slots 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot

* External ports: 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader for SD cards, Multimedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro or xD Picture cards

Laptop power emergency

dpx.mfx — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:29:56 -0800

Laptop power question. I am away from home and need to power my Lenovo T61 (Nvida graphics card) laptop. I went to radio shack where they sold me an iGo "everywhere 85" adapter. It says it is compatible with the T60, but does not mention the T61. It has a "tip" that is the right size, and when I plug it in, it seems to charge just fine. The iGo website seems to think I need an "everywhere 130" adapter. I can't tell, or don't understand, what the difference is. Am i going to fry my laptop with the everywhere 85?