Comments on: BLOGGER’S PC BETRAYS HIM

By: jambrowski

jambrowski — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:20:45 +0000

rick,
cotton nailed it, if that doesn’t fix it and it wasn’t a surge, geek squad or any reputable pc guru should at least be able to save and transfer your data. keep the laptop off of your lap, bad things can happen down there with that much heat, two, your neck shouldn’t be in that position, the fellow suggesting the docking station is bang on. three if all you are doing is writing (listening to blog radio, and music) the fellow who suggested the apple is right on, much simpler, user friendly, WYSIWYG, that being said i am using the University’s hp laptop and I am happy, so hypocrite I am… good luck

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:26:32 +0000

My husband, the computer geek extraordinaire, loves Alienware computers. He’s on his second one as the main computer. He carries an IBM Thinkpad for work, though - he’s an engineer. He has several laptops. He purchased my laptop for me as a surprise almost two years ago - it’s an HP. Now he says maybe my next one will be a MAC, so, who knows.

By: Gaia's Child

Gaia's Child — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:45:30 +0000

All I can add is good luck. Computers are wonderful until they fry. Downloadable programs are great until you can’t find the numbers you need to download them again for free or if you have the numbers, you’re past the free redownloading time.

By: cotton

cotton — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:33:47 +0000

First, try to clear the CMOS. Near the battery on your alienware you will find three metal prongs, two will be covered by a jumper. Unplug and move the jumper to cover the middle prong and the one previously unplugged. Leave for 15 secs, switch it back to the original position, and power up. The fact that the computer beeped is a great sign. No beeps after a fried PS means the mobo burned up as well. Doesn’t Alienware overclock their processors? If so this will reset the clock to the intended speed.

If that doesn’t work, download a LINUX live CD distribution like Mepis, uBuntu, or the original hard drive rescuer, knoppix. Plug in an external hard drive or thumbdrive, put the live CD in the tray, and power up. If it works, just copy the files you want to the external memory.

SInce it beeped, either of these should work.

By: Bill Arnold

Bill Arnold — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:16:34 +0000

ajacksonian’s detailed comment is pretty good.
I’ll add that you should see if you can find a manual online for that model, and look up the beep code. It’s possible something connector or connection (e.g. memory) was dislodged during the power supply replacement.
When tinkering with a PC, one early thing to try is reseating all connections. That’s usually worth a try.

By: michael reynolds

michael reynolds — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:16:29 +0000

Chuck’s right. Get a Mac. A couple of weeks with a Mac you’ll find your thought process becoming clearer. Two months and you’ll be a Democrat.

By: chuck carlson

chuck carlson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:35:47 +0000

Get a macintosh. They always work the way they are supposed to, are repairable if something goes wrong, and don’t harbor viruses. Of course, the MacOS is part of the vast left wing conspiracy that 54% of the voting public supports.

By: lionheart

lionheart — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:48:39 +0000

Get a docking station for your laptop, then enjoy the comfort of your original KVM (keyboard, video, mouse). They’re relatively cheap, and it will save your back, neck and eyes (and wrists).

By: A Stoner

A Stoner — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:58:54 +0000

Hook the keyboard, mouse and monitor up to the ports on the laptop. Put the laptop off to the side, just like your other computer and ergonomics will be just the same. Since it is a laptop, it might be a bit slower. All in all, if it is a new laptop you can do this.

By: steveegg

steveegg — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:34:13 +0000

Ouch. Ajacksonian pretty much summed it up. Depending on the BIOS, it could be a memory failure. Because it is a 5-year-old machine, I rather doubt you’ll be able to find the right kind of memory (at least cheaply).

I feel for you; I had a massive desktop failure a couple weeks ago caused by a dead MCP fan allowing the chipset to overcook.

Until you get the desktop repaired (or more likely, replaced), if you have a USB keyboard/mouse, I’ve got an ergonomic solution for you. Plug that and the monitor into the laptop, and change what closing the lid does to do nothing. To do that last item, right-click on the power icon over by the clock, choose “Power Options”, click on “Choose what closing the lid does”, and change the option on “When I close the lid:”.