Acer laptop problem and may have to help me buy a new one.

Tar.Aldarion

Hey, my Acer Aspire 9104wlmi seems to have died today, unfortunately with all of my final year project ad stuff on it.
1) It has been overheating for a while and then turning off when I do things like play a game etc.

2) On monday, the battery died or something. Whenever I removed the power the laptop just went off. A friend suggested that it was just the chip in the battery and if I block the signals pin/s in the battery it would work again just using the power pins, without some of the functionality. Dunno though.

3) Now it just does not turn on, it starts up for a second but does not even get to the acer or windows screen before cutting out, even if it is plugged in with the power supply. The power supply works fine. Iwas able to get the laptop to turn on twice since this last development and it stayed on fine, working perfectly. It just seems to have a problem starting.

I may try to open this laptop myself, but I would have trouble finding out what was wrong, I think it was originally the fan that must have been causing the over heat, now the battery is messed up, and something else.
Is there a way to get a battery for it fast? Any ideas what is wrong?
I need a laptop as soon as possible for my final year project.



Now, if I can't fix it, I think I will buy a Vostro or something, they are still the bees knees?

Any suggestions on what one to get, Ideally the best processor and graphics card possible in it atm. Maybe 15.4" instead of 17" as 17" is a bit big.

I note that the laptops on dell.com are better than the ones on dell.ie for the same price or lower, what is that about?

Maybe I should have a look at their outlet store, are there ever any good deals there?


Edit: Now that I think about it, is there a significant difference in 2mb L2 cache and 4mb?


Thanks,

--
Tar

Voodu Child

You can get a very nice XPS M1530 for a little over a grand. Its got the DDR3 version of the 8600M GT, which is about the best graphics card you'll find in a 15" right now, and is very o/c able. There'll be someting better around the corner im sure, but at the moment it's pretty good for the money.

I went through the EPP site when i bought mine, and used a 10% voucher, and there was some other savings too (free shipping, money off etc.). There's always some sort of deal knocking around, im sure you'd get a very good one for around the 1000-1100 mark.

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Edit: Now that I think about it, is there a significant difference in 2mb L2 cache and 4mb?

Someone might correct me on this one...but you might be looking at a 10% increase with 4mb vs 2mb. And if it's 2.0ghz (2Mb) vs 2.2ghz (4mb), you're looking at a 10% difference anyway. So, it should be a bit faster all in, 10-20% i'd guess.

Tar.Aldarion

Hi, what kind of specs would that xps have? I'll have a look at it thanks.

I'm still not sure if the 4mb is worth it over the 2? I'll have to google hard.

Here is the Vostro I am looking at atm for 809e.

Components
BASE Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Business - English edit
SUPPORT SERVICES Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support edit
LCD 15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera edit
MEMORY 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (1x1024 + 1x2048 MB) edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive edit
GRAPHICS CARD 256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 9-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (85 WHr) edit
Services & Software
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORT No Accidental Damage Support edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English edit
Accessories
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English edit
CARRY CASES No Carry Case edit
BLUETOOTH No Bluetooth Upgrade edit
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe edit
Also included with your system
Gedis Bundle Reference N0115004
Order Information Vostro Laptop Order - Ireland
Shipping Documents English Documentation with English Power Cord
Dell System Media Kit Resource CD - contains Diagnostics and Drivers
Power Supply 90W AC Adapter
Modem 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - Ireland/Spain
Keyboard Internal Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Standard Warranty Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs Dell Internet Order.

If there is anything better I will certainly enjoy hearing about it.

Voodu Child

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Hi, what kind of specs would that xps have? I'll have a look at it thanks.

Well, I went to the EPP site there just now and put together one with T7500 (2.2Ghz 4mb) 8600M, 250gb hdd, 1440x900 screen, for e1140 all-in.

The 10% voucher code i had expired yesterday, but if you hunt around you should find a new one. So, say about e1000 even for that spec. But even at 1140 it's decent enough value.

majiktripp

Quickest way to get your project off the laptop is get a usb->2.5" ide adapter and remove the drive from the laptop, hook it to another pc and copy the file over, at least it gets you out of a bind.
Once you have the files then you can worry bout the laptop. Sound like indeed the battery maybe dead, most laptops will run from the charger just fine without having the need for a battery in place, but unfortunately (for you) there are some that do require a battery. I wouldn't attempt blocking nay pins on the battery as your friend suggests as you may end up shorting the battery and thats not good.
Try eBay for a replacement battery (possibly one from the UK as you *may* get it quicker)
If you can settle for buying a new laptop then skip the last suggestion and just go with copying files off the hard drive!
Good luck with it.

AlmightyCushion

First things first. Get your hands on hard drive enclosure. Take the hard drive out of your laptop and put it in the enclosure. This will allow you to use the hard drive like an external hard drive so you can access all the data on it. Now make about 10 copies of your final year project stuff just to be on the safe side.

3) That sounds like something that happened to a friends laptop. It wouldn't work off battery or through the mains, it would turn on for a second and then cut out straight away. He sent it off to be fixed (it was still in warranty) and they said it was a motherboard fault. Now there was a load of things wrong with his laptop so this may not be the case with yours.

Try leaving the battery in it and connected to the mains for about 10 minutes and then try and turn it on. This worked for my friend before he had it fixed so it might solve your problem.



Dell have an outlet store which is where all there machines that have been returned end up. There are usually some great bargains in there. If you are looking for the best graphics card then the m1530 is the way to go. The vostros only use the DDR2 version of the 8600 which (depending on the game) is nowhere near as good. I don't think there would be many m1530s on the outlet store at the moment seeing as they are new.

Someone did order a very high spec model for just under a grand which is a bargain for the spec.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks very much for the posts lads. Just got a screwdriver set off the lab guys, time to get to work.

Tar.Aldarion

Additional question,

The vostros only use the DDR2 version of the 8600 which (depending on the game) is nowhere near as good.

Is this the case?

The laptops(vostro and xps) are pretty much the same:
Vostro: has a webcam built in, ddr2 card.
xps: fingerprint reader(lol) ddr3 card and is 200e more expensive.These are the only differences?

So, which would be better, is the extra money really worth it? Thankee.
Is there really asuch a big difference in ddr2 and ddr3?

AlmightyCushion

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Additional question,
Is this the case?

The laptops(vostro and xps) are pretty much the same:
Vostro: has a webcam built in, ddr2 card.
xps: fingerprint reader(lol) ddr3 card and is 200e more expensive.These are the only differences?

So, which would be better, is the extra money really worth it? Thankee.
Is there really asuch a big difference in ddr2 and ddr3?

For the graphics card alone, no it wouldn't but the xps has a better screen as well (higher resolution). I don't like 1280x800 on 15" screen, everything is too big on it. Still probably not worth an extra €180 though but it's down to personal preference.

Tar.Aldarion

Ah k, might get the vostro so maybe. Since it is only 40e for the higher res. Still, will think about it.

My mp3 player was stolen today so the price difference may make up for some of that. What a day...

Tar.Aldarion

I was also thinking of purchasing this for my son.

AlmightyCushion

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Ah k, might get the vostro so maybe. Since it is only 40e for the higher res. Still, will think about it.

My mp3 player was stolen today so the price difference may make up for some of that. What a day...

Man, what a crap day. I think you should head back to bed. Stop anything else shitty happening to you today.

I'd say upgrade to the higher resolution on the vostro and get it. It comes out at a nice price. The vostro also has a 9 cell battery which will give a good bit more battery life over the xps. The 9 cell will add to the weight though and may stick out a bit.

Voodu Child

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Is there really asuch a big difference in ddr2 and ddr3?

I think if you ran a 3D benchmark on a similar Vostro and M1530, there would be maybe about 30-40% difference(?might be wrong here). Decent enough, but whether it's worth the difference just depends on how important graphics performance is to you.

The laptops(vostro and xps) are pretty much the same:
Vostro: has a webcam built in, ddr2 card.
xps: fingerprint reader(lol) ddr3 card and is 200e more expensive.These are the only differences?

Obviously, there are physical differences, the XPS is a bit slimmer/sleeker/lighter. And gives electric shocks

They're both great machines, i'd say just pick whichever suits your budget best.

Tar.Aldarion

Well I'm a student, so that is the cheapest that will play COD4.

Tar.Aldarion

Hey, quick question, I'm trying to copy my documents and settings but it says I do not have permissions, any way you know around this?

AlmightyCushion

Is the account that they were in password protected? If so try going into the administrator account on your computer and copying them from there.

Tar.Aldarion

It was yeah. I am on this guys account and it says he is an administrator, but is won't copy. It's where my project is.

AlmightyCushion

It may be an administrator account but one administrator account can't access the documents in another administrator account if that account is password protected. Every xp install has a main administrator account (called administrator). This account has permissions to access data stored in any account even if it is password protected.

To access this account download and install a program called tweakui. Open the program and you should have an option called Logon (I'm not too sure if that's what it's called as i haven't used it in a while). There should be a checkbox with "Show administrator account" or something like that. Check it then click ok and restart the computer.

You should then have the option to log into the Administrator account at the welcome screen. There should be no password on it.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks, but that didn't work, same error.

AlmightyCushion

Balls, I thought that would work. You should try taking ownership of the folder. I've never done it myself but it might be worth a shot.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

majiktripp

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

It was yeah. I am on this guys account and it says he is an administrator, but is won't copy. It's where my project is.

You do indeed need to take ownership of all the files and folders that you want to access, tis a fairly straight forward process if your using XP Pro, Home will require you to go into safe mode to be allowed to see the "Security" tab where you make the changes to the folder. Painless enough process and definately worth knowing for future escapades!.

Tar.Aldarion

Thanks guys, you can't go inot safe mode on the laptop I was on due to it being grub instead of the windows booter. In the end I just booted into linux and it worked fine, and way faster lol..
Lesson learned, just use linux for these things.