Best Laptop Repair Shop In Town

Lornen

I tried turning my laptop on yesterday and it wouldn't start up properly, long story short I managed to discover it's 90% more than likely my hard drive is failing. I was recommended to a shop in Stephen's St but they were gone on a break when I went in at around 2:45pm. I couldn't wait around until 3:30 so I went to the shop on Lord Edward St. I was given a quote but as I've never been to a shop before, I don't know if it was a good deal or not. I have no problem spending money on this problem, but I would obviously not like to be out an arm and a leg and if I can save a few quid, I would prefer it.
I was quoted 160 for a restored laptop, saved files and new hard drive. Sounds like a decent price to me but I was just wondering is this good?

I've never done anything like this. Completely clueless!
If anyone has used this shop or could recommend somewhere they have been, I'd appreciate it!

sligoface

Is the work guaranteed for any length of time, and how old and how expensive was the laptop? The value will really depend on how long the repair keeps the laptop going which can be difficult to predict. Its not steep if the work is good. I don't recommend the Stephen st shop if you want fast service, they took ages to fix my laptop which died again within a week, they fixed it again and it died again in two days so I just bought a new one, prices are falling now due to windows 8 backlash. Might be more cost effective to just get the files out and buy a new one if your laptop is more than a 2 or 3 years old, back to school sales upcoming.

Lornen

Laptop cost 800 and is only 2 years old. Good laptop too and I really don't want to part with it. As far as I know, if the hard drive is gone and paying 70 euro for a new one doesn't seem to bad. The wipe of all the date is pretty common as far as I know. It's nothing major I don't think. It restores the laptop back to like when it was first bought.

I really don't want to part with the laptop. I never had an issue with it before, I just have a nasty habit of holding the power button to shut it down in a hurry and I think that's one of the main reasons the hard drive has failed. My own fault, hard lesson to learn!

EDIT: Which shop did you use on Stephen's St can I ask? I thought there was only one but it seems there are two!
Sound Computers which is Stephen's St and then Repair Zone which is in Stephen's Court?

Henlars67

Edworks in Wine Street Car Park

Mint Sauce

When my old laptop failed (harddrive as well) compupac in finisklin were able to, as part of the diagnostic fee save some of my personal files, some pictures and word documents. Lads there are very informative, and friendly, and will give plenty of time, no mater what your level of tech knowledge is.

Bought a new harddrive for it, fitted it my self (plenty of tutorial videos on youtube), re installed all the software, gave it to the folks, and about 10 years later its still going, bar the built in dialup modem, and a sometimes dodgy cd-rom.

At time of buying cost about €1200, without the harddrive was worth only about €100.

bennyc

if you want to send me a PM I will do it for 40e plus the cost of a new HDD if you do need one. I reckon at most 100e,
and if there is any data on the old drive I will get it off

mistermouse

Its an interesting question, that poses more questions. You say its not starting up properly, and then say the drive is 90% failing.

Possibly could be repaired software wise depending on your version of Windows, especially easy if you have an original disc if it is a start up issue

If the Hard Drive has failed completely thats slightly different and could be more of an issue especially if you want data off it. But really it has either failed or it hasn't

Also, in your pricing, have you been given an idea of what size the replacement drive will be, drives have gotten bigger in storage terms and more competitive

Your problem could be much simplier than it seems. Possible options could be, a) repair startup, b) restore to previous point in time, c) wipe and reinstall, d) install new Hard Drive with fresh windows install most likely at these prices the current version of windows with your existing windows serial number

If you do get a new drive you should ask for the old one in its current state in any case just to make sure

You do have to bear in mind that shops have lots of overheads and do need to charge, but I'd have someone who's technically savvy to look at it first to see if its not just a simple startup issue. Its not completely simple to retrieve data from a completely failed drive, but it sounds to me like yours hasn't completely failed.

I do this for friends for free on a regular basis and have never had to replace a drive at all in any of the cases. One was quoted quite a sum from a shop and when I looked at the laptop it was just a simple startup error.

You should shut down properly though.

Would be easier if you told us more about what errors you are seeing when booting up and what version of windows you are using (xp/vista/7 etc)

My advice though would be though: if you are taking to a shop, mark your hard drive (accessible through a screw off panel on the bottom) make sure you get it back and that they do not wipe it. It will be easy enough for someone slightly technical to work out that way if you were sold a Hard Drive you didn't need.

Unfortunately I am in Donegal, but if I were closer I would look at it for free for you. If you want to pm me with specific details I will reply with any information that may be of help

Basq

I'll have a look at it for you if you want Lornen... am in Sligo town and I'll at the very least be able to confirm it's the hard drive and not simply a bad master boot record etc.

The old "hard drive is failing" excuse is far too easy to throw out there.

I'll take out your hard drive, run a chkdsk on it from a seperate machine, do some anti-virus / anti-malware cleaning (etc.) and just determine if it the hard drive.

Won't charge you a dime!

Lornen

Never got a bloody tap back in my emails saying anyone replied to this thread and as I was in a bit of a rush (who can seriously go more than 3 days without their laptop?!) I just wanted to get it fixed ASAP.

I ended up going back to the Computer Repairs shop beside The Bus Top newsagents.

I was told it should be a speedy job and that it would be done by 4pm on Saturday (it being just after one). Getting ready to head down, knowing it was far too good to be true, I got a call saying that my hard drive was unreadable or something and nothing could be retrieved off of it, so I have lost absolutely everything off my laptop. 2 years of musics, movies, photo's, college documents, recipes, bookmarks. POOF! So absolutely gutted about that. It's been a week and I've completely avoided even thinking about all of the things I have lost but it's my own fault as I never invested in an external hard drive. Which I must now actually.

But yes, hard drive was bamboozled and I was informed that my fan was alarmingly noisy (googled this a few months ago and it appeared I just had a very noisy fan, according to other VAIO owners) but it was actually supposedly very very dusty and he needed to clean my fan.
The laptop was ready on Monday at 5:30pm
When I went down to collect my laptop, I was told that my serial number for my aunthentic Windows 7 programme (the number can be located on a bloody STICKER under your laptop and seemingly ONLY there!) and of course mine is completely illegible. So my laptop doesn't have it's proper Windows on it I think. I mean it works perfectly but I was told "if anything comes up saying "this is not an authorized windows programme" I have to go back and see him so he can fix it.
I managed to try and decode what exactly the serial number is just in case I need it.

The laptop works fine and it's alot less noisy so I'm very happy with that.
The only problem I do have is that on my touchpad, the scrolling tool that can be located usually on the most right part of the touch pad, doesn't work. None of my function buttons work AND I seem to be missing a "bluetooth peripheral driver"
I tried to send a picture from my phone to my laptop and it can't connect properly. I spent hours searching for the missing drivers but I can only locate a 32 bit file and I need a 64 bit one. So that's a royal pain in the ass.

Does anyone know if I should go back and see if he can install these drivers? I'm really paranoid it's because he didn't use my serial number when restoring my windows 7..

Poop

bennyc

Lornen wrote: »

Never got a bloody tap back in my emails saying anyone replied to this thread and as I was in a bit of a rush (who can seriously go more than 3 days without their laptop?!) I just wanted to get it fixed ASAP.

I ended up going back to the Computer Repairs shop beside The Bus Top newsagents.

I was told it should be a speedy job and that it would be done by 4pm on Saturday (it being just after one). Getting ready to head down, knowing it was far too good to be true, I got a call saying that my hard drive was unreadable or something and nothing could be retrieved off of it, so I have lost absolutely everything off my laptop. 2 years of musics, movies, photo's, college documents, recipes, bookmarks. POOF! So absolutely gutted about that. It's been a week and I've completely avoided even thinking about all of the things I have lost but it's my own fault as I never invested in an external hard drive. Which I must now actually.

But yes, hard drive was bamboozled and I was informed that my fan was alarmingly noisy (googled this a few months ago and it appeared I just had a very noisy fan, according to other VAIO owners) but it was actually supposedly very very dusty and he needed to clean my fan.
The laptop was ready on Monday at 5:30pm
When I went down to collect my laptop, I was told that my serial number for my aunthentic Windows 7 programme (the number can be located on a bloody STICKER under your laptop and seemingly ONLY there!) and of course mine is completely illegible. So my laptop doesn't have it's proper Windows on it I think. I mean it works perfectly but I was told "if anything comes up saying "this is not an authorized windows programme" I have to go back and see him so he can fix it.
I managed to try and decode what exactly the serial number is just in case I need it.

The laptop works fine and it's alot less noisy so I'm very happy with that.
The only problem I do have is that on my touchpad, the scrolling tool that can be located usually on the most right part of the touch pad, doesn't work. None of my function buttons work AND I seem to be missing a "bluetooth peripheral driver"
I tried to send a picture from my phone to my laptop and it can't connect properly. I spent hours searching for the missing drivers but I can only locate a 32 bit file and I need a 64 bit one. So that's a royal pain in the ass.

Does anyone know if I should go back and see if he can install these drivers? I'm really paranoid it's because he didn't use my serial number when restoring my windows 7..

Poop

to be honest you should get him to install the drivers, if its a win 7 viao laptop then they should be out there. As for the Win 7 part he did u a favor there bigger shops would have been charging you for a new license if the sticker is worn out,
Also did you get a new HDD or did he just reinstall windows on the old one. If you still have the old one give it to me I have a tool for getting old stuff back and it may work, not saying it will but I managed to get someone thesis back a few months ago from a failed hard drive, was quite proud of myself . I wouldn't charge you for that

loki7777

He get a new one, the old one was not good at all - just read it again:)