Can I save my laptop?

[Xist]

Acer told me that the laptop was unavailable. I am unfamiliar with this site, but it seems like a pretty good list: Top 10 Best Budget Laptops Under $400--LaptopUnderBudget.com.
I made these charts:



I do not know how to weigh this stuff. This says shows the 10th on the list being the best. It isn't full HD, it doesn't have a backlit keyboard, it has a less-powerful processor, but gets extra points for having a 256 GB SSD and a graphics card.

The lowest score is #2 on their list. It is the only one with a 17" screen, but it isn't full HD(!), has wide bezels, an unlit keyboard, the weakest processor, and a 5,400 RPM HD, although it is 2 TB.

It seems like this is mostly for people who store movies on their hard drive. It is also one of the less-expensive laptops.

It does have a graphics processor, though, but a weak processor and an obsolete hard drive do not help anything.

#7 is a 2-in-1, which is cool, but it has a 14" screen that isn't full HD, the keyboard isn't lit, and it only has 4 GB RAM.

I do not know how important backlit keyboards are to you guys, but I often use my laptop when my brother is asleep or taking a nap. I always turn off the light, so the backlighting is important to me. To me slim bezels are just nice. Mom's laptop only had 4 GB RAM and seems fine, but I have only done light web browsing so far. It is cheap to upgrade to 8 GB, but it is nice to not need to. I have 256 GB in my laptop and I am running out. I would save a great deal of space if I don't install World of Warcraft, but I would need to free up much more space to fit on 128 GB, although I would undoubtedly buy a quarter terabyte.

Having a dedicated graphics card is nice, but my desktop is going to run WoW way better than any of these and for one-third of the price difference for a gaming laptop I can upgrade the graphics in my desktop.

[nemo]

If your are planning on doing upgrades to a laptop find out how difficult it is. Mine requires disassembly to upgrade memory or HDD.

Define your specs based on what you are going to do with it. Keep all the games off and just use it for work?

[Xist]

Yes, the plan is to not game on it.

By disassembly do you mean removing the entire bottom? I miss having panels that just covered the hard drive and RAM--and removable batteries!

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Xist

By disassembly do you mean removing the entire bottom? I miss having panels that just covered the hard drive and RAM--and removable batteries!

This one requires removing the bezel around keyboard unplugging touch pad, unplug and remove keyboard. Ect. Removable panels were much easier but not as much fun . Not the sort of stuff you want to be doing while under warranty.

[redpoint5]

If you dig into a laptop, lay the screws out on a flat surface that won't get disturbed in the order they are removed, and don't pry hard on anything. If it's not coming apart, it's probably due to a screw under a rubber button or hidden elsewhere like in the battery compartment.

I had a friend put the screws in a pile after telling him not to do that. When he put it back together he had "extra" screws leftover and the keyboard didn't work because he used a long screw where a shorter one was supposed to go.

[redpoint5]

Sorry Doug, that spare USB C docking station I had ended up working out for my sister.

Did we determine that pulling a memory module for testing purposes is too much surgery to perform?

Your problems spurred me to get 3 spare laptops up and running. I’ve got 5+ year old functional laptops with Win 10 just laying around now.

[Xist]

Nemo, who designed that?! I will look up upgrading the Asus after I respond to everyone.

When I take apart devices I lay out screws in approximately the same position. This has served me well except for the time that my then-girlfriend walked between me and my laptop, kicking fasteners all over. My friend said that he always put the screws in a jar, but I would rather lose one or more screws than put a long one where a short one goes.

I just bought 350 screws for $7. I believe there were cheaper kits, but I think they had chrome screws, while the originals were black.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Sorry Doug, that spare USB C docking station I had ended up working out for my sister.

Curses! I hate when things work out for other people!

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Did we determine that pulling a memory module for testing purposes is too much surgery to perform?

I could, but there are other hardware problems, so I will let the fine people in the repair sweatshop take care of it.

I have not worked on any of my projects, or more immediately important, my progress reports, because Mom's friend found out that she had cancer on Friday. She was so weak that she couldn't climb the steps into her mobile home. Mom said there were two and I volunteered to make a ramp, although I kept thinking that every mobile home that I had seen had four steps.

It has four steps. I figure that it needs far more structure than a ramp to climb two steps.

I spent hours on Saturday measuring and designing a ramp. The Americans with Disability Act recommends a 1' run for every 1" rise. She wasn't in a wheelchair, but she may be there soon.

I saw one client on Monday and went straight to Home Depot, but first I asked about renting a truck. I didn't want to buy 11 concrete piers(?), 34 2x4s, 39 2x6es, and 6 4x4s and then need to make endless trips with my Accord.


I think that it took me over an hour to pick out wood on my way to checkout, although I needed to track down another cart, and then a third. I think the rental cost me around $45, but it would have been $20 if I could have picked it up after I bought the lumber.

It did not take me long to drive less than 5 miles, unload, and drive back, although I wasted much more time because a buzzer went off when I parked. I turned on the light and tried to find a switch, then I called and asked if I needed to unload the truck with that abominable thing going off. He kept telling me that I needed to balance the load.

Eventually unloading brought balance to the force.

The lady was obsessed with me treating the wood and I kept thinking that Dad didn't let me treat the fence when I built it several years ago. It is a little grey, but still looks great.

I wouldn't have treated the wood if she didn't want me to. I tried to treat it before I built anything so that I had access to all of the surfaces, but my sprayer kept clogging.

Mom tried to drop off dinner, but nobody answered, and the friend did not answer the phone.

She is now in a hospital in the Phoenix area and it looks like she probably won't need that ramp.

[Fat Charlie]

I'll bet this year a lot of people's cancer diagnoses are happening too late to matter. What a mess. I hope they're able to help.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Xist

Nemo, who designed that?! I will look up upgrading the Asus after I respond to everyone.

ASUS 501A. It is a low end laptop about 7 or 8 years old.

[Xist]

My ex always said that Asus made bad laptops, but she bought a refurbished chromebook.