Forums » Off-topic discussion » Friggin laptop died. (rant) 1 2

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  Dec. 25, 2011 12:43 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  [rant]

  I am so mad at the moment.

  My almost 2 year old ($1200) laptop died this am. It looks like the hard drive is corrupted. Yes I can get another hard drive. Yes I can fix it. (I am betting it has a Hitachi "death star" in it) I have been seeing a lot of these going bad lately.

  However after I purchased the OS, do the install of the HD formatting and OS install it will probably be cheaper to just purchased a new one laptop.
  

  Then there is the cost of software. It is going to cost way more than a new computer. Because I did not un install my software I will not be able to use the copies I have with out paying for another licence. MS does not give a "you know what" if your HD crashes. No un install you get to purchase new period end of game. And then there is AutoCAD Have you shopped this lately? That one really hurts.

  I bet this is going to cost me well over 4K when I am done. And then there is the time to set it up and install everything.
  

  Merry E36 M3 Christmas to me

  [/rant]

  Ok a feel a little better now.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 12:46 p.m. Duke SuperDork

  Call AutoDesk. They will DEFINITELY be able to cancel the previous license and issue you a new one. This just happened to my boss.

  As for M$, I got nuthin.

  Junior Brown is my hero.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 1:01 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

  If you already paid for autocad you have to pay for it again?

  SCAVENGE THE SEA FLOOR FOR NUTRIENTS

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  Dec. 25, 2011 1:29 p.m. Strike_Zero Dork

  I have run into many issues where a customer's HD died and was able to install the OS on the new one. Only annoyance was I had to call MS hotline to activate it. As long as your COA is good, MS "SHOULD" activate it.

  -=PJ=- "Curses . . . Foiled again!" - - - http://www.strikezerogarage.com

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  Dec. 25, 2011 1:35 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  If I can get Autodesk to take care of it I would be quite pleased.
  

  I have not had good luck with MS in the past.

  Respectfully, Dean

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  Dec. 25, 2011 1:41 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  Regarding the OS. I am pretty much screwed. The Laptop did not come with any disks. The OS was preinstalled and I upgraded it to win7 pro (downloaded the upgrade from MS direct) So again no disk. If I remember there was a screen when I first booted it asking if I wanted them sent to me for $$$$.
  

  Is this standard practice with the OS now? I got the laptop from Microcenter in Cambridge ma and they have been pretty good about things in the past. There is a Win 7 licence sticker on the machine so it looks legit.

  Respectfully, Dean

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  Dec. 25, 2011 1:46 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  So I pulled the drive and plugged it in my remote drive adaptor. The OS partition is screwed. However the data partition seems to be intact so I am backing it up to my server.

  AND for the record it is a Hitachi "death Star". I know that the old IBM's deckstars were really bad but I thought that when Hitachi started making them that they were supposed to be ok. This is the third one of these I have seen go bad in the last 2 months.

  Respectfully, Dean

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  Dec. 25, 2011 2:16 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork

  dean1484 wrote: So I pulled the drive and plugged it in my remote drive adaptor. The OS partition is screwed. However the data partition seems to be intact so I am backing it up to my server.

  Thank goodness you're getting your data...that's more important than the OS for most people.

  "The true test of a marriage is when she finds parts in the dishwasher." - dean1484

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  Dec. 25, 2011 4:29 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

  you got no OS disks at all? you shouold have gotten a "back up" disk when you got the computer

  As for getting a fresh copy of the OS.. I know with Win XP, you could get a brand new OEM copy for about $50 from NewEgg if you also bought some internal hardware from them. It was part of the licensing agreement. Look into buying a new HD and I bet they can hook you up with a cheap (legal) copy of Win7

  Be careful of your words, for someone will agree with them. Be careful of your conduct, for someone will imitate it. -Leih Tsu

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  Dec. 25, 2011 4:32 p.m. 02Pilot Reader

  There are some free Linux dedicated recovery operating systems out there. You might be able to run one of those from a flash drive or CD and see if you can fix whatever went wrong in the OS partition.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 4:40 p.m. Streetwiseguy Dork

  First thing you are supposed to do these days is create your own OS backup discs...But I guess its a bit late for that.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 5:04 p.m. joey48442 SuperDork

  Streetwiseguy wrote: First thing you are supposed to do these days is create your own OS backup discs...But I guess its a bit late for that.

  As a complete computer idiot... How would I go about this?

  Joey

  Oh yes use the longest screwdriver in the toolbox,use my shop voice and wing the rest!

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  Dec. 25, 2011 5:28 p.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

  Look above the keyboard. If it does not say MacBook Pro, you will have issues.

  "Don't Sweat the Petty Things." Yes, and Don't Pet the Sweaty Things.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 5:36 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

  lets not turn this into a Mac vs PC thing

  Be careful of your words, for someone will agree with them. Be careful of your conduct, for someone will imitate it. -Leih Tsu

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  Dec. 25, 2011 5:47 p.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  A call to M$ should get your system working. Oh, it will cost you a couple bucks shipping and a bit of phone time, but they'll get a disk to you. Just tell them your box came with no disks and the drive failed. They are actually fairly understanding.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 6:20 p.m. RealMiniDriver Dork

  joey48442 wrote:

  Streetwiseguy wrote: First thing you are supposed to do these days is create your own OS backup discs...But I guess its a bit late for that.

  As a complete computer idiot... How would I go about this?

  Joey

  Start>Control Panel>System and Security>Backup and Restore>Create System Repair Disc

  I just got a new lappy, so I keep getting a pop-up, advising me to do that.

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  Dec. 25, 2011 9:24 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  Well I dug deep in to the box that the laptop came in and I found them!!!!!! They were wraped in a plastic opaque thing that I just assumed was one of the manuals that came with this thing.
  

  YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  So I ran scan disk on the HDD (both partishions and things cheacked out) I also backed up all the data off the D drive and as much as I could get from c drive. I should probibly considder a complete reformat of the drive (at least C partishion). I think I may just pull the drive and get a new one with a fresh copy of Win7 ultimate as the computer came with home edition and it does not suport remote desktop that I use alot. I will have to see if by chance I have disks for the upgrate to win7Pro or if it was a download. I am not really sure at the moment.

  As for back up I wrote a simple bat file that lets me back up to the server in my house. I also back up to the server at the office about once a week. I have learned the hard way about backing up data.

  Anyway I then restored the OS and the computer is back to "like new" And this really sucks as I now have many hours infrount of me installing all the software and setting up things on this machien. The biggest anoyance is I think since I did not uninstall Office I will have to go purchas another copy. I actually have an older version of AutoCAD that I can use if I have to. (2000 I think) The biggest pain is all the small little programs and customizations I had set up. I also probibly had 10-20 small paid for programs ($19.99-$39.99) that are gone since most were downloaded off the web and quite ohnestly I don't rember where I got most of them.
  

  Anyway I am so anoyed with this thing that I may just go get another one as I am not sure I an trust this HDD

  Respectfully, Dean

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  Dec. 25, 2011 9:25 p.m. jstand New Reader

  Some manufacturer's let you order recovery CD's with the OS and all the drivers.

  I did this recently on my in-laws Toshiba when the HD failed and the recovary disks hadn't been created. The cost was reasonable and the DVD/CD arrived in less than a week.

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  Dec. 26, 2011 6:40 a.m. dean1484 SuperDork

  My first post from the revived computer!!!!

  So if you were to set your computer up from scratch again what would you do different?

  I know for one that I will be installing all my programs on to my data drive and keeping only os on the C drive.
  

  I will also be installing all the integration features first before installing the 32 bit programs (this is a 64 bit computer) I had to run a virtual xp machine in order to make several of my programs work properly. If I can get my MS Office to reinstall with out having to purchase another copy I may go out and purchase newer versions of the older software that should be compatible with the 64 bit processor. This was my biggest problem when I got this machine. There was an update a while back that seemed to help / correct this problem. I am hoping that by installing all the MS OS updates that this problem will be mitigated.

  Respectfully, Dean

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  Dec. 26, 2011 7:55 a.m. JoeyM SuperDork

  Ghost/back up the whole thing for easy recovery

  "The true test of a marriage is when she finds parts in the dishwasher." - dean1484

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  Dec. 27, 2011 9:46 a.m. Rusted_Busted_Spit SuperDork

  JoeyM wrote: Ghost/back up the whole thing for easy recovery

  This. It will make things much easier "next time".

  As a DIYer, my view is fear nothing and try anything.

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  Dec. 27, 2011 11:13 a.m. 1988RedT2 SuperDork

  Consumer electronics are carefully engineered to explode a few hours after the warranty runs out in the hopes that you will buy a new one.

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  Dec. 27, 2011 11:19 a.m. Sultan Reader

  dean1484, I work for MS. PM me if you think you need help. Thanks. RS

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  Dec. 27, 2011 12:05 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

  the software recovery CD's cost $20-$25 from the manufactor. why would you buy the OS you already own again?

  Plan A is always more effective when the device you are working on understands that Plan B involves either a large hammer or screwdriver....

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  Dec. 27, 2011 12:07 p.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

  mad_machine wrote: lets not turn this into a Mac vs PC thing

  You're right, a dead laptop sucks regardless of who made it.

  "Don't Sweat the Petty Things." Yes, and Don't Pet the Sweaty Things.

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