Old man killed 4 laptops in 6 years

M

MRAB54

Gawd
Joined
Sep 9, 2001
Messages
853
My Dad has managed to kill 4 laptops, 3 cheapo's that he purchased and one of my old stalwart Dell laptop that I gave him. They all had similar symptoms - failing to power on, blinking keyboard, nothing on the screen, beeps when trying to boot. Two of which he sent back under warranty and from the lacking description it sounded like they replaced the motherboard.

Is it possible he is just that unlucky and he got what he paid for? All of these were around the 300-600 dollar range.

It sounds like he keeps the laptop plugged in 24/7. He uses it only while sitting in his recliner, but given he is now retired, he probably uses it quite a bit.

I know nothing about electricity, is it possible he has dirty electricity? Would a quality surge protector help? Or, does he just need to buck up and get a business class laptop and be done with it? He's had Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and my old Dell (which he managed to kill < 6 months).
 
Heat would make a lot of sense with how he is using it, didn't think of that. Also, when he's not using it he sets it flat on the carpet, although I would think it's in sleep mode at that point.
 
MRAB54 said:
Heat would make a lot of sense with how he is using it, didn't think of that. Also, when he's not using it he sets it flat on the carpet, although I would think it's in sleep mode at that point.
Click to expand...
sets it on the carpet? for what....wtf else is doing with it? using it in the bathtub or kitchen sink...my laptops stay on the desk in a clean bug/smoke free environment
 
Something low power and fanless would be my best bet in his case. I've certainly had laptops die when their bottom vents are choked for a air intake.
 
Last edited:
You should probably invest in a lap desk for the old man. Since he sits in a recliner probably one of the ones that don't have legs, but rather some cushions under so he'll be placing it on his lap.
 
Does he smoke? Smoke residue causes all sorts of nasty issues with computers as many here can attest.

Clogged or blocked air intake ports starves the fan(s) resulting in excess heat over time == dead laptop

Tell him (nicely) to:
a) Stop putting it on the carpet/soft surface which blocks airflow and increases heat buildup
b) Blow out the air vents once in a while
 
Animal hair is a big risk for the cooling system as well as stray carpet fiber. A year of sucking that stuff up will kill a laptop.
 
Heat and clogged shit in cooling. Build a desktop ( uses it in one place...) or get a fanless one. Or just keep buying normal laptops because it works so well lol
 
My guess is setting it down on the carpet doing it in.

On the rare times I've used the laptop with placed on the bed, the machine has gotten noticeably warmer. I try to not do that anymore.
 
I appreciate the replies! I bought the old man a lap desk and he wanted his same $350 Acer - literally can't win talking him into something different/nicer. Do you think there is any risk in using the 4GB stick from the dead laptop as long as it is the same make model?

Talking to him more, he says he falls asleep in the recliner with it on regularly. So yeah, probably a bit of that and a bit of the carpet contributing. Non-smoker, but they have a golden retriever, not much of a shedder. Now it's on him to be more conscious of how he uses it.
 
Reusing the RAM itself isn't a problem if it didn't go bad to start.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top