Laptop Advice

What a good looking little laptop. However this laptop is at the moment causing many customers a lot of grief. The problem is that this georgious looking laptop just overheats way to easilly. The graphics card is a BGA chipset and is moulded into the motherboard. You CANNOT remove it and replace it. ( You can on the xps 1770) If under warranty the laptop motherboard will have to be replaced. Dell has good technical support and will send an engineer who will replace the board for you free of charge. The headaches occur when you are out of warranty. Then you will need to take your laptop to a respected company like www.DellLaptopRepairs.com to have it repaired. This company is based in London and have seen this problem many times.

The way to repair this is to have the graphics card re-fluxed. This means using a machine or hot air gun to push flux under the graphics card chipset and make it sit properly. This needs to be done by qualified Engineers who know how to cool your board to stop warping and overheating as some novices have been known to blow the chipset. This reflow work however is not an exact science and even skilled engineers can some times overheat the chipset. This laptop is not for games. I know you will probably read that it is, but when you have seen so many of these graphics cards overheating like i have i would not reccommend a laptop for games.The overheating problem often occurs becuase of using this laptop for high end games or for using programs like autocad that push the graphics card hard.  Never use this laptop on the bed as covers often block the fan causing overheating. Some engineers will force the fan to stay on permanently in order to make it work like a desktop computer and have the fan spin constantly. This is often a good idea as it cools the laptop down well and on the dell website you can even download some software that controls the fan. This problem can be fixed you just need to take it to a well respected company for an efficient repair.

A couple of years ago I typed the words ” Best laptop to buy ” In Google.  The laptop that came up top was the Toshiba Qosmio. I was horrified becuase these laptops suffer with graphics card problems. So i decided to try to understand why so many companies were trying to push this laptop as a good laptop to buy. The screen was the major selling point as it has a very high resolution good quality x black screen. Then i found other companies saying it was great just so that they could make a sale. Laptop repair companies have seen this laptop in thier workshops many many times. The sad thing is that often it cannot be repaired as the graphics bga chipset is moulded into the board and cannot be changed. Even Toshibs laptop repair companies like www.ToshibaLaptopRepairs.co.uk are refusing to fix this laptop as thier is only a 1 in 10 chance of repair by trying a re-flow on the chipset.  The best thing to do is buy a new motherboard however it seems this is a very common problem and you may as well just purchase a new laptop. The sad part about all this is that many poor customers have paid well over £1000.00 for this laptop and havent seen great returns.

Laptop Repair companies are now receiving more and more sony Vaio SZ model laptops for problems with the fan.

This laptop has a fault where it gets blocked with dust and then starts to make a loud whirring noise.

It is quickly becoming a bigger and bigger headache for customers, as trying to purchase a fan from sony is virtually impossible. Laptop repair companies can repair this problem but it is soooo difficult. The motherboard has to be taken out of the laptop. (very difficult) Then the fan has to be replaced (hard to get hold of) Keeping the fan clean with compressed air being blown into the grills at the back of the laptop would have prevented the problem. The whirring noise gets worse then as soon as it sounds like a helicopter taking off, the customer takes it for repair. This is an expensive laptop parts are not cheap. Expect a repair price of around £150.00 - £200.00 !

You can purchase a can of compressed air from Maplins or take it for a repair at a REPUTABLE laptop repair company .

The good looking laptops that Hewlett Packard make have been found to have many faults with thier graphics cards. The DV 2000 models are the main culprits. Many laptop repair companies cannot repair this fault. This is because unlike most motherboard circuit chips which have legs that can be un soldered, these graphics card chips cannot be removed from the motherboard. Companies like Laptop Repair Uk www.LaptopRepair.co.uk can repair this problem, However One of the engineers assures me that the problem often occurs again. An engineer can heat up this graphics card and try to get the chipset to sit properley and may force the fan to spin continually. This however usually lasts around 5 months by then the warranty has run out. If you live in America and you have a graphics card fault HP are now fixing this problem free of charge. This fault has caused a lot of loss of respect for HP. Many Engineers will not reccommend HP as a laptop to buy. The sad thing is Many of the HP NX and NC models are really very very good strong laptops. The DV models are just pants. The problem occurs with the dv2000 dv 6000 and dv 9000. If you have a problem with your hp graphics card and you need to get the data back, take out the battery take out the memory then take out the onboard battery, leave the laptop for 1 hour and then put them back into the laptop. You will find that the laptop will most probably boot up and work fine for a while. A good idea is also to blow some compressed air into the air vent at the back of the laptop. We just hope HP can hold onto some respect regarding thier laptops as the word on the streets is not good at this time..

After a rigorous search of internet webistes. We have come up with a list of the best laptops to buy.

1.                                    Panasonic Toughbook
2.                                    Sony Vaio
3.                                    Dell XPS
4.                                    Acer
5.                                    Samsung
6.                                    Toshiba
7.                                    Fujitsu siemens
8.                                    HP
9.                                    Packard Bell
10.                                    Advent
11.                                    Medion

These laptops are based on  a seacrh of how consumers have rated thier product after purchasing. Also considered is the amount of rewards the companies have won regarding thier laptops. For the best laptop to buy or the top 10 laptops we are here to help you decide. We have also contacted companies for laptop repairs and asked those wich laptops they repair the LEAST.

On a sony vaio press f1 or f2 on start up to boot into recovery press f10

On a dell press f2 to enter bios setup

On an ibm lenovo press f1 even before you turn it on to enter the bios

On a panasonic press f2 to enter the bios

On a Toshiba press esc or f1 to enter the bios

On all other press f2

laptop advice on Hard disk drives

A hard disk in your laptop is like a cassete tape that you had songs on in the old days. For those who need a bit more help and understanding i will put in layman terms. A hard disk is like a big cupboard. Where do you keep all your paper files at home? In a desk or drawer , or even a cupboard. some cupboards are big and some cupboards are small.one cupboard maybe 2 foot another maybe 8 foot in size.  its the same with a hard disk drive. A hard disk drive can be 200 gigabytes or 800 gigabytes. Actually a hard disk is similar to a cd rom only a hard disk is very dense and can hold more data. 

Data are like bits of information computarized information.  This can be letters ,images and so on. All these images and documents are stored by the laptop on the hard disk. Inside the hard disk is what looks like 2 cd roms. They are half the size of a cd like the ones you play on your music player and hifi.  Data on the hard disk can be lost just like in the real world you can lose your paper files , therefore its good to make copies. A laptop computer stores files in bytes.  You might store files in A4 or A3 documents. 1 megabyte is 1024 kilobytes.  1000 megabytes equals 1 gigabyte .  Usually a hard disk on a laptop will be between 80 gigabytes and 500 gigabytes.  Hard disks just like cupboards can be broken.  A hard disk will usually last 4 years.  Some hard disks can last up to 10 years.  What makes a hard drive last longer its if you dont knock the laptop around.

Laptop Memory advice.

Memory inside the laptop are like extra hands that move information around the computer.  The memory stores each bit of data in a capacitor within an integrated circuit. Only one transistor and a capacitor are needed per bit of information. Memory are like small drawers that move out of a cupboard and send files where needed. Lets imagine you click on a picture to view it. The picture may be 30 megabytes. So the mouse clicks the image, the software tells the processor that the image on the hard disk needs to be opened, so  the chipset then says to the processor tell the graphics card to send data to the screen the data now needs to be expanded because you clicked on it. So the data needs to travel between processor memory graphics card and the bus or the (roads) on the motherboard.

The processor may be pushing the information very quickly to produce the image but on this laptop because there is only 1 gig of random access memory or ram, the image is taking its time to be produced on the screen. so you wait for it to be opened. zzzzzzz  However on your friends laptop he has 4 gigs of ram. Extra hands !!!  Now things are going to really move fast. If you ever think of what memory does just think of it as an extra pair of hands. Instead of emptying the cupboard in 4 minutes you empty it in 1 minute. Increasing memory is the best way to speed up a laptop.  Its also the cheapest. Some have mistakenly thought that increasing the size of the hard disk or processor will be the best way to speed up a laptop, ….no way. The best way to speed up a laptop and the cheapest way is to upgrade your ram ( Random access memory).

laptop advice on the Processor

The processor is the brains of the computer. It talks with programs like microsoft word and other programs then It has to interpret instructions that are sent to it by the memory. The processor does 4 things. It collects information, then it decodes the instructions, it executes the instructions then it writes back the information to the memory telling it what it has done. 

 It works by using billions of switches. As the processor does an enormous amount of work. It needs to be cooled down. If a processor  had the same power as your brain it would need a fridge the size planet earth on top of it to cool it down becuase of the amount of instructions sent. The processor in laptops really needs a more cooler system nearly everyones laptop gets hot. The fan only will come on when the processor is piping hot. On a desktop computer the cooling is much better.

Graphics card advice

The graphics card puts an image on your laptop screen. The processor says to the graphics card “quick need an image on screen” or something like this… the graphics card then works out the size of the image wether its in 3d how many pixels used, if it needs shading and lighting affects and so on. It paints an image the same as you would. First it draws a matchstick frame then fills in the colours. Th graphics card on a laptop gets piping hot. In fact the reason laptops break the most is becuase of graphics cards.  Look at the chip with the number 2 on it. This is the graphics card.

The main reason for motherboards dying is becuase unlike memory and hard disks that can be replaced, graphic cards usually are moulded to the board when it was made and therefore cannot be removed. Also companies that make graphics cards are under pressure from large laptop companies. For example the big branded laptop company says we want to make a thin laptop will your graphics card and cooler fan allow us to build this thin laptop, or will the fan and graphics chip be thin enough to fit inside our new super thin laptop.

The graphics card company now is scared to say no or the company will take on a different graphics card. So graphics cards really need a better cooling system they get way too hot. Buying an air can and blowing out dust that clogs up the vents is really the answer to fix this big problem.

Who is the best person to ask when buying a laptop?.  PC World? No way ! How about google? nope.

Ebay? not at all. The best person or people to ask are those who annually repair over 1500 of them. We asked James Davis the Managing Director of Laptop Repair UK.  “The best laptop in our opinion is the Panasonic CF - 74″.

This laptop is in the middle range semi rugged Panasonic Laptops. First you have the lightweight range. Like the toughbook T7or W7. These are fantstic laptops being very lightweight but featuring all the bells and whistles you would expect on the worlds best laptop company. At the rugged tough military end you have the Panasonic Toughbook CF 30. This laptop has won more awards than any other laptop when it comes to pure “throw it around toughness”. It was Laptop magazines ultimate choice for summer 2008. Just type “Panasonic toughbook tests” into youtube and you will see buckets of water poured over these laptops cars and lorries being driven over them. They always work fine afterwards.

best laptop to buy

However we have chosen the Panasonic semi rugged CF -74 . Just look at this laptop. The strong handle means it will last years. This laptop is lighter than the CF -30. This mid range toughbook is a belter. Its lightning fast with duel core processor. Magnesium alloy case with handle. Shock proof hard drive. Spill resistant touchpad and keyboard.  Laptopshop and Amazon are doing some great deals at the moment on this laptop but be warned you really do get what you pay for . This laptop is not cheap but if you can afford the best then this is what your man will need. A massive  4 gigs of ram make it wickedly quick and touchscreen is just perfect, we absolutly love this laptop not other laptop can compare in looks and durability. Its a real mans laptop. Not for boys. As the speed is incredible this laptop is at the top in our editors award.

Many men are looking for a laptop to buy thier wives. What is the best laptop to buy for them?.

When a laptop boots up and there is nothing on the screen there are a number of reasons for this.  Step 1. First is a memory problem. Check that the memory is seated properly. Switch the memory with a new module that you know is working. If this does not work try step 2. Second remove the hard drive and press F2 as soon as the laptop boots. This should take you to the bios. If this does not work proceed to step 3.  Third open the laptop and check the motherboard. Remove the battery. Plug in the mains and check that the power is reacing the fuse. If this is all well proceed to step 4. Fourth

Remove the motherboard check the connection between the screen and the mainboard. Also look for any burnt integrated circuit chips on the board and replace any that are burnt out. Then proceed to step 5. Fifth Check the inverter inside the screen sometimes the image is soo dark you cannot see the image on the screen. Our advice is Just replace the screen with any old screen just to see if it lights up. The best advice is If your laptop still does not boot up then call a reputable laptop repair company like Laptop Repair uk Ltd.