My computer has six hours to live x.x

Fenika · Oct 18, 2010

I'm ready to really kill the netbook this time- the power chord seems to have fried. It didn't work for awhile 2 nights ago, and after unplugging the chord (from the computer, from the wall, from that black box in the middle) and plugging it in and leaving it and doing it all again later, it started working again.

Well now it suddenly stopped working again and I wasn't even (afaik) touching it at the time. Just switched to battery on me. I can not get it going again. I assume (randomly) that a connection or fuse in the black box in the middle of the strip is busted?

This stupid thing is NOT worth a $40 or $60 chord. Someone please give me some good news. (Or a link to a reputable refurb place.)

Also, taking suggestions for a portable laptop that is NOT a netbook (for one, I need a full computer now, for two, this one is going to the park for some frisbee golf). Good video capabilities a plus (for DVDs, not for gaming). Good speakers. Fast. Inexpensive (I so needed to wait a few more months before getting a new laptop, but I can't live without).

Oh, and I'm stuck in a hotel the rest of the week so I'm a bit SOL once this battery dies if the chord doesn't cooperate. Will try to charge it while it's off. But between that and work I won't be online so much. *sigh*

TheIT · Oct 18, 2010

Another thing to try is to make sure the battery is situated properly in the netbook. I had trouble once because the power cord was fine but the battery was loose.

When you have the computer plugged in, is the "black box" getting warm? If it isn't, that might indicate the break in the circuit is between the box and the wall.

Qbynewbie · Oct 18, 2010

Unplug the cord from the wall and the other end from the computer. If there is a black box in the middle of the cord, feel it to see if it is at all warm. Either way, leave it unplugged from both the wall and the computer for a couple of hours. Then plug it back into the computer first and then the other end into the wall and see if it indicates that it's charging the battery. You may be experiencing a thermal problem. If so, by not leaving it plugged in, you may be able to run off the battery some of the time and off the charger the rest of the time.

Stlight · Oct 18, 2010

This may sound a bit snarky, but I swear it's not.

Try plugging something else into the outlet, just the outlet. If a light does it blink? You know what I mean. Outlets go bad. Really they do. Sometimes they send arcs of power inside and catch fire. Unlikely, but I've seen the arcs from an improperly wired outlet and from an improperly wired double switch.

Fenika · Oct 18, 2010

Okay, I'll be checking the warmth of the black box and doing as above if need be...

But atm it is working. The wall socket went bad. And only the top one. (I have been doing as you suggested already, Stlight). It (the top socket) was fine earlier (the light worked, when the light was plugged in there. I think. I might be going crazy). Is it possible for half a standard electric socket to go bad?

Is it possible my laptop is surging out these plugs?!?!!

But I have been checking these sockets as I am staying at different hotels lately. Last time it was 100% not the wall socket (I checked with my cell charger repeatedly).

Very. Weird.

But atm it works, yay. Wish I brought my backup drive. But there's nothing critical to backup at least...

Still taking suggestions for laptop brands

Reliable ones. With full warranties none the less.

Clair Dickson · Oct 18, 2010

All I have to offer is that the last hotel I stayed at, there was some strange problem with my battery charger (for AA camera batteries). While we were out, the charger would turn off... like it was done. Except it wasn't done. If it was a power glitch, then the charger automatically starts charging again, same as if it were unplugged. But it was off and my batteries were still basically dead.

I don't trust hotel anything...

Best of luck finding a computer. Remember, two people can own the same model machine and one will love it while the other will have nothing but problems.

Fenika · Oct 18, 2010

Yay, b/c I'll be in a hotel for most of the next 3.5 months x.x

*sigh*

And very true about computer models. I could go on and on about my trusty IBM (died, age 5, HD failure. Might refurb one day). But at least IBM has a good record for such. Now Lenovo, though...

Qbynewbie · Oct 18, 2010

If only the top outlet is not working in a hotel, look for a light switch that controls that half of the outlet. It may have been intended to be used for a lamp that can be turned on and off when you enter the room.

Fenika · Oct 18, 2010

Really? That's kinda random. *walks back across room, to the door, and flicks that random switch that was on and apparently doing nothing earlier....*

*walks back... plugs in light*

Holy crap, you're a genius!

Still doesn't explain incident one, but I'll hope it's an isolated incident.

At least now I have lighting at this little desk

Cheers!

And who the heck wires the top outlet to a switch across the room? oO

Qbynewbie · Oct 18, 2010

Fenika said:
Holy crap, you're a genius!

When you stay 120 nights a year in hotels for 25 years, you pick up a thing or two.

Fenika said:
And who the heck wires the top outlet to a switch across the room? oO

Why, hotels do.

Fenika · Oct 18, 2010

Ah, well, I might have to start a Survival Tips for Hotel Residents thread. Not looking forward to 3.5 more months of this (mostly on, some off)

benbradley · Oct 18, 2010

Fenika said:
Okay, I'll be checking the warmth of the black box and doing as above if need be...

But atm it is working. The wall socket went bad. And only the top one. (I have been doing as you suggested already, Stlight). It (the top socket) was fine earlier (the light worked, when the light was plugged in there. I think. I might be going crazy). Is it possible for half a standard electric socket to go bad?

Is it possible my laptop is surging out these plugs?!?!!

But I have been checking these sockets as I am staying at different hotels lately. Last time it was 100% not the wall socket (I checked with my cell charger repeatedly).

Very. Weird.

What's possible is the wires to the outlet are connected by screws that have come a little bit loose over the decades. Plugging into the top vs. the bottom might be enough to make a difference whether it works or not.

Since you're going to be staying there a while (the same room the whole time?) and you're having problems, it would make perfect sense to get the hotel to have an electrician look at that outlet, and everything in the room.

But atm it works, yay. Wish I brought my backup drive. But there's nothing critical to backup at least...

Still taking suggestions for laptop brands Reliable ones. With full warranties none the less.

I got a Toshiba netbook 11 months and two weeks ago, been using it about an hour a day on battery power and then recharging it, battery still lasts several hours, dunno if it's still 8 hours like when I first got it. We'll see how it does for THIS nanowrimo. If I don't get at least 6 hours out of the battery I just might replace it.

And for backup you can always buy a 2 gig or 4 gig flash drive for cheap. Buy several if you can afford them.

Lhun · Oct 19, 2010

Fenika said:
Okay, I'll be checking the warmth of the black box and doing as above if need be...

That "black box in the middle" is a transformer, and essential for getting the right power voltage to the netbook.

Is it possible my laptop is surging out these plugs?!?!!

No but it's possible that a surge damaged the netbook or transformer.
Transformers have a limited lifetime anyway, the usual lifetime for one in a PC that's running 24/7 is two or three years. Being warm is a normal result of being plugged in, unless it's getting really hot (or smells burned) there's no reason for concern. If the Netbook works fine on battery power, but not so when plugged in, odds are the transformer is damaged. But if it's just 11 months old, shouldn't you still have warranty?

Qbynewbie · Oct 19, 2010

The problems were related to the switched half of the outlet in the hotel room, not to the transformer or power cord.

Clair Dickson · Oct 19, 2010

Fenika said:
And who the heck wires the top outlet to a switch across the room? oO

My [expletive deleted] living room light switch is like this... my family room light switch was (until recent re-wiring) connected t o an outlet TWO feet away... I'm surprised I didn't think about that. Maybe because we just don't use that outlet for anything but the living room lamp.

My computer has six hours to live x.x

Fenika

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Qbynewbie

New but not a kid anymore :)

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

Fenika

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Fenika

Qbynewbie

New but not a kid anymore :)

Fenika

Qbynewbie

New but not a kid anymore :)

Fenika

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

Lhun

New kid, be gentle!

Qbynewbie

New but not a kid anymore :)

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud