URGENT: Calling all computer experts...

Rick's computer "died" this afternoon, and we have contacted the manufacturer. Of course we are no longer covered under warranty, but we were told it is most likely an issue with with the motherboard.

Any suggestions for a place to go that will fix this ASAP??? He needs this for work (income) and cannot afford to miss an entire work day.

Where should we go tomorrow morning (Wed., November 9) that would be able to fix this very, very quickly? Any idea on what kind of money we're talking about here?

Any and all tips are appreciated -- thank you!!!

 

Are you talking about a desktop or notebook, generic or brand name? Its possible to get a replacement motherboard in town for a desktop depending on the manufacturer (if its a generic computer it should be easier than a name brand one) but if its a notebook even in the states Dell needs until the next day to ship the part once they know what it is you need. If you find someone in Dumaguete who can fix it in one day you will have found the best computer repair shop in town so let us know who you find.

 

R&S, hopefully you will get better info than I can provide. I would first try Ace Logic followed by the Robinson's 2nd floor computer repair shop. Good luck for a fast recoverh

 

Pedro and Pat -

Thank you both for your replies, I appreciate it.

I apologize for the lack of info -- this is a laptop he brought from the U.S., a (now old) Gateway. I will indeed let you guys know of my success tomorrow morning in my quest for "ASAP service."

 

One thing I would add to the mix is that the real value of a computer you have been using is the data on the drive.

Hardware can be replaced (it just costs money :-)), but the value of data is priceless. Be careful of shops that "hack and whack", they dont always follow the "its the data, dummy" rule.

Make sure they make getting the data off the drive the top priority. Just in case "bad things happen" when they are messing with it... :-)

Since it is a laptop, as Pedro said, that is more difficult - desktops tend to be easier to deal with. Suggest you try SST Laptop Repair in Robinsons - I had them do some work once, and was satisfied.

Lastly, as a general practice, I always use a internet sync type product (and many are free) like dropbox (dropbox.com) and/or Microsoft Live Mesh (live.com) for my important data. Its backup taken to the next level. The way they work is that you designate a directory on your disk that gets "synched" out the the internet ("the cloud" :-)) in real time. when data changes locally, it syncs it out so you always have a "backup" available.

Its very useful IMO. Only caveat is that you would need to have the application that processes the data available somewhere else -

 

Laptop repairs

I had a similar problem last Xmas. I took my computer to 2 shops and was told the motherboard was dead, and that a new motherboard would cost more than 20,000 pesos, so it would be quicker and cheaper to by new computer. Finally took it to Algorithm in clay pot town, out towards the airport, who discovered that the problem was with the RAM chip and not the motherboard after all. The repair cost 500 pesos, and the computer still works - in fact I'm using it right now.

I agree with a previous poster - protect your data. Its too late when an idiot technician re-formats your hard drive! If you have a small phillips head screwdriver, then i suggest you remove the hard drive yourself, before taking it in. The computer will still boot up into BIOS - if it can be fixed.

 

Hopefully you have resolved your problem already. If not, I would second Naaling's recommendation of Algorithm. They provided the best service for me when I was in Dmgte.

 

I agree with Naaling...

With Gateway, mainboards will be a problem to source.

Gateway had stopped selling in Australia since around 2000 or earlier. They may still be selling in the US, I dont know.

Anyway, when you say 'DIE' are you referring to no display, but lights can be seen blinking? Or is it completely dead so that no lights are lit at all. Need to be more speciifc.

With notebooks, you can and sometimes will get faulty ram. Faulty ram can stop your machine from even booting and also not provide what we call post beep codes advising you what the fault is such as short beeps, long beeps, or combination of both, but this method of diagnosis is no longer reliable but refers to older model units. You also may not get any display.

What you can do is remove the battery and power source and then see if there is a plate at the back with a icon showing a rectangle denoting RAM MODULE. Remove this cover and you may see one or two of these sitting in a white slot.

Remove and reseat being careful not to touch the black chips. Handle it by the sides if you can otherwise just ground yourself for static electricity.

After reseating one at a time and then trying to restart your notebook, see if you get any beep noises or visual. Try alternating the different slot also.

If you still have no joy, then take it to a repair shop to look at.

Recovering your data should be no problem as 80% of the time if the board goes, your data is still intact. If it makes a clicking noise, then all you need to do is replace the board from another drive and it will be good as gold.

If you have a password or encrytion, you can just attach the drive to another computer and use Ubuntu/Linux bootable cd media and extract the data with no issues. If its more complicated than that then you need to use a utility. Too hard to explain from here so take it to a store if you need to.

If you have had this repaired already, then great!

As a last resort, you can repair the faulty board, you just need someone to who does board level repairs. As labour is cheap in the Philippines you may find someone who is capable.

Sorry I cant help further otherwise I would do it for you if I was in the Philippines!

Ninja.

 

You all are terrific! I did not anticipate so many (and so detailed) replies -- thank you!

I took the laptop to Algorithm first thing yesterday morning, and they performed a diagnostic. As I mentioned, this is quite an old laptop, and I was informed that it's basically "dead." They were able to move all the data to an external drive, which we have installed on our home desktop, and as everyone here notes, the data is the most important piece, so I'm happy about that.

I agree with so many of you about Algorithm - we have gone there for the last year since moving to Daro (we are right around the corner from Algorithm), and the employees are very responsive and the service has been quite good. The cable/drive that I purchased was under P850, and there was no charge for the diagnostic. Much better than what I feared!

Now it's time to buy a new laptop ( = ugh), but at least we have our data.

Thanks again to all for your very helpful suggestions!

 

Hi Rick&Sue -

Hate to beat a dead horse, but now is a good time to get on some kind of regular backup routine (especially since you mentioned you rely on Ricks work).

Either simple "burn it to disk", or the idea of having hot backup I mentioned earlier.

"fool me once"... :-)