Tech support FTL.

[gothpunk4christ]

So yeah.  I received an HP computer to troubleshoot for a friend, and got it narrowed down to a motherboard in about 10-20 minutes of troubleshooting.

For your amusement, here is the first portion of the chat transcript.

Problem description is on the first line.

--------------------

shiloh : No POST, no beeps (even without memory) no video, CPU fan

Comments

[gothelittle]

Pleased to meet you. :)

When I finally decided to buy my first laptop three (four?) years ago, I looked at HP, Dell, etc. and was disappointed in the lack of the kind of options I wanted. I was looking, you see, for a mobile 'me', an offshoot of my main machine so that I could carry my projects with me wherever I go. I do video editing, programming, gaming, game modding, and have been trying to teach myself 3D modeling on and off for years. (I can do the texturing pretty nicely.)

Basically, I was looking for one thing: a machine that did not have a shared RAM video board.

I bought a Sager 7620. 3.0GHz P4, 1GB ram, 80GB hard drive, and a 256MB Radeon Mobility x800 PCIe. The thing is 5.1 speaker capable (and actually has that many speakers on the unit itself), 15.4" widescreen with a zero dead pixel policy that I've never had to use, and weighs 9lbs without the power cord or any other things I usually put into its bag with it.

The battery lasts 2 hours.

The only thing I've ever had second thoughts about is its weight. Won't be able to afford another laptop for a looong time... but that's ok. When I am ready to buy another, I'll be looking at Sager again. :)

[gothpunk4christ]

Ah, I fully customized my little laptop. It was something more than 'just a laptop' but I didn't need all the blazing speed my desktop had. If I were to game, I'd do it on my desktop. Plain and simple. I did end up with a dual 1.5GHz Intel (I should've gone higher) 1GB Ram and an 8400GS M.My biggest thing though, was that the HD was NOT 5400 rpm, but 7200, so I did lose some space, but I gained some HD speed. The other necessity, was a 3 year warranty with accidental insurance, and spill coverage, which I do have, and at least a 9-cell battery. Mines 85Wh I think. Much better than the standard 53-56Wh. All I really needed. Sometime in the future I do plan on 'upgrading' to an XPS model (cause I enjoy the little lights) :)