Dead DV6
The worst part about having ideas to write about is not having the ability to write them down. Last week, without notice, my laptop died on me. Allow me to explain:
I was actively using my laptop one morning last week. Using as normal: social networking, job hunting, etc. You know, nothing out of the ordinary. This went on for about two hours when I decided it was time to take the dogs to the dog park.
Sometimes we head over to the dog park mid-afternoon and sometimes mid-morning. A couple of weeks ago I met a really pretty very intelligent girl during one of our mid-morning jaunts and a few days later ran across her again at roughly the same time. So, naturally, I've been heading over there at roughly the same time. Mid-morning.
I set the laptop down on the ottoman (on the cooling tray it rarely ever leaves) and let MS Windows naturally fall into hibernation mode while I was away.
A couple of hours later I return. The laptop is still sitting where I left it, the fan is running, as it is wont to do, the screen is dark and the LEDs are on and blinking. All was normal.
After lunch I decided to wake the computer up and get some NaNoWriMo writing done. Nothing. Hmm... So, I force a reset by holding the power button down until the laptop shuts down -- a few seconds later I hit the button to fire it back up.
Instead of seeing the "Windows Was Shut Down Incorrectly Screen" I see... nothing. Nothing at all. The fan fires up, the LEDs are alll working, but nothing appears on the screen. So, I shut it down again and pull the battery, just to make sure any caches holding onto data are wiped.
I replace the battery and push the power button. Nothing. Or rather, the same as before: LEDs, fan, nothing on the screen, not even the "Press F-whatever to enter BIOS" screen comes up.
Okay, then. I call my friend who works in IT and she says it sounds like the graphics chip. She suggests I plug in an external monitor and try again.
No difference.
I post the symptoms online:
And Nate Taylor also suggests it's the video card.
The next day, or was it a day later, I take it up to Nate's shop for a re-seating of the video chip. After a little more than an hour the laptop is back together, plugged in and ... nothing.
Argh!
First, this was an expensive laptop and second, it's still technology relevant. That is, it can still run all the programs, has all the latest and greatest technologies built in and aside from having a touch screen is still a contemporary machine. There is no reason to replace it, especially considering I don't have to the money to replace it right now.
To the Internet!
A quick search of eBay shows a replacement motherboard at about $100. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Okay, not too shabby. $100 is definitely better than replacing the laptop with a like spec'd machine. But everything on eBay was used. But could they guarantee it was good? Not to mention eBay's policies are atrocious for returns and/or complaints.
So, I ask my friend in IT again. Do you know a better place to look for laptop motherboards? She comes back with a link from Amazon.
Fantastic! I have a DV6-3000 laptop and the price is so much better than eBay! However, the item doesn't indicate NEW, USED or Refurbished and the seller isn't responding to questions in a timely manner.
Before I go to order the board I do some more research, is this the right motherboard? Seems I'm not the only person with this question.
However, the question is never truly answered.
I check the HP Manual for the DV6-3000 and then the Parts Guide for HP products. Nothing says this
I was actively using my laptop one morning last week. Using as normal: social networking, job hunting, etc. You know, nothing out of the ordinary. This went on for about two hours when I decided it was time to take the dogs to the dog park.
Sometimes we head over to the dog park mid-afternoon and sometimes mid-morning. A couple of weeks ago I met a really pretty very intelligent girl during one of our mid-morning jaunts and a few days later ran across her again at roughly the same time. So, naturally, I've been heading over there at roughly the same time. Mid-morning.
I set the laptop down on the ottoman (on the cooling tray it rarely ever leaves) and let MS Windows naturally fall into hibernation mode while I was away.
A couple of hours later I return. The laptop is still sitting where I left it, the fan is running, as it is wont to do, the screen is dark and the LEDs are on and blinking. All was normal.
After lunch I decided to wake the computer up and get some NaNoWriMo writing done. Nothing. Hmm... So, I force a reset by holding the power button down until the laptop shuts down -- a few seconds later I hit the button to fire it back up.
Instead of seeing the "Windows Was Shut Down Incorrectly Screen" I see... nothing. Nothing at all. The fan fires up, the LEDs are alll working, but nothing appears on the screen. So, I shut it down again and pull the battery, just to make sure any caches holding onto data are wiped.
I replace the battery and push the power button. Nothing. Or rather, the same as before: LEDs, fan, nothing on the screen, not even the "Press F-whatever to enter BIOS" screen comes up.
Okay, then. I call my friend who works in IT and she says it sounds like the graphics chip. She suggests I plug in an external monitor and try again.
No difference.
I post the symptoms online:
The next day, or was it a day later, I take it up to Nate's shop for a re-seating of the video chip. After a little more than an hour the laptop is back together, plugged in and ... nothing.
Argh!
First, this was an expensive laptop and second, it's still technology relevant. That is, it can still run all the programs, has all the latest and greatest technologies built in and aside from having a touch screen is still a contemporary machine. There is no reason to replace it, especially considering I don't have to the money to replace it right now.
To the Internet!
A quick search of eBay shows a replacement motherboard at about $100. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Okay, not too shabby. $100 is definitely better than replacing the laptop with a like spec'd machine. But everything on eBay was used. But could they guarantee it was good? Not to mention eBay's policies are atrocious for returns and/or complaints.
So, I ask my friend in IT again. Do you know a better place to look for laptop motherboards? She comes back with a link from Amazon.
Fantastic! I have a DV6-3000 laptop and the price is so much better than eBay! However, the item doesn't indicate NEW, USED or Refurbished and the seller isn't responding to questions in a timely manner.
Before I go to order the board I do some more research, is this the right motherboard? Seems I'm not the only person with this question.
However, the question is never truly answered.
I check the HP Manual for the DV6-3000 and then the Parts Guide for HP products. Nothing says this
632103-003 motherboard will work properly.
I'd already been a week without my laptop. Writing isn't getting done, photos aren't getting edited and I'm bored. So, I go ahead and buy the one for sale on Amazon using gift cards bequeathed to me by family for birthdays and holidays.
Supposedly, it will arrive between the 18th and the 21st of this month, so here's to fingers being crossed and it working as advertised.
Anywho, if you're curious as to why I'm not writing more, that's why. Right now I'm typing away on my 5 year old Asus netbook EeePC, which doesn't have the processing power to do much of anything other than the most basic of web surfing.
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