Repair or replace laptop?

[DoYouKubuntu]

What you should have told him is to "forget about installing Ubuntu on it, just provide the laptop and I'll install Kubuntu myself on it and reduce the price as it won't come with a OS".

It wouldn't have mattered, as there is no cost [that I'm aware of] for the Ubuntu install. Besides, I want to see what a pre-installed *buntu computer looks like!

[DoYouKubuntu]

I'm curious to know why you create partitions for Home and Data. What files do you store in your Home and Data partitions?

/home is only available to the actual users. /data is available to all users across the network, and is used for storing media along with mail for the mail client SeaMonkey. / contains nothing but the OS and a few apps used by all users, such as SeaMonkey, which go in /usr/local. This scheme makes it extremely easy to back things up, because files are located in a limited number of locations. /home gets much less disk space than /data, and / gets much less than that.

Also, will S76 customize the drive for me if I ask nicely? I want it partitioned the way I would partition it, i.e., separate:

/
/home
/data
swap

Otherwise, I'll do it when I receive it. But then that kind of defeats the whole purpose of buying something with *buntu already installed.

I'm curious to know why you create partitions for Home and Data. What files do you store in your Home and Data partitions?

On my system I have a separate Home partition that I use to store all my files, from documents created using Libre Office to storing digital music from mt CD collection to videos recorded from TV. My root partition stores everything that is system wide. So I am just curious what you store in Home if you have all your files on the Data partition.

No, of course not. But last I heard it was very easy to install KDE/Kubuntu. Which is exactly what I plan on doing.

Also, I received a call this morning from a very nice guy at S76 just to go over the order. He said that they can't do the partitioning I wanted and will basically slap everything on the same partition. He said it's not really recommended any more that you have separate partitions. I told him I'd do it myself once I get the computer--and noted that at least I don't have to wipe windows off of it!

What you should have told him is to "forget about installing Ubuntu on it, just provide the laptop and I'll install Kubuntu myself on it and reduce the price as it won't come with a OS".

[dibl]

In the past 12 months, I have done major surgery on a Dell Latitude E6500 laptop and a Latitude D620. In both cases, I found a youtube video that showed disassembly and reassembly, and I found a new screen for the D620, and a used mobo for the D620, and a used battery latch mechanism for the E6500, all on E-Bay for not a lot of money. If you need to pull the mobo, the wires that connect to the screen and the antennas are tiny and fragile -- I have a pair of surgical tweezers and also magnifying eyeglasses that came in very handy. I would bet a tidy sum that you will find your CPU heatsink TIM dried and possibly separated from the CPU, so that will need to be cleaned off and replaced.

On the Toshiba -- yes, I've lost track of how many times I've dropped my NB205 netbook on the floor. Fortunatly I replaced the hdd with an SSD soon after I got it, so it takes the beating and won't die. Although the evidence is, Toshiba doesn't give a fig for Linux or Linux users, their hardware is defintely well-designed and well-built.

[DoYouKubuntu]

System76 comes pre-installed with Ubuntu who uses Unity, are you happy to use Unity?

No, of course not. But last I heard it was very easy to install KDE/Kubuntu. Which is exactly what I plan on doing.

Also, I received a call this morning from a very nice guy at S76 just to go over the order. He said that they can't do the partitioning I wanted and will basically slap everything on the same partition. He said it's not really recommended any more that you have separate partitions. I told him I'd do it myself once I get the computer--and noted that at least I don't have to wipe windows off of it!

[MoonRise]

It'll be easy to switch it to Kubuntu. All will be well after that!

EDITED AGAIN! It's done. I ordered the S76 Kudu Professional, and added a note to my order with partitioning instructions. Total price, $927.79 [which includes CA sales tax]. WAY MORE than I planned on spending, but what the hell...

System76 comes pre-installed with Ubuntu who uses Unity, are you happy to use Unity?

[MoonRise]

I can't really speak to other peoples money but I always try to get what I want and IF that means a slightly higher price I go ahead. If I didn't I know I'd regret it latter. Not much help I know but....oh well.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Great feedback and discussion, everybody! Thanks.

Okay, here's where I am right now: I think it's time to spring for a new laptop. I simply have no desire at this point in my life to experiment with the unknown, i.e., taking the dv7 apart and trying to fix it myself. I'm not going to buy a new battery for it because I always use it plugged in anyway--that's WHY its battery died...as happens with EVERY laptop I've ever owned...so far--my Acer Chromebook isn't there yet, but it's only about 9 months old. I'm shutting it down when it's not needed right now, so its fan being out isn't a huge problem. The NIC thing...I don't know. It's okay and then it isn't and then it is again. I think I'd just like to get a new laptop and go from there.

Even though I've already said I won't be buying a higher priced unit, I am going to look at System76 just out of curiosity. Stay tuned...I've been known to change my mind occasionally.

ETA: I'm looking at the System76 Kudu Professional, which has a 17" screen; configured as I want it, it'll be $828. That's more than I planned on spending, but...well, I'm pondering it now. Thoughts?

Also, will S76 customize the drive for me if I ask nicely? I want it partitioned the way I would partition it, i.e., separate:

/
/home
/data
swap

Otherwise, I'll do it when I receive it. But then that kind of defeats the whole purpose of buying something with *buntu already installed.

EDITED AGAIN! It's done. I ordered the S76 Kudu Professional, and added a note to my order with partitioning instructions. Total price, $927.79 [which includes CA sales tax]. WAY MORE than I planned on spending, but what the hell...

[verndog]

Wow, verndog, a Presario? Was it made by Compaq or HP? I'm assuming Compaq, ... if I was going to have to put over $250 into a laptop I might as well add another $250-500 and get a good one -- NEW!

Yes, Compaq, running a P4 ?! The reason I took it apart was two fold. One of the two USB ports was damaged, and the pins on the PCMCIA port was totally bent together. The previous owner's son did all that.

I agree. If I had to spend $250 for a used laptop, and would up the ante and buy a new one. I always laugh at the refurbished selling point. Like how can someone refurbish LCD monitor. But I see the ads all the time.

[GreyGeek]

Wow, verndog, a Presario? Was it made by Compaq or HP? I'm assuming Compaq, since you said "real old" it could have been made between 2002 (when HP acquired Compaq) and 2007 (when HP began making its laptops in China). If it is between 2002 and 2007 it may be easier to repair because the parts would be more discrete. Since 2007 things have squeezed down and repairs are much more difficult. Either way, the big problem is getting compatible replacement parts at an affordable price. If a repair shop cannot repair a laptop for less than $100-$150 I recommend purchasing a new replacement. Even buying a 2nd hand laptop is risky, considering how poorly low-end laptops are made these days. Last September I went to the annual Nebraska surplus equipment sale. They had about 100 used laptops, IIRC, but only about 20 were less than 7 yrs old. Even broken laptops went for $175. Laptops that worked, like the Dell 630GS, sold for over $250, and it was a model I used in 2005 and until I retired in 2008. Buying 6 to 8 year old used laptops for over $250 is insane. I talked with about a dozen of those who bought the working laptops. Everyone said that they were going to put Linux on them. Those who bought the broken laptops were buying them for parts. That day I decided that if I was going to have to put over $250 into a laptop I might as well add another $250-500 and get a good one -- NEW!

[SteveRiley]

Conversationally ... based on my very extremely limited experience with topic, on the low end with Lenovo, I'd be careful, defined as under, say, $450 or so -- study specs carefully!

Indeed. There are major difference between ThinkPads and everything else Lenovo builds. I doubt I'd consider anything non-ThinkPad from their product stable.

[verndog]

As noted in other threads, my 'real' laptop, the HP with a nice big screen, is in the process of dying. Its cooling fan is out, its NIC is failing, its battery is at 48% capacity, and......
Thoughts?

My thoughts are take it apart. That's what I did. If the cooling fan is out, you need to fix that right away, anyway! I tool my old(real old) Presario apart and just slowly started removing parts. A camera shot or two of the process would help. The fan may be just blocked up somehow.

Anyway, I had nothing to lose and it was educational to see how it was built, if nothing else. I still have the laptop and it still works even after I reassembled it(not parts leftover).


Go here and see if they have your battery replacement:
http://www.batteryship.com/htmlos/ht...16681735609740

[Qqmike]

Conversationally ... based on my very extremely limited experience with topic, on the low end with Lenovo, I'd be careful, defined as under, say, $450 or so -- study specs carefully!
No one has mentioned Asus, a brand my research pointed at several months ago, and I love the one I bought (around $850 level, i5, and even Windows 8.1 works pretty good on it with no issues). As for repairs, many of the newer ultra-thins aren't made for user repairs and must be sent to a shop even to replace the battery.