Author Archives: Luigi Martin

my first business client

Computer Aid Posted on by

Rang a client last week… just to see if his computer was working ok (he had problems with the DVD buring software (Nero) & it wouldn’t uninstall… had to clean all references from the winXP registry).

Anyway, he was very impressed with how the computer was running, & he asked if I did services for businesses (I said yes). So he said that he would use computer aid for fixing computers in the small company he works in.

This is a client that a larger company has lost because of poor customer service… I just need more people like this. I guess I need a little patience…

http://www.computer-aid.com.au

laptop with physical damage

Computer Aid Posted on by

Got a call from a client: the power connector on her laptop is not working… laptop was damaged in transit.

I hope that either the plug got worked loose & needs re-soldering, or maybe the battery is dead.

Turns out that the corner of the laptop has been smashed, & there is a 2cm hole where the plug for the power supply goes & around the usb ports.

Looking at the plug, I can see that it is very loose… luckily no MB damage, but 1 or 2 of the plug connectors have been sheared off.

I remove the plug (just unsolder one lug… the other 2 are broken off).

Trying to reassemble the plug. Its a bit like a jigsaw puzzle… how do all the parts fit, so that the laptop charges & make sure the laptop knows if the battery is being charged… eventually get it all together, but there is no way the plug will go back to its original place.

I call the client and give here the options:
1) A new plug for about $50 plus my fee
2) use the old plug, soldered to a some wires that connects to the laptop MB. Looks ugly, not mechanically robust, but I’ll only charge my minimum fee

She goes with option 2)

After some wires & some tape, its all finished & working.

Toshiba laptop won’t boot

Computer Aid Posted on by

I got a funny toshiba laptop to fix…

Its only 1 year old, but has spent most of its life in “storage” (police evidence). Client has only just got the laptop back.

Client doesn’t have anything important & doesn’t mind a reformat.

First I boot a knoppix CD & it works fine & sees the HD

So I repartition, reformat, reinstall XP, & all seems to work fine.

Next day, the laptop is back… won’t boot again.

I try installing knoppix to the HD, & it also works fine

But client says it still doesn’t boot… the bios doesn’t seem to detect the HD.

I look at it & sure enough, it tries to boot from floppy, & the CD, but the HD doesn’t even show during the POST screen… I go into the bios & it doesn’t show the HD either… curious.

After a reboot, the HD is detected & it tries to boot… So I give it another reboot & then re-install win XP.

A few reboots later, & I notice that the HD doesn’t show up again…

The web gives no hint of a cause.

I flash the latest Toshiba bios (its no help)

I decide to swap HD with the one in my ibm laptop.

Wow! Taking the HD out of the Toshiba is not for the faint hearted! I have to almost dismantle the entire laptop, just to get to the HD… take the screen off, the keyboard, a bit of plastic above the keyboard (which makes load cracking & snapping noises… very unnerving).

Anyway, the IBM detects the toshiba HD every time (after 11 reboots).
The toshiba detects the ibm hd every time also…

So, put everything back (snap, crackle, pop, crunch!), & then I’m back to square one.

I suspect it could be a bootup timing problem (bios checks for HD, but HD isn’t ready to (or is too slow to) respond… by the time the HD is ready, the bios has moved on to other things…

I’ve go nothing better to do, so I boot the laptop about 100 times… I notice it detects the HD about 4 or 5 times, and the “detections” seem “clustered” ie 2 detections in a row.

I give the client his options:

1) keep the laptop always running… if it switches off, you need to reboot until it detects the HD.
2) Get a new HD, but no guarantee that the new HD will work any better (I suspect a non-toshiba HD has a good chance of working)

He decides to go with option 1)

Update 01/10/2005: Client eventually got a flat battery & was unable to boot again. He went & bought a new hdd & an external usb enclosure & is now happy.

Welcome to Computer Help / computer aid

Computer Aid Posted on by

Welcome to the computer aid blog.

From here, the plan is to post occasional computer “problems” and their solution, as I encounter them in my day-to-day work while running my company:

http://www.computer-aid.com.au

More posts will follow soon.

Given that I have recently started this business  and I am currently starting a web site (all on a minimal budget)… then the next few posts will most likely be about starting a service business, and how to do it as cheaply as possible.