Unfortunately over time, my poor lappy lap has deteriorated, particularly in the last year. I spent $90 to replace the hard drive a little over 2 years ago. Last summer I spent $30 on a cheap knockoff power cord (one from the manufacturer would have cost $70) when the cord I had started shorting out such that I could only get juice to the thing if I held it at a certain angle. In October, my wi-fi card started shorting out. Or rather the slot the card plugs into was shorting out, making buying a replacement a useless proposition. Luckily I had recently upgraded the USB wi-fi adapter for my Tivo and had the old one lying around. I plugged 'er in, coiled the slack in the long USB cable, and duct taped the whole tangled affair to the cover with the adapter peeking above my screen like an antenna. Stylish!Alas, in the last few weeks, I yet again began to fear my laptop's usability was fading. Months of bumping and jostling the wi-fi adapter's USB cable bent something such that it wouldn't stay fully plugged in. I would randomly lose my internet connection and have to reseat the plug and wait a minute or two for everything to reconnect. Boo piss! So I started looking around online for a cheap sub-$500 laptop. Though the thought of spending that money, particularly when I'm searching for a new HDTV, left me feeling hollow. Surely there had to be a fix for my slowly dying laptop.
The other night, as I cussed over losing my internet connection for the dozenth time, a light went off. I grabbed a pair of needle nose pliers, unplugged the USB cable for the wi-fi adapter, and used the pliers to pinch the plug, being cautious not to break or bend the connector inside. With a great deal of effort, I forced the malformed plug into the USB port on the laptop, and blam! It was almost sexual, and I haven't lost my connection since.
I'm proud of my shitty old laptop. While I sometimes tend to be too extravagant or undisciplined in other parts of my life, it is a symbol of thrift and self-control.
7 comments (leave yours):
I need an LCD TV. I mean it. I really NEED ONE GODDAMNIT!!!!! I need one more than a whore needs crack.
Man, I can't wait until I find a good one for a decent price. Problem is that I want a BIG one (~50 inches). The big ones with the features I want run about $3500-$5000 and up right now. Owie. The good news is that a crapload of new models and new technologies are coming out over the next few months, so the older (and perfectly good) models should drop in price.
Why don't you look into a used laptop from a local shop? I got one for my son for $150. Can surf the web and about anything other than game. There are a couple of places around here so I'm sure you have them in your area too.
I'm waiting for a deal on a new tv. A friend has a Dell projection tv that has a beautiful and HUGE picture and put a whole new set of ideas in my head. What do you know about them, huh?
Like I said, it's the principle of it at this point. It works, and I'm happy with it. But the next thing that breaks, if it costs more than about $30 or so to fix, I'm getting a new (or used) one.
I know more about HDTV than I care to after researching models and technologies the last few months.
My PDA (one of the clamshell Sony Clies) just celebrated its 4th anniversary, which is one long time for my gadget-freaked-all-to-hell self. The casing is cracked beside the power button and I've had to touch up the paint in a couple of places, and the screen is pretty scratched, and I'd kind of like something a little more pocketable. Still, the screen is bright, and it still works fine.
I sat down to shop for replacements and ended up ordering a third replacement battery for it instead.
Question for you regarding an old computer. If I have a desktop that's 6 1/2 years old, running XP and various other programs (Norton, etc.) and the processor is 565 Mhz, will I have to re-install windows if I replace my motherboard? And will I lose all programs installed (I have software from a CD Burner driver I lost the discs for)?
Anonymous, don't take it as gospel, but I believe you will have to reinstall and reactivate Windows XP. If all you are concerned about is your CD burner driver, XP should be able to detect it automatically as a CDRW drive and install a correct or at least workable driver. If there was burning software that came with your drive that you're worried about losing, there are tons of free CD burning programs you can download from download.com. And XP will let you burn CD's right out of the gate, although I don't care for their interface.
Post a Comment