Archive for the 'Try this' Category
One of the most common questions that I get is about places that you can find affordable Powerbook parts and repairs. Quite frankly, I had never really thought about it until I wrote on this blog, so I asked my friends that owned Macs.
And all I heard was silence – at least from everyone except for Bruce.
Bruce has been a hardcore Mac user since the day that I met him, and I have failed to woo him to the dark side (using a PC). But that also means that he has been an invaluable expert when it comes to questions relating to computers that I know little about.
He suggested that the best place that has worked for him has been PowerbookMedic.com. He had purchased a memory upgrade from them in the past, and was very happy with their service and prices.
I decided to look a little deeper, and all I found was countless praises for their prices and service. Their site also offers free repair manuals which is perfect if you want to attempt to repair your gadgets yourself.
I was able to find a coupon where you can get 5% off $50 at PowerBookMedic.com which is a great way to try them out.
Feel free to leave feedback about their service below – I’d love to hear from you.
If you are looking for a new desktop computer but you don’t have a lot of room, I would suggest that you consider buying a broken laptop.
Now, I don’t mean a laptop that isn’t working (which wouldn’t make a lot of sense), but rather a laptop with a broken screen. Even if the screen isn’t working, usually the computer portion of the laptop still is, and as a result, usually you can get a really good deal.
All you need to do is hook up the laptop to a monitor and it is a full-fledged desktop with a smaller footprint. It can be great as a second computer, or a perfect computer for your kids that won’t blow the budget.
Take a look at some of these great deals on laptops with broken screens below and you’ll see what I mean.
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Lenovo ThinkPad X300 64GB SSD Laptop Notebook webcam Sierra 3G Broken screen |  |
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US $468.00 | 8h 21m |
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Acer Aspire 6935 Laptop Notebook Computer SCREEN BROKEN | |
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US $350.10 | 25d 1m |
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Apple MacBook 133 Laptop MB062LL A May 2007 broken screen parts repair | |
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US $274.99 | 12d 11h 31m |
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Apple MacBook 133 Laptop MB467LL A October 2008 For parts broken screen | |
4 Bids | US $255.00 | 3d 7h 38m |
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HP ProBook 4510s Laptop Broken Screen Still Works | |
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US $250.00 | 6d 7h 33m |
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Apple MacBook 133 Laptop October 2009 broken screen | |
2 Bids | US $202.50 | 1d 16h 51m |
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Dell XPS m1330 Laptop for parts good screen | |
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US $175.00 | 1d 5h 45m |
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Dell Studio 1555 Laptop Broken Screen | |
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US $200.00 | 1d 6h 36m |
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Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop Notebook broken screen intel dual core 4gb NR PP41L | |
11 Bids | US $152.50 | 1d 9h 53m |
One of the biggest complaints I have with laptops is the cost of replacement batteries. For most of us with older laptops who want to use them when they are not plugged into the wall, we usually don’t get much time. It is a fact of life that as laptop batteries age, their maximum life decreases as well.
If you have looked for replacement batteries, you know that they aren’t cheap. This can especially be a problem if you laptop is really old – the harder the batteries are to find, the more expensive they are.
But there are alternatives. If you watch the following video, you can watch to see how you can replace your old cells inside of your notebook battery with new ones.
If you are looking for the replacement cells mentioned in the video, you can find them at any local battery specialist store, or online on places like eBay.
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lot 50pcs Genuine laptop 5200mAh Battery VGP BPS9 for SONY VAIO VGN NR120E 6cell | |
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US $3,500.00 | 16d 17h 39m |
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NEW Laptop Battery for Toshiba Tecra m2 m3 m5 m6 m9 s3 | |
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US $3,200.00 | 19d 15h 26m |
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NEW 6 cells 7800mAh Battery for Dell Latitude D620 D630 Laptop TC030 NT367 GD775 | |
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US $2,832.00 | 27d 15h 16m |
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Pneumatic Spot Welder For Laptop Battery Ni MH and NI CD Battery Pack | |
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US $2,725.00 | 29d 22h 44m |
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Spot Welder For Laptop Battery Ni MH Pack Mobile Battery | |
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US $2,525.00 | 10d 13h 4m |
I have had a number of people ask me what they should do with their old laptops once they are done with them. Most of the people don’t really want to get rid of their old machine, but if they knew some other way to use it or give it a new purpose, they would be willing to keep it. So here are five great ideas on what you can do with your old laptop.
- Give it to your Child
I know this might be an obvious one, but chances are that your child will be thrilled to have a computer of their own. Unless they are heavily into games, an old laptop will work perfectly for their school work and Internet browsing, though the battery may not be useful anymore.
- Use it as a Home File Server
Even though the hard drive space that you will find on an old laptop isn’t usually too large, they still make a good machine to use as a home file server. You can store your pictures, music and movies on them and have everything stored in one central location. The best part is that they use little power, so it is good for the environment and your power bill.
- Use it as a Media Player
Having an old laptop kicking around is a great way to bring your living room into the 21st century. The notebook can be connected to your television and can be used as a DVD player, movie player, picture viewer and even radio (via Internet radio) and can replace a number of devices in your living room, making it less cluttered.
- Use it as a Television
With the addition of a simple USB TV Tuner card (for as little as $30), you can turn your laptop into a television. This can be a handy as it can be used in such places as the kitchen or in your workout room, or other places where you don’t quite have the room. Also, since it is portable, you can take it with you anywhere in your home, which in itself is pretty convenient.
- Automate your Home
Another often overlooked use of an old notebook would be to use it to automate your home via X10 devices. These devices can be used to control every aspect of your home and definitely bring it into the 21st century.
Even though these are only five uses for an old laptop, it is a start. So, instead of throwing it out, reuse your faithful laptop as it will be useful for years to come.
It seems everyday I get a lot of questions regarding what you can hook up to your laptop. What people don't understand that a notebook or laptop is just a smaller version of a desktop computer. You can hook up a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer to it just like a regular computer. Today I will talk about the ways you can hook up a printer to your laptop.
Direct Connection
You can hook your printer up directly with a USB or a parallel printer cable (if you have an older laptop and printer). This can be handy if your notebook doesn't really ever leave the desk and is used as a desktop replacement. It also is the most secure method as no one should be able to intercept your documents on their way to the printer.
Wired Network
If you have a network at your home or office and have a printer that is network capable you can use a network printer. Basically, the printer hooks up to your network with a network cable just like other computers on your network. You can also just share a printer that is attached to a computer in the network allowing other computers to print to it. The catch is you have to have the computer that is attached to the printer turned on. Wired networking is definitely a cheaper option if you have more than one computer at your location.
Wireless Connection
If you have an existing wireless network in your home and have a wireless printer, you can setup your printer to print from anywhere in your home or business. Sit on the deck, or in the board room and you can print without the messiness of wires in your way. Be aware that a wireless connection is never 100% secure, so you may want to wait till you can hook up with a wire to your printer to print documents that require some discretion.
I had the opportunity today to try out a laptop hooked up to a LCD TV with an HDMI cable. I used the same laptop as the last time (an HP notebook). This time I connected it to a Sharp Aquos 40" LCD TV valued at $1899 CDN.
Let me just say Wow. Even without installing the drivers for the display, it looked wonderful and it is amazing to see all the space available on the desktop.
I only ran into two problems. First, be sure to set the aspect ratio so that it is not stretching the display in any way. In the case of the Sharp, I set the aspect ratio to "Pixel for Pixel". Secondly, none of the desktop backgrounds from Windows Vista looked exceptionally great on the screen. This could be due to the fact that the wallpapers were not the correct resolution for the screen. Also, standing right in front of a screen this big, I would not expect it to look so good anyway's.
In conclusion: HDMI on a laptop works great provided the TV or monitor supports the resolution and you have the aspect ratio set properly.
I am sure some of you have gone out and purchased a mouse for your notebook. When you were out shopping, you may have noticed that there were regular mice and notebook mice. Take a look at the following picture:
The mouse on the left is a "regular" size mouse, and the mouse on the right is a notebook mouse. Now that you can see the visual differences, let us look at the good (pros) and the bad (cons) of using a notebook mouse.
Pros
- Small, easy to carry around
- Convenient. Some wireless notebook mice also double as a wireless presenter
- Requires less counter space to function
Cons
- Smaller than a regular mouse
- Extended use can cause hand strain and pain
- Easier to lose because of size
- Hard to use if you have large hands
If you do decide to buy a notebook mouse, purchase it from a place where it can be easily returned. If you do find that it does cause problems, take it back and get a regular sized mouse.
With the introduction of Windows Vista, you no longer need to look at five different applications to keep your notebook under control. Now you can use Windows Mobility Center to have access to the common controls you would use with your laptop in one place.
As you can see from the picture above, you have access to your volume, battery control, wireless, display, Bluetooth, etc. Depending on the manufacturer, you may have additional options available.
How do you access the mobility center?
Hold down the Windows Key + X.
Many gamers try to squeeze better performance from their computers. This can also breathe some new life in older hardware by making the notebook able to play newer games. Overclocking is an option.
Overclocking is the process of making your computer running faster than its original specifications. You can get better performance out of your machine at the cost of more heat, and the reduction of its operating life. You can think of overclocking as similar to the race cars in the Fast and the Furious: when they add NOS to their motor, their cars increase speed, but at the same time they may blow the engine. Many overclockers feel that the rewards outweigh the risks.
Overclocking laptop components is even more dangerous than desktop machines. Usually notebooks are already running hotter than their desktop counterparts and they do not handle the extra heat very well. In this case either extra cooling is required, either a custom solution or using a notebook cooling pad. Also, if you do manage to damage any internal component in the laptop, be prepared for the large repair bill: the components inside the notebook are more expensive than a desktop machine.
If you do decide to try overclocking your notebook, try out the following utility: Speedfan. It will help you to watch the temperature on your computer and let you know when it is running too hot. Hopefully that will help save your computer from damage.
For those of you with Windows Vista, there is a new technique that can boost your battery life by up to twenty minutes. You may have heard of ReadyBoost which uses either a USB flash drive or memory card to supplement your PCs memory. Test have shown that you can get an increase of up to twenty minutes of battery life by taking advantage of ReadyBoost - it keeps your machine from having to use the harddrive and therefore saves battery life. Try it out!
