Collision with Argos Catalogue

  • Thread starter Thread starter dunard
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dunard

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Seriously, my 11 year old daughter has dropped an Argos catalogue on my Sony Vaio laptop. If you've picked up an Argos catalogue recently you'll know why I now seem to have a problem: dead screen, on switch on sounds like it's firing up but no image, so no good. The screen isn't visibly damaged either, so I reckon that the problem must be with the innards/circuitry.

I've checked with a spare hard drive, same result. Checked warranty booklet and out-of-warranty. Even taken it to bits, nothing obvious visible and same result on re-assembly. Tried PC World where I bought it about 15 months ago and they're really not interested, except if I'd like to buy another laptop. No, thank you very much I'll pass on that.

Anyone with any further ideas or knowledge of reputable laptop repairers in the Glasgow area?

dunard
 
Plug a monitor into the lap-top to test if it is the screen gone u/s


then phone your household insurer:thumb
 
Thanks Ming, thought that was the breakthrough I was looking for, but alas no joy there either!

I really can't face spending ages hanging on listening to tinny muzak only to speak to an unhelpful call centre agent, so I'll see if I can seek out a low-cost repair somehow. Anything around the £100 mark and in view of the policy excess and hassle factor it won't be worth claiming under my insurance policy. Trust me I know these things, in a former life I used to be responsible for an insurance claims call centre before I saw the light and moved over to work in the risk field.

Guess if I'd assessed the risk of a falling Argos catalogue hitting my laptop and taken appropriate action to reduce/eliminate the risk I wouldn't be in this mess. Ah well ...... c'est la vie, can't get everything right: sh*t happenz!

dunard
 
dunard said:
Thanks Ming, thought that was the breakthrough I was looking for, but alas no joy there either!
Click to expand...

So nothing happens when it's plugged into different monitor???....no signal output at all????

Any beeps on POST?? (Power on self test)

If it beeps, there'll be a code that it's trying to tell you...two beeps pause two beeps pause for graphics card/chip etc......
(You'll need to Google the POST beep codes for the model or the MOBO to interpret them though)

If it's not even beeping, it could be the BIOS chip (tat's what generates the beeps) or maybe the PSU...check all connections, put on an earthing strap and check the BIOS chip hasn't been knocked loose........
 
dunard said:
Guess if I'd assessed the risk of a falling Argos catalogue hitting my laptop and taken appropriate action to reduce/eliminate the risk I wouldn't be in this mess.
Click to expand...

That's why it's called a laptop, and not a leave-it-on-the-floor-so-the-kids-can-drop-things-on-it-top :D
 
Don't forget that you'll probably need to tell the laptop to use an external monitor. Give it a wee while to boot, wait until the HDD indicator has stopped flashing, and then try the screen toggle key a few times. Leave a couple of seconds between each time you hit the button, as it'll take that for the display to change over.

Apologies if granny already knows how to suck :D
 
Are you sure it's not something pretty simple like unseated RAM or some other internal connector ?

As long as nothing's obviously broken, I'd guess at something just dislodged.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'm sure that I'll get there in the end. And the kids are now relegated to my old iMac, no more wizzy laptops for them!

dunard
 
Final instalment is that after three separate opinions my Vaio has been deemed to be beyond economical repair. I'm told that this is essentially because Sony won't release spare parts to local repairers. The Argos incident seems to have cracked the motherboard: only needs a microscopic fracture and the whole thing's cream crackered. Hard disk's OK so I've inserted that into a caddy and plugged it into one of my desk tops. So, the iTunes library should be safe if I can figure out how to synch to it.

Thing is, do I let my 11 year-old daughter use the new Vaio that my insurer is kindly going to deliver to my door next week? Answers on a postcard please.

Replacement Vaio will also be slightly higher spec and yet no request for a contribution from my insurer, other than the £50 policy excess of course. Could almost be a result here, except I know full well that come next renewal I'll get a premium hike, or increased excess, or even might be shown the door. What was it? .... Drama out of a crisis ..... We'll see!

dunard
 
Apparently I'm now being offered a Vaio FE41E as a replacement by the insurers, as the nearest current equivalent to the one I had, which was an FS315M. Am I in the process of being shafted hook, line and sinker plus a free copy of Angling Times?

dunard
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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