Dying computer by Kwicko

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Dying computer

POSTED BY: KWICKO
UPDATED: Sunday, November 25, 2012 15:49
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Friday, November 23, 2012 10:49 AM

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Looks like my trusty old Macbook is on its last legs now.

I've had battery issues with it - original battery will still take a charge and run the computer, but the battery's case is badly split and "puffed out" - more so when the battery is charged and/or hot from running the thing.

And now the magsafe charger (the cord you use to charge the battery or run the computer from the wall socket) has died. So I'm at 32% power on the remaining batter, and dwindling.

I've got aftermarket batteries (2), but they won't charge in the computer.

I've reached a decision point: I can either buy another charger cord (about $100), try an external battery charger (about $100), or start putting money towards a newer computer. I've no idea if an external charger will work with the aftermarket batteries, so I'm leery about making that move without being able to try it first.

I'm still searching for a used Magsafe charger that will fit (they're kind of persnickety about their power cords at Apple, it seems, and one model's cord won't necessarily work for another model, etc.)

So until I figure out what I'm going to do, I'll be about as scarce as hen's teeth, unless I post from work once in a while.

In the meantime, so long and thanks for all the fish! I'll certainly be back.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Friday, November 23, 2012 11:33 AM

JO753

rezident owtsidr

A charger kord for 100$? c'mon! I'll fix it for 10. Why wont the aftermarket batteryz charge in the computer? I suppoze Apple puts sum sort uv identifying device inside to force customerz to buy their grossly overpriced stuff. I coud probably fix that for you also.

----------------------------
DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early

http://www.nooalf.com

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Friday, November 23, 2012 4:05 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Well I can reccommend a cheap interm solution for you.

Coby Kyros 7-Inch Android 4.0 4 GB Internet Tablet 16:9 Resistive Touchscreen, Black MID7034-4
http://www.amazon.com/Coby-7-Inch-Android-Internet-Tablet/dp/B0093XTHH
M/ref=sr_1_4
$74.99

If you get the suggested keyboard and carrying case (which is pretty nice) be advised you'll need a USB 2.0 A Female to Micro Male adaptor.

Still, I got the full package for around eighty-five bucks, and it's a nice tablet, the resistive touchscreen is a LOT tougher than a capacitive albeit just slightly more difficult to use, and unlike capacitive models (although unlikely a problem for YOU, Mikey) in fact WILL work in -20F temps.

I, err.. also inadvertently drop tested it already, it fell 18 inches onto some bags of salt in the workship, bounced off and fell another 16 to the floor and skittered off, taking no damage whatsoever, I was pretty impressed.

Functionally it works well enough, and Android 4 being technically a Linux build can be easily modified, although so far I haven't QUITE figured out why some apps will run and others won't cause I am starting from knowing jack diddly about tablets.

Oh, additional selling point for me, it does NOT have a camera.
And it's pretty good on the WiFi front, not only having acceptable range, but also with a custom algorithm set it can crack most basic WEP pretty quick.

-Frem

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Friday, November 23, 2012 4:14 PM

BYTEMITE

Sounds like a gift idea for secular holiday exchange with your friends and family.

We'll be looking for you.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 6:02 AM

KWICKO

I have a cheapie solution in my Kindle Fire but it's wicked slow for me to type on. I need a real full-size keyboard.

New power cord on its way. $50 with Saturday delivery. :)

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 8:05 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Here's hoping it does the trick! I'd miss the hell out of you if you weren't here!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 11:23 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Kwik, if you can see this:
found a page online about repairing the magsafe cord. Not sure this is exactly your problem, but once you get inside there, maybe you can spot the problem, or graft the cord onto a standard power supply of some sort.

http://www.instructables.com/id/MacBook-Mag-Safe-Charger-Budget-Repair
-Disas/

also on AltaVista, one of the search topics that came up was " Magsafe power supply for sale." Didn't check it out, and don't know about prices, but it seems a common topic.

Best of luck.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 1:14 PM

KWICKO

It lives!

A quick Amazon search turned up a brand new unit for $50, which included next-day Saturday delivery. I ordered yesterday around 4pm, got it today before 11am. There's something fascinating in the ability to do that.

I'd love to have an external battery charger, since I've now got THREE batteries, and could always have two fully charged, but I've never been able to get a straight answer on whether such chargers work with aftermarket batteries or not, and nobody seems too willing to let me take 'em for a test drive, either.

Tablets aren't my thing. I've got a Kindle Fire that will allow me to get on the 'net if I desire, but actually interacting with anyone or typing on the touchscreen is tedious. It makes surfing the web a job, not a joy. I type about as fast as I talk, and tapping things out with one finger, or a stylus, makes things so slow that it's not worth the while.

I had a slew of suggestions, from tablets and iPods to Mac Minis and full-size desktops. The Macbook works for me. It just works. It goes with me to work, it runs everything I want it to run, it works the way I want it to (usually, anyway

), and it's what I like.

With my eyes, the 13" screen is about as small as I can go. I have to either have a screen SMALL enough to hold it about 6" from my eyes (at which point I can't type on it) or LARGE enough to put it at arm's length and still be able to read the screen. With the latter, I can read well with only a little bit of side-scrolling necessary, and I can still run type at 75wpm. With the former option, I'm side-scrolling like crazy and typing maybe 7 words a minute, for which...what's the point?

So I'm up and running again, who knows for how long, while I start saving my pennies for a 15" or 17" Macbook Pro. I really want the 17" model, but it looks like they're dropping it from the lineup, so time's running short. My current Macbook is the smaller 13" model, and I got it back in 2006 or so, so it's been quite a trusty old soldier. I hate putting money into it, though. The OS is 3 updates past its prime, I believe, and won't go any further unless I max out the RAM, which again is money I could put towards a newer computer.

So that's where I'm at. It's not a bad place to be, and it's good to be back.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 1:29 PM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Kwik, if you can see this:
found a page online about repairing the magsafe cord. Not sure this is exactly your problem, but once you get inside there, maybe you can spot the problem, or graft the cord onto a standard power supply of some sort.

http://www.instructables.com/id/MacBook-Mag-Safe-Charger-Budget-Repair
-Disas/

I'm not quite that daring with the thing, and besides, Khaleesi lent a bit of a hand in giving the cord its final shove off this mortal coil. She was fascinated with the cord, and liked to play with it. She's mostly given that up now, but it didn't do the old cord any favors. In her defense, though, that cord was definitely showing its age before she started in on it, so I place no real blame on her.

I may have a go at repairing the old unit as a backup, though, since I've nothing to lose in the try.

Quote:

also on AltaVista, one of the search topics that came up was " Magsafe power supply for sale." Didn't check it out, and don't know about prices, but it seems a common topic.

Best of luck.

Yeah, it seems pretty common. I was googling, and got as far as "60w m" before it auto-filled to "60w magsafe connector for sale".

I do love my crusty old Macbook, though. It's been through hell and back, dropped, spilled on, upgraded and uprated, and it still keeps kicking.

I have to say, though, that from what I've seen (and I *haven't* seen them up close, I admit), I'm quite impressed with what Windows 8 is doing, the direction it's going. I love the idea of integrating the tablet and PC operating systems to make switching between the two more seamless.

In my perfect world, Apple would be working on something I like to call "iPad Pro", where you'd have a 15" touchscreen that could be detached or "docked" to a keyboard/chassis; they could be used together or independently. The chassis would have the majority of ports, drives, etc., and the tablet part would be capable of functioning as a full-featured tablet.

It's where I see the market heading.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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Sunday, November 25, 2012 5:12 AM

PENGUIN

'Rage, rage against the dying of the byte'

King of the Mythical Land that is Iowa

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Sunday, November 25, 2012 3:49 PM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
'Rage, rage against the dying of the byte'

Love it!

I took the plunge today and ordered a new 15" Macbook Pro. 2.3GHz i7 quad-core processor, 4GB RAM, 750GB hard drive, and more. Should be here in a week or so. Hopefully the old standby will be faithful for that long.

I really wanted to go with the 17" model, but fear that it will be unsupported soon since Apple seems to be phasing it out of their lineup. This one is very capable of staying current for quite a while to come.

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

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