Old Laptops Are More Trouble Than They're Worth

[buwish]

I agree, a better system for recycling old electronics, especially computers that contain a lot of toxic chemicals is needed if businesses and consumers alike are to become more efficient in this regard.

 

[mitch074]

@americanbrian: I hesitated before I put Acer on the list (I had no such compulsion with neither HP nor Toshiba), and I decided to do it after I remembered an Acer laptop from that time that went 'poof'. But, thinking more about it, it was the only 2005 Acer laptop to do so. Freak accident, you may say. So yes, consider 'Acer' scratched off that list (still, my laptop is 8 years old; your own is only half that age, come back in 2013 and we'll talk).

Then, I could have put a bigger HDD in the Thinkpad, but I didn't want to spend too much on it (320 Gb PATA in 2.5" cost a pretty penny, moreover I'm not sure about the BIOS's LBA addressing capabilities). I did add a mini-PCI 802.11G wifi card in it with a custom made antenna, and it worked perfectly (unfortunately, I had to remove the ethernet - 440BX didn't include ethernet - card to do so, and I use ethernet more than wifi). I changed the keyboard (I don't usually use QWERTY on that one) and even tweaked the power daemon to emulate Speedstep 2 on a Speedstep 1 CPU (thanks Linux!).

As for RAM, the venerable 440BX chipset can't handle more than 512 Mb, so I can't do better (VRAM is already dedicated).

The 1999 a20m I still have around (and which also still works) is too slow to be of real use now (a Celeron 500 IS slow, and a 800x600 screen is small). After 10 years (of which 7 saw intensive, daily lugging around and use), its battery only lasts a handful of minutes and the plastic is starting to crack (note that other computers from that time, when they still work, are held together with glue and duct tape).

But it, too, runs Google Earth.

 

[mitch074]

Your Toshiba still works? Ok. How are the screen's hinges? How long does the battery lasts? How long did it take you to dismantle the chassis to access the custom-made HD cage, disassemble it, then replace the whole thing?

The upgrades I did to my 8 years old 'puter took all of 30 minutes (OS reinstall not included; up that to 1 hour for a Linux install). When I did what you describe on a 2003 Toshiba laptop (I was in charge for the hardware maintenance of a 500-unit laptop fleet at the time), it took me two hours for the hardware upgrade alone - once I knew how the beast was built! Hourly wages, etc. Thus, back to costs.

IBM Thinkpad laptops can be upgraded and fixed with a pair of screwdrivers, half a brain and a couple of minutes (Lenovo inherited that too on most lines). They last ages. Acer, more or less the same (as robust, maybe not as easy to upgrade). Toshiba are reliable too, but they are HELL to maintain. Dell laptops last a while, but are not so sturdy (don't move them around too much). HPs are... cheap. With all that it entails.

Still, after 8 years, the only laptops that can be upgraded and used are from IBM, and Acer/Toshiba too - but the last two need you to be a screwdriver guru.

 

[gamerjames]

[citation][nom]nun[/nom]or just buy a desktop[/citation]
Comments like these are ignorant. Not everyone is at the same location for their whole lives. For example, you could be a traveling businessman who has a gaming hobby. Are you going to take around your desktop?
Another example, My parents are divorced, and I love gaming. I go to my Dad's on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we switch off every other weekend. I don't know about you, but dragging around a desktop every other day isn't an ideal situation.

 

[americanbrian]

Mitch074,

OK, so my screen hinges are fine, my left mouse/touchpad button no longer clicks which is slightly annoying. The battery lasts 1hr 30mins while oc'd. but I can undervolt and underclock it if I really need more time.

Its a satellite M40 and I have to say that it is one of the easiest laptops to access I have ever seen. 1 screw for CPU/heatsink, 1 screw for ram slots. 2 for HD enclosure. I did think the cage was a bit finicky but really no hassle after 2 mins looking at it.

It may not be the most rugged machine out there but it suits me. It hasn't been a workhorse either. I use my desktop at home and bought it originally for writing my dissertation. So use hasn't been huge.

My wife uses it mostly now at home while I hog my desktop. All I can say is that for the money it has offered great value. Toshiba themselves are assholes. They wrote some utter crap when I asked if I could upgrade the CPU from the celeron m to a pentium m. Some utter nonsense that said no because the core was assembled using some funny ass technique...i.e. as if I was going to remove the die and replace a new die.

Anyway, it sounds like you have had more stress with them and fair enough. I still was stoked when I overclocked it added massive storage and plenty ram. Got a laptop that performed like one twice the price.

 

[kawininjazx]

I work for a computer repair shop. If someone has a 4 year old laptop and the hard drive is failing, it costs about $224 for a new hard drive, reload of windows, and data transfer. That's a LOT less that $960. If we go over $300, we recommend a new laptop. Oh, and we sometimes get it done the same day.

 

[davidhbrown]

I do most of my work on a docked laptop, so the wear on its own screen/keyboard is pretty low. I frequently replace the hard drive in a laptop after a while just to get better capacity... but those $700 256GB SSDs are looking pretty tempting, as does $240 for 8GB of RAM. Hmm... I guess I still have $40 to spend 🙂

Oh, I did just have to repair my old/backup laptop. The video card suddenly went on the fritz, showing random garbage. Found a suitable replacement on eBay for $45, took about 5 minutes to install. Of course, that wouldn't work on a cheaper model with integrated graphics. So, that's $45 after 6 years... not too bad.

 

[Guest]

What does a old laptop look like.

 

[Guest]

I think they just wont money