Travel Technology - My Sony VAIO laptop just died on me!

I think it may have been overheating. I was just typing away while sitting on the couch, and it sounded like a spark went off and the whole computer shut down. I can't restart it anymore.

Does this sound like I'm in the market for a new laptop?

I'm assuming it is completely dead and not just the screen that's blown. Any LEDs or HD activity? I ask because some models had very unreliable screens.

Not sure what model it is - think I'd be tempted to take a screwdriver to it. I've dismantled VAIOs in the past (to swap hard discs etc). Have a look inside to see if its anything obvious that's burnt out and replaceable. With an NEC I had the power regulator had obviously burnt out (got a sound+smell when it went). I was able to get a small sub-assembly as a spare part (GBP70 in the UK) and fit it myself. No soldering necessary, just screws and clips. Very easy.

I travel to Vietnam alot. Its a great place to get stuff fixed at low cost. They'll make anything work again. Depending where you travel, this could be a cost-effective option - ie take it to a "poor" country where labour is cheap and they have the "fix it" rather than "trash" mentality! These days I would almost never get anything repaired in London where I spend alot of time - it can be soooooo expensive in terms of labour costs. If its old enough to be out of warranty, then often its worth replacing. I never buy expensive laptops - that way I don't worry so much when they blow. I used to import them - failure rates are high - mainly because of heat issues.

If you do decide to replace, the chances are the hard disc is still fine. It should be possible to retrieve any unbacked up files. A little expertise is necessary - but in prinicple you unscrew the laptop and remove it. On some models you can access it by removing a plate on the underside and don't need to get into the laptop at all. Then insert it into an external "box" designed to take 2.5" drives and plug into your another PC via USB. The "box" costs as little as NT$300 from shops here in Taiwan (about US$10) or two or three times that in London. YMMV. Once plugged in, you'll probably find that your files are still there. Single file documents - eg word, excel can just be copied back. Restoring databases etc can be more tricky.

After you've done this, you can reformat to remove all the system stuff and you are left with a great backup unit - at least you've salvaged something!

With all of the discussions on batteries, good luck.

Also, good luck with any attempts for service. I never had any.

Definitely no LED or light activity. Totally dead.

And I'm a bit pissed too because I had been running Office 2007 Beta on it, and it does not appear to be available anymore on Microsoft's site, so that I may install it again on any new computer I buy.

. . .

Does this sound like I'm in the market for a new laptop?


Which model?

How old is it?

Is it Vista-compatible?

Any warranty coverage left?

1. check warranty, if it's expired, check credit card coverage.

2. data recovery.

These are the two things I would do before shopping for a new laptop.

Sounds like the power supply.

Get an estimate if you really like it and want to keep it, but if you were going to replace it anyways, now may be the time.

Everybody else, good time to make sure to get a copy off all our laptops just in case now.

IMO it's the power supply/inverter that went poof. I've had this happen before, it's not unique to Sony. How old is it? In general, Sony does flat-rate pricing for out of warranty notebooks. Tier 1 is for most repairs (except the entire motherboard/LCD) and is $279. Tier 2 is for major stuff (LCD/Motherboard) and is $699. So if it ain't worth $300, just buy a new one unless you're handy with electronics and want to try replacing it yourself.

You can find more info at HTTP://eservice.sony.com .

You also might have luck having someone else repair it (just google Vaio notebook repair)... but I have no experiece with anyone so can't make any recommendations.

It's around two years old I think (I can't remember for sure).

I went out to Circuit City and got an HP Pavilion DV6130 instead for $899 after $150 rebate. Actually that became $874 ($25 off) because the manager and I struck a deal since it was out of stock at the store I went to and I had to drive 10 miles to pick it up at the next nearest store. ^

Link to computer details (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-15-4-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-DV6130US/sem/rpsm/oid/161286/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs)
Intel Centrino Duo, featuring Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5200 (1.6 GHz)
15.4" bright widescreen
1GB RAM
120GB hard drive
Built-in webcam
Windows XP Media Center edition with remote control
Built-in Altec Lansing speakers (best notebook speakers I've ever heard)

Oh, and I get Windows Vista upgrade for free when it comes out. ^

Nice work! Seems like a pretty good price on a machine that should last you several years at least. Pity we don't have those kinds of deals here in Australia.

It's around two years old I think (I can't remember for sure).

I went out to Circuit City and got an HP Pavilion DV6130 instead for $899 after $150 rebate. Actually that became $874 ($25 off) because the manager and I struck a deal since it was out of stock at the store I went to and I had to drive 10 miles to pick it up at the next nearest store. ^

Link to computer details (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-15-4-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-DV6130US/sem/rpsm/oid/161286/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs)
Intel Centrino Duo, featuring Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5200 (1.6 GHz)
15.4" bright widescreen
1GB RAM
120GB hard drive
Built-in webcam
Windows XP Media Center edition with remote control
Built-in Altec Lansing speakers (best notebook speakers I've ever heard)

Oh, and I get Windows Vista upgrade for free when it comes out. ^

I'm pretty sure I have Office 2k7 Beta still on a machine at work. Apparently since they're so close to release, MS pulled the beta from download. I can burn it and send it to you. It quits working in February. PM me with an address.

pop out the hard drive before you send it anywhere, otherwise you risk losing all your data. You can buy a cheap cradle that will allow you to connect the drive via usb to another computer to access your data.

pop out the hard drive before you send it anywhere, otherwise you risk losing all your data. You can buy a cheap cradle that will allow you to connect the drive via usb to another computer to access your data.

VERY good point! The HDD is likely still perfectly fine and all your data is still there. Simply remove the drive and stick it in one of these (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200125&product_code=306130&Pn=USB_2_0_Aluminum_Enclosure_For_2_5_inch_Hard_Dr ives).

If you can provide the Sony's model number I can find you detailed HDD removal instructions. It's normally easy to do.

VERY good point! The HDD is likely still perfectly fine and all your data is still there. Simply remove the drive and stick it in one of these (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=BROWSE&N=200125&product_code=306130&Pn=USB_2_0_Aluminum_Enclosure_For_2_5_inch_Hard_Dr ives).

If you can provide the Sony's model number I can find you detailed HDD removal instructions. It's normally easy to do.

Thanks!

Good thing is I didn't store much on my old hard drive, just some MP3s, etc... but it would be nice to have it back!

The model number of my Sony is PCG-7ACL.

It's usually just one screw to remove the old hard-drive.

If you get the external enclosure, you'll not only be able to recover any data on it, but after that, you can wipe it and use it for backups, and the enclosure comes in handy for other things.

I can't find any model information for PCG-7ACL. Did you buy it overseas?

-David