Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 59

Thread: Did repair shop damage my laptop?

  1. #1

    Did repair shop damage my laptop?

    I am thoroughly pissed off at the guy who "repaired" my laptop. How do I get him to make it right? He seems to have lied to me and I need to know the right things to say when I confront him to make him reveal the truth.

    The reason I took it to him is because the fan quit working and I couldn't figure out how to open the case to check it myself. I usually do all my own repair work but in this case I was stumped. And his price quote was reasonable. The laptop was overheating. It's six years old and I figured the thermal paste under the CPU heat sink might need replacing. He told me that to clean the fan and replace the thermal paste would cost me just $45.

    You might wonder why I would want to repair rather than replace a six year old laptop. I'd already replaced the hard drive and the battery, and aside from that it was working just fine, until the fan stopped running. And no way can I afford a new machine. I wouldn't want one with Windows 8 or 10 on it (this one has Windows 7) anyway.

    So I dropped it off on Saturday the 11th and got it back Friday the 17th. He showed me before and after pics of the fan. It had been totally clogged with a combination of cat hair and dust. Now it's running at least 20 C. cooler than it had been. Fine, I am happy.

    Except... when first started after bringing it home, around noon last Saturday, the clock said it was 4:11 a.m. and the date was shown as Monday June 27th. I wondered if the guy had done something to the motherboard battery. That was the only thing I could think of that would have caused this issue. So I sent him an email about it.

    I had also noticed that the button to turn the laptop on was sort of tilted. It slopes to the right, where before it sat flush with the top of the machine. Also, when I first tried to start it, the light came on under the button but the laptop didn't start, it just shut off after a couple of seconds. I tried again, this time pushing the button at the same angle as the "tilt", and it worked.

    Here's the exchange I had with him by email:

    me: Did you do something that required removal of the motherboard battery?
    Because the time on the computer's clock was about eight hours too
    early when I turned it on. It also had Monday, June 27th as the date
    (on Saturday, June 18th)..

    I suppose I ought to have asked you to replace that battery, since
    it's six years old....

    Also, the on/off button seems not to be seated quite right. It is
    titled... and the first time I turned it on, it shut itself off again
    before even trying to boot up. The second time I pushed harder and at
    an angle (the same angle that it's titled at), and it booted.

    It's running about 20 C. cooler than when I brought it to you. That's very good!

    -------------------

    him: i didn't touch the battery but i know it was completely dead and i had to
    use one of my chargers to even get it to turn on when i got it. the power
    button is embedded in the casing and wasn't messed with so i don't know
    why it would be tilted. the power did the same thing to me when i first
    tried to start it and i can only figure is because the battery wasn't
    fully charged. otherwise it could be because of the mess that was on the
    motherboard, i couldn't completely remove all the debris because most of
    it was some sort of bug droppings and was stuck to the board. i didn't
    remove it because i don't have an electronic cleaner to do so. I'm glad
    it's running cooler, it should run better now that the fan isn't
    obstructed from debris.

    -------------------

    me: The laptop battery was fully charged when I gave you the machine. It's
    fairly new and has 12 cells so should have been good for at least four
    hours.

    I was talking about the *motherboard* battery in the previous message.
    That's what I ought to have asked you to replace.

    -------------------

    him: [no reply]

    I had charged the battery to 100% just before giving him the machine. There was absolutely no need for him to have put it on a charger. I hope he didn't damage it. The Toshiba PC Health Monitor says it's ok now, but earlier when I read that, it said "Battery Health: Poor". Now it says the opposite.... go figure!

    He didn't have to start the laptop until after he cleaned the fan. Which means he had taken the cover off before trying to start it up. I think when he put it back together, something must have been caddywhompus, otherwise why wouldn't the start button work right? And I had told him the battery was fully charged, when I dropped it off. And why were the date and time goofed up if he didn't touch the motherboard battery?

    Oddly, this morning when I tried to bring the machine out of hibernation, it wouldn't come back. So I shut it down completely, left it off for a while, then tried again. Nothing happened except the fan ran for a few seconds. The screen stayed black. I tried this once more (to no avail), then decided to try a complete reset; I unplugged the machine, took the battery out, and left it sitting for ten minutes, then tried again. I figured this would have ended my previous session and caused the "Windows didn't shut down properly" dialog to appear -- if it started at all. By this time I was fuming at the repair guy.... I figured he must have well and truly wrecked my laptop!

    But, surprisingly, when I reinserted the battery and the power cord, then pressed the button (at that damned angle) to start it again, the first thing I saw was "Resuming Windows"... and it was as if I had never shut the machine off at all!! THIS I do NOT understand!

    Anyhow, I think the repair guy goofed something up... I did tell him that the battery was good and fully charged when I dropped off the machine, and the power button is definitely not right now. He insists he didn't mess with that, but clearly something isn't right. What can I do about it?



  2. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  3. #2
    On second thought....this was probably a bad idea.
    Last edited by angelatc; 06-20-2016 at 08:36 AM.

  4. #3
    The only reason he started it was to make sure the fan was still working (after being cleaned).

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    All he did was start it up to make sure the fan was still working (after being cleaned).
    Yeah. You're probably right. Good luck fixing it.
    Last edited by angelatc; 06-20-2016 at 11:59 AM.

  6. #5
    I just found another issue: Closing the lid now shuts the laptop off. Used to be that closing the lid put it to sleep and it would wake up when opened (unless it had been closed long enough to go into hibernate mode). I looked at the power settings and nothing had been changed from how I had it set before the "repair".

  7. #6
    People are poor (and becoming poorer) at written communication. This guy seems very poor. You seem to be having little to no success e-mailing him. I would recommend:

    Go back and talk to him in person. Bring the laptop, of course.
    Assume good faith.
    Be pleasant, friendly, and just befuddled at the problems, but confident he can understand and fix them.

    Now he may not be able to fix everything, he may not be a very good repairman, but the point is that it would be completely counter-productive to assume that at this time. Do everything you can to help him make it all right again, and that includes making him like you, not be hostile.

    Based on what you wrote, it's not 100% sure that he messed it up by being stupid. Sometimes with older stuff like this, everything is in a delicate balance so-to-speak, and you change one thing, it could change others and have unforeseen and somewhat inexplicable consequences. That's why computers have the motto: Change Is Bad.
    Last edited by helmuth_hubener; 06-20-2016 at 10:16 AM.

  8. #7
    It's odd how the time could have moved up a week. You'd have to enter that value in the BIOS. It's not something that just happens. I think.
    "I am a bird"

  9. #8
    At this point I no longer much care what happens except for one thing:

    I feel like I entered the Twilight Zone the other day when I removed the battery and the power cord from the laptop and later it didn't say "Windows didn't shut down properly" and instead gave me "Resuming Windows" as if the machine had been in hibernation mode. If I could understand how that was possible, then my mind can have a rest!



  10. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I just found another issue: Closing the lid now shuts the laptop off. Used to be that closing the lid put it to sleep and it would wake up when opened (unless it had been closed long enough to go into hibernate mode). I looked at the power settings and nothing had been changed from how I had it set before the "repair".
    That's just a simple setting in power options. You can change it to shut down, hibernate or do nothing.

    What you have to do is scroll through a couple of different areas in the power options. There isn't just one.

    Did you go to the one that asks you what you want it to do when you close the lid? There is one for that specifically.
    Last edited by Natural Citizen; 06-21-2016 at 03:22 PM.

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    At this point I no longer much care what happens except for one thing:

    I feel like I entered the Twilight Zone the other day when I removed the battery and the power cord from the laptop and later it didn't say "Windows didn't shut down properly" and instead gave me "Resuming Windows" as if the machine had been in hibernation mode. If I could understand how that was possible, then my mind can have a rest!
    See previous post.

  13. #11
    If the person fixing my laptop was only charging $45

    I'd pretty much expect them to $#@! it up

    However you can buy a decent tablet, these days, for $45
    It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.
    - Kim Kardashian

    Donald Trump / Crenshaw 2024!!!!

    My pronouns are he/him/his

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Natural Citizen View Post
    See previous post.
    Your reply doesn't seem to me to have any connection to my question -- unless my question is evidence of a huge misunderstanding on my part.

    I had assumed, based on 18+ years of experience with computers in general, that when you SHUT DOWN a computer WITHOUT first using the built-in Shut Down process, whether from the power button or by cutting off its power supply (unplugging and removing battery, in this case), then it ought not to "Resume Windows" as if it had only been hibernating.

    Am I wrong there? If so, please explain HOW. Thanks.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Your reply doesn't seem to me to have any connection to my question -- unless my question is evidence of a huge misunderstanding on my part.

    I had assumed, based on 18+ years of experience with computers in general, that when you SHUT DOWN a computer WITHOUT first using the built-in Shut Down process, whether from the power button or by cutting off its power supply (unplugging and removing battery, in this case), then it ought not to "Resume Windows" as if it had only been hibernating.

    Am I wrong there? If so, please explain HOW. Thanks.
    Magic
    It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.
    - Kim Kardashian

    Donald Trump / Crenshaw 2024!!!!

    My pronouns are he/him/his

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    Your reply doesn't seem to me to have any connection to my question -- unless my question is evidence of a huge misunderstanding on my part.

    I had assumed, based on 18+ years of experience with computers in general, that when you SHUT DOWN a computer WITHOUT first using the built-in Shut Down process, whether from the power button or by cutting off its power supply (unplugging and removing battery, in this case), then it ought not to "Resume Windows" as if it had only been hibernating.

    Am I wrong there? If so, please explain HOW. Thanks.
    Is there a backup battery in it? There should be. It looks like a watch battery?

    Also, there are several different options in power settings that you can change in terms of how your computer shuts down and restarts. Which, I suppose you know, if you've been messing with computers for this long.

    Also, there should be an option in your BIOS to restart after a power failure.

    Of course, there may have been a program running in the background that saved something in order that windows had something in memory to resume with. It's possible.

    Anyway. Maybe I didn't read your question right. But it's likely something in your power settings. I don't remember if you said he replaced the motherboard battery or not but that could reset the BIOS setting to power back on from hibernate after a power failure. I think so anyway. Depends on the manufacturer, I suppose. Hibernate is usually the default setting across the board.

    I always make a backup if I ever have to tear my computer apart.
    Last edited by Natural Citizen; 06-21-2016 at 03:45 PM.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Natural Citizen View Post
    Is there a backup battery in it? There should be. It looks like a watch battery?

    Also, there are several different options in power settings that you can change in terms of how your computer shuts down and restarts. Which, I suppose you know, if you've been messing with computers for this long.

    Also, there should be an option in your BIOS to restart after a power failure.

    Of course, there may have been a program running in the background that saved something in order that windows had something in memory to resume with. It's possible.

    Anyway. Maybe I didn't read your question right. But it's likely something in your power settings. I don't remember if you said he replaced the motherboard battery or not but that could reset the BIOS setting to power back on from hibernate after a power failure. I think so anyway. Depends on the manufacturer, I suppose. Hibernate is usually the default setting across the board.

    I always make a backup if I ever have to tear my computer apart.
    He didn't replace the motherboard battery or change any settings. Neither did I. And this particular computer has always shut down when the power source was removed.

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    He didn't replace the motherboard battery or change any settings. Neither did I. And this particular computer has always shut down when the power source was removed.
    Yeah, but how do you really know if he did or didn't changed any settings? I work on people's computers all the time and I rarely tell them what I change. I just fix it.

    I would still check your BIOS power settings and go through the regular power option in control panel if you haven't already.


    Other than that, if he disconnected the power ribbon (even slightly) when he took the thing apart to clean the fan, that would knock all of the power settings, both in control panel and BIOS, back to default. Which is usually hibernate. I actually had to reset power a long time ago by doing relays on the pins (similar to code, I suppose) where the power ribbon connected. Once those things come unattached, it trips everything.

    Anyway. Sorry I couldn't help, Suzu. Good luck.
    Last edited by Natural Citizen; 06-21-2016 at 04:33 PM.



  19. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Natural Citizen View Post
    Yeah, but how do you really know if he did or didn't changed any settings? I work on people's computers all the time and I rarely tell them what I change. I just fix it.

    I would still check your BIOS power settings and go through the regular power option in control panel if you haven't already.


    Other than that, if he disconnected the power ribbon (even slightly) when he took the thing apart to clean the fan, that would knock all of the power settings, both in control panel and BIOS, back to default. Which is usually hibernate. I actually had to reset power a long time ago by doing relays on the pins (similar to code, I suppose) where the power ribbon connected. Once those things come unattached, it trips everything.

    Anyway. Sorry I couldn't help, Suzu. Good luck.
    I checked all the power settings right after the first indication of trouble. Nothing was different than it had been before the laptop went to the shop.

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I checked all the power settings right after the first indication of trouble. Nothing was different than it had been before the laptop went to the shop.
    Did you check your current "Restart after a power failure" default setting in BIOS? If he disconnected the power ribbon (again, even slightly) when he took it apart to clean the fan, it would trip those settings back to default which is to resume windows after a power failure. And removing the battery before it shuts down would be considered a power failure. Your BIOS power settings over ride your regular power settings in control panel.
    Last edited by Natural Citizen; 06-21-2016 at 04:53 PM.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Natural Citizen View Post
    Did you check your current "Restart after a power failure" default setting in BIOS? If he disconnected the power ribbon (again, even slightly) when he took it apart to clean the fan, it would trip those settings back to default which is to resume windows after a power failure. And removing the battery before it shuts down would be considered a power failure. Your BIOS power settings over ride your regular power settings in control panel.
    No I didn't check that (I will). Thanks for the tip.

    You say "Removing the battery before it shuts down" but what I did was shut it down using the power button (held in for 4 seconds) then unplug the power cord then take out the battery. Same thing?

  23. #20
    I was out for a couple of hours and the computer was sleeping. When I got back and started using it again, the time was moved ahead by almost three hours, and the audio no longer works. When I hover the mouse pointer over the volume control icon - which has a red X on it - in the system tray, a message pops up saying "No speakers or headphones are plugged in".

    Again, I did not change any settings. This audio problem never happened before either.

  24. #21
    Possibly some issues with the CMOS battery, but those things can last 10 years or so. If that battery is going dead, the system clock can actually speed up. Most of the laptop boards I've seen don't have the cr2032 slot like the desktops, but instead use something like this:


    Some I've even seen soldered directly to the board.

    If I had to guess, I'd say the guy had a few "spare parts" after reassembling the laptop. Or possibly a lost screw, something metal touching things it should not be touching.
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    You say "Removing the battery before it shuts down" but what I did was shut it down using the power button (held in for 4 seconds) then unplug the power cord then take out the battery. Same thing?
    Ha. Yeah, see, sometimes the end result is the same thing and, then, sometimes it's not. It just depends on the state of the computer when you do it. Sometimes I've had it resume and sometmes I've had it start in safe mode. And once, I had it even tell me to reinstall Windows...no boot sector.

    So, I don't know what's going on. And now with your other stuff happening even. The guy probably screwed it up some way.
    Last edited by Natural Citizen; 06-21-2016 at 11:03 PM.

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    If I had to guess, I'd say the guy had a few "spare parts" after reassembling the laptop. Or possibly a lost screw, something metal touching things it should not be touching.
    Matter of fact, he kept the gunk that was clogging the fan wrapped in a paper towel and showed it to me when I picked up the machine. I picked up the wad of dust and cat hair and out dropped a little screw sort of thing -- not an actual screw but something with a similar size and shape. I showed him that and he said he had misplaced it from another computer.

    After posting the above message I turned the computer off, then unplugged it, turned it over, removed the battery, waited a few minutes, plugged the battery back in and started the laptop again. Now the speakers are working again.

    I think I better take it to someone else who might be less sloppy with it and find out what the hell is going on.

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzu View Post
    I think I better take it to someone else who might be less sloppy with it and find out what the hell is going on.
    Expert opinion:














    Just put it out of its misery
    It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.
    - Kim Kardashian

    Donald Trump / Crenshaw 2024!!!!

    My pronouns are he/him/his



  28. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by TheTexan View Post
    Just put it out of its misery
    just no

  30. #26
    Women get very attached to old technology. Very strange quirk of their kind.

  31. #27
    Laptop screws have special properties; I have dropped them on tile floors, often right at my feet, never to be seen again.
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul

  32. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by RonPaulIsGreat View Post
    Women get very attached to old technology. Very strange quirk of their kind.
    I like this laptop and can't afford a new anything. This laptop has the best built-in speakers -- better than the external speakers I had with a desktop PC. Being a very aurally-oriented person, sound quality means a lot to me. It's not easy to find laptops with speakers this good.

  33. #29
    duplicate post -- delete

  34. #30
    I was thinkng about getting a Mac. One of those all in one units. But I don't know. I've never used one.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •