Topic: need a new computer

[Phil Zone]

Hi all,
 My computer died last night as I was working on my wsp show. It keeps frezing and just can't do anything. So I need a new one what should I get? Thinking asus. I can't afford much since my last one that I bought 2 years ago was 1300 its a dell xps i7 8gb ram and all the nice stuff.

Its gotta be a laptop, what do you think?

Thanks

[willndmb]

If you spent $1300 on a pc
Get a Mac book pro, get audacity, get xact
Check out the refurbs direct from apple too
If you can make it till black fri you can save, if you are a student/teacher you save too

[Gordon]

since you can't trouble shoot and fix it yourself (assuming from the sound of your post) then call up a local (not box store) computer repair person and have it fixed.  it's only 2 years old and you spent a lot on it.  You'll likely get out for less than $200.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

I'm going to assume since you want a laptop your old computer is a laptop.

There is NO WAY you need a "NEW" computer. If you buy a new computer your are wasting your money. I would say the chances of your computer needing a complete replacement is very very low (unless it's been dropped).

Computer freezing is almost ALWAYS due to a bad hard drive. 2 years is within the range of a laptop having a drive die (early...but not too crazy).

As Gordon has suggested I would bring it to your local repair show (NOT BEST BUY). Have them take a look at it. If it is the hard drive you're looking at a few hundred bucks to replace it and have windows re-installed. Depending on how much storage you need I would also suggest going with a SSD drive. Not only are these more reliable and less prone to damage they are also WAY faster than a spinning drive. The downside is they are more expensive, but if you can live with 256GB you can get one for about $200 (plus the cost to have it installed and the OS re-installed).

What is the EXACT model of your computer. I'll try to see how easy or difficult it is to swap the drive out yourself. Some laptops will simply have a little door you need to open to swap the drive out. If this is the case it's about as difficult to fix as Legos.

If you want to fix it yourself you're going to need to re-install windows and your programs. Make sure you have your re-install disc. If you don't have that I might be able to get one for you. You'd just need your serial number to get yourself up and running.

Don't be afraid of your computer. Fixing it is very easy. When I first started working on computers it was because I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix my computer. I was scared shitless that I was going to completely ruin it, but didn't have a choice. Once I got in there and did the work I discovered that there wasn't much too it. Yes you need to be careful and yes you need to do some reading first, but it's not a car. More often than not you're going to unplug whatever is broken and replace it with a working part.

[Phil Zone]

It's a dell xps 15 the version before the current one. Thanks for the advice

[Gordon]

I do computer repair for a living and I would test the ram and the hard drive first.  for hard drive start with a "smart" check.  the free version of hd tune should do

http://www.hdtune.com/

check the health and if there is anything in yellow or red the drive likely needs replaced (depends on the attributes).

do you know what brand drive is in it?  find out what brand (hd tune should tell you) and use their diagnostic tool.  the bootable ones are better than the windows based. 

for ram make a bootable disc of memtest 86+ and let it run AT LEAST 5 passes.  if there are any errors then the ram needs replaced.

http://www.memtest.org/

[Phil Zone]

I'll give that a shot and its a toshiba hard drive 

[Gordon]

check the smart values first with hd tune.  again yellow or red is BAD!  there is one or two attributes that are ok to be yellow but if you have any let me know which ones.  here is Toshiba's diagnostic tool

http://storage.toshiba.com/storage-services-support/warranty-support/software-utilities

[Phil Zone]

Ran the test and got a red sector. So where should I go from here

[Gordon]

drive is failing.  need to replace the drive and re-install windows.  if that is above your pay grade then buy a drive (western digital) of whatever size you want and pay someone to do it.  by buying it yourself you will not pay markup.  I may can find a tech to recommend in your area.

also if there is anything on the drive you need I would attempt a backup now!

[Phil Zone]

Everything is backed up already I'd like maybe 500gb drive at least but don't need more than 750gb. Any specific one you'd recommend? And I think I know someone who can do it for me, but if you know someone in the cape cod/ Plymouth mass area le me know. Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it!

[Gordon]

you're best bet (if not going solid state) is a western digital black in whatever size you want.  I don't know anyone in the area personally but I'm on a forum where I could likely find someone for you.

[Phil Zone]

I'm getting a western digital black 7200rpm 500gb this afternoon. Thank you for all the help!

[willndmb]

Gordon to the rescue nice work

[Phil Zone]

Gordon to the rescue nice work

I installed it and reinstalled windows, runs like a charm!  Better than ever