NanLaew

How did they respond to your 'Mensa Moment'? In general I mean.

I tried Patpong with my dressing gown and slippers on once. Only the once mind you.

So you're saying you're not housebroken yet.

And many have managed to do exactly that after explaining their need for an account to the staff at their selected bank and branch.

It may also be very hot tomorrow but cooler with rain in October.

Nothing burger. Families don't go to Soi 6 and most of them probably don't even know it exists.

...and you sound like my auntie Mary. Always jumping to bizarre conclusions about people she didn't know.

isn't really a tourist.

I still can't get over the fact that nobody is pointing at anything.

So you're suggesting your disorganization and boozing doesn't bother anyone else. Is this another benefit of singlehood?

Don't sweat it. I had a 16 year old here who's mum told me she was 18. This was way back when I was in my twenties and it wasn't unusual but was STILL illegal. The only difference from nowadays is it didn't get the holier-than-thou brigade all riled up.

Who? The punters? Probably not. Who? The punters? Probably.

Two weeks ago, I went to Savanakhet and got a one-year, multri-entry visa without all that faff.

Im suppposed to be getting messages from my overseas bank, so far nothing. And the overseas bank is aware that you have a new number? Is your new number a Thai number? Is it a VOIP number?

You are dealing with a branch of a Thai government agency. Best to drop the branch of the Land Transport Office where you plan on doing this transfer and ask them. I know that PoA drafted by a Thai lawyer and witnessed in Thailand was accepted fairly recently at an LTO for transfering a vehicle's title in the absence of the owner. However, just like Thai immigration offices, LTO rules and their implementation can vary.

But KNOWLEDGE is interchangeable. They may use bespoke software to access CAN bus systems for vehicle fault analysis but probably the only thing that's unique on any workshop's 'computer' is the GUI. In IT geek world, most people easily migrate from XP, to 7 to 10 and even Linux and the hardware means little. In mechanics geek world, they can quickly learn to operate the software and diagnose a different manufacturer's vehicle. I run Forscan on my smartphone via OBDII for DIY maintenance and my qualification in life is a City & Guilds in Cheese Mechanics from Dunbar University. Forscan software works on both Ford AND GM builds so I've assisted my mate with his legacy Chevy as well. The susceptibility of MOSFET's to be easily damaged is also the root cause of most modern vehicles 'computer' or Control Module issues. They mostly use MOSFET outputs to do simple things like switching the low beam or high beam. The main benefit of these systems is a reduction in the need to run heavier gauge wires and multiple fused circuits. Somchai's rock!

This almost mirrors the experience of my friend who bought his Surface in the US but it was OUT of warranty here when the battery fattened. They still replaced it with a new Surface, shipped to Thailand and were not interested in the old one. This new replacement Surface, while still under warranty, grew a fat battery as well and again, they shipped a new one here to replace it.

In the meantime, your ip address has been flagged....

This is Thailand where EVERYTHING can be discretionary.

LOL I recall back in those heady daze of ThaiVisa, I posted some advice on how to kill the annoying pop-ups and eye-searing adverts. My post was deleted faster than you could say 'shallow grave'.

No worries. My then 8 year-old ASUS laptop that had growing USB and keyboard issues got a new lease of life when I replaced the original i5 powered mobo with a used i7 one off eBay. Cost $180 incl. shipping and, because I was being a bit kihk-yet, I got 'Somchai' here to install it for 800 baht . When I subsequently upgraded it to W10, it was like a total new lease of life. Now it's 12 years old and has developed a thin vertical cyan strip on the LCD (but of course that doesn't show on external monitor) thus it has been officially retired as the traveling workhorse.

Indeed it is but the Lao government gets that. The 286 baht is what I spent at the convenience store. Correct but with my entry enabled by a Non-O, I am NOT a tourist. PS: I'm leaving again tomorrow night, coming back in May. TAT loves me.

When I was working for Aramco, they reimbursed us for a new laptop every year. When I subsequently worked with the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, they replaced our corporate issue Dell's every two years. Later, when I set up an independent consultant, I made sure MY laptop had an extended global warranty and get as much out of that 5-years (and beyond) as possible.

Laptop schmaptop, they're all variations on a theme. In the same way as a Honda-trained mechanic will have no problems working on a Toyota when he quits for more money or better conditions... and vice versa. If your car goes tits-up and is out of warranty, do you take it to the dealership? BTW, my name isn't Somchai.

There's a component called a mosfet (Metal Oxide Silicon Field Effect Transistor) on the power input side of laptop motherboard that is designed to auto-detect power surges and block the supply voltage being input thus saving the 'guts' of the machine. They are like an automatically resetting fuse. Remove power and it resets ready for the next power-on cycle. They are on the input from the charger AND the inputs from the built-in battery. Mosfets by their nature are susceptible to failure when their own minimal protections fail. These devices are not immune to failure and when they do, the result can be the 'brick' like the OP got back from the first 'technician'. I would hazard that this component(s) was possibly 'on the way out' when the OP tells us that the first symptom was random but recoverable 'freezing'. These components, there can be up to a half a dozen or more, are tiny and are SMD or 'surface mounted devices' with up to eight sub-miniature solder connections. This means their removal and/or replacement can't be done easily with conventional tools. Furthermore, removal/replacement may not easily guaranteed due to the varying designs and layout of motherboards. Also know that there's probably a charging IC (Integrated Circuit) that has logic to determine battery versus external power. These too can fail and are even harder to replace due to having many more sub-miniature solder connections. I am assuming that both 'technicians' were aware of the fifty-fifty success rate but went ahead and told the customer what he wants to hear by taking on the job first. After several hours faffing about, they find that either these components are not easily replaced OR, as may be the case of the first 'technician', he's probably gone and buggerd up something else. The only 100% solution I see is for the motherboard to be completely replaced. This motherboard is probably out of production but one can search on eBay for the same model laptop. Look for one that may be being sold for spares, hopefully with an "screen smashed, motherboard good" notice. I have done that in the past when repairing legacy laptops. Good luck.