Theyreallrubbish

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

I don't normally list the prices, but in this case I thought it was relevant to show why I'm mad. If it was a 3 year old, 14k notebook that they'd made unrepairable I'd have just shrugged and bought another one, but I think I'm justified in being p'ed off at this level of loss

yes, many times it is appropriate to mention prices, particularly in this case....

who is to say that one should not mention prices....

if you feel it is relevant.... name the price....

you are not breaking any rule or regulation here....

the op does not appear to be showing off his enormous wealth either....

Thanks.

I was trying to warn others to take care based on my experience at one place, and was also venting a little.

Strange that the majority of responses have attacked me for even thinking it should be repaired or being annoyed at all that an expensive laptop is now a useless brick!

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

It was released in Feb 2006, so technically its 4 yr old technology, by all means try to get it fixed, I know I would but I would not be whining about MoBo prices considering what a full laptop replacement is worth.

Just Pm'd a mate in australia who works for Lenovo/IBM he says 8500b ($290.00 AUD) is a bargain for a new mobo, he says they sell em for $350.00.

Not to mention the fact that is was already not working when he took it in to the shop in the first place.

Why the moaning and groaning?

Your own diagnosis of the fault indicates that the notebook had already sustained irrepairable damage to the main voltage input line most likely due to a power fluctuation by either a voltage surge or a frequency spike. Yes you can sometimes be lucky and not have permanent damage to the input circuit and the fault can exhibit either of the symptoms you outline. Just as different people have differing early symptoms for the common cold.

Just remember that indicator LEDS lighting up for a few seconds does not mean that the computerr was functioning. By your own explanation and description it was already dead.

The second shop told me the first shop had caused damage

Replace the motherboard, they're cheap. Better yet, gut the old laptop and instal all-new components. Have the shop put your current hard drive in a box so you can plug it in as an external drive and transfer all the data you want to keep.

In my Lenovo, nearly three years old, I just installed the latest Intel chipset and a newer, larger hard drive. Total cost 4500 baht, including all parts and labour. A lot cheaper than buying a new computer. I did at Pantip Plaza in Bangkok and they did a splendid job.

This would be great! My laptop has the high resolution screen, the IBM keyboard I like, the nipple mouse control, fingerprint scanner etc. If I can replace the innards for 4500 that would be fantastic.

Did you replace the motherboard, graphics chip, memory etc or just the CPU? And did you replace with Lenovo parts or standard off the shelf parts?

Absolutely nuts to stay with someone who slips you drugs.

Whether you believe they don't know what it was makes no difference. In fact, what kind of irresponsible idiot gives someone drugs without their knowledge when they don't even know what the drug is? What if you have a medical condition like high blood pressure that's non-visible and the drug interacted with it or the medication?

BTW, the crying is more likely fear of you going to the police. Thai jail is something to cry over

Where is this Pantip Plaza? Cuz your post is in the CM forum.

Best notebook repair is on floor 3 - sort of central - Notebook Automation (I think) is their name. The girl in there speaks good English.

I specifically posted in the CM forum rather than the computer forum as its more a shopping thing about Chiang Mai than strictly a techy thing.

There is a Pantip Plaza in CM, as most expats probably know, which is why I didn't think it was necessary to specify in the CM forum.

Sorry for the confusion

Bad story i hope you can get it fixed. But are you one of these people who feel the need to say the price of what everything costs. There seems to be alot of them among the expats in thailand these days. It is a laptop we dont really need to know the price. But i hope someone can fix your ' 95000 ' baht laptop. I am going out for a 60 baht beer on my 52500 baht moterbike from my 17000 baht a month home.

I don't normally list the prices, but in this case I thought it was relevant to show why I'm mad. If it was a 3 year old, 14k notebook that they'd made unrepairable I'd have just shrugged and bought another one, but I think I'm justified in being p'ed off at this level of loss

Well.

If you bought your T60 at 95,000 Baht then you have overpaid for it in the first place.

Secondly, if the T60 motherboard is available at Baht 8500 it is definately worth it.

Lastly, if you are still unable to locate the motherboard, do let me know. I will organize it for you.

PS Sethi (UCOMSERVICES)

Bought in the UK in 2007. Near top specced one at the time, was 1300 pounds at an exchange rate of about 70 to the pound, plus I spent 5000 Baht on a new battery recently.

Edit, thanks for the offer to help. Will contact you if neither of the places I went to can supply

its a 4yr old laptop, these days its worth zero, just buy a new one, you had a good run with that one.

I bought it at the end of 2007, so not quite 4 years old. Over its 1 year warranty though obviously

And to get similar specced IBM Thinkpad today is not much cheaper. A similarly specced one today is nearly 50,000. That's with a CPU only slightly higher. The only difference in the latest is the larger HD and DDR3 memory instead of DDR2.

I don't like the trackpad so I prefer the little nipple and the fingerprint reader and generally sturdier construction (and supposed reliability) is important as its for business.

I'm not about to just ditch a notebook after just over 3 years and put down another 50k to get something about the same. Or I may be forced to, but I'll be damned unhappy about it!

Took my notebook in for repair to the repair shop immediately next to Office Depot. It wouldn't power up properly, turning off after a couple of seconds

A week later I went to pick it up only to find it wouldn't even register power going in to it.

I took it to another shop and a week later went back to be told that the previous shop has ruined the motherboard and it was unfixable!

Since the condition was demonstrably worse on receiving it from the first shop I feel its fair to accept the second shop's explanation that it was unfixable when they received it.

Now I'm waiting to hear whether a replacement motherboard is even obtainable or whether my 95,000 Baht notebook is an unfixable brick! (Only 3 year old Thinkpad T60, but both the second repair shop and the Lenovo shop in Pantip Plaza are very doubtful as to whether they can obtain a replacement, and even if they can it'll be at least 8500 Baht)

So in the spirit of community I share this experience in order to help others possible avoid the same

I noticed at Nong Khai last week that the river was lower than I'd ever seen it.

It was so low that a western couple on the bus across the river exclaimed, "I didn't know they had beaches here. They didn't mention it in the guidebooks"

Working fine for me.

Chiang Mai on TT&T internet

Went last week. Border at around 9 a.m. wasn't as busy as it has been before. Got my Laos visa in under five minutes. For some reason mine came out almost immediately after I handed it in and ahead of people who'd been ahead of me.

Took a car with 2 other people to the Embassy and then on to our hotels for 350 Baht. (I stayed at the Aroon hotel, which is very nice and the staff are lovely, but be warned that it is a long way from anything and I even had to walk over a kilometer until I found a tuk tuk. Tuk Tuk to the river was 100 Baht each way, so don't stay here if you plan to do anything other than stay in the room unless you're happy to walk quite a long way to find a taxi.)

Quite busy at the embassy with the numbers going nearly to 300, but again not as busy as I've seen in the past where I've seen numbers over 400 at the same time. I was busy chatting with people so I didn't really notice the time it took.

Next day was a bit chaotic as the number system wasn't working. Got the double entry tourist visa. No problems. I was a little worried as my passport has a triple entry tourist visa, 3 double entry tourist visas and 2 non-im B visas in it, but no problem, and no red stamp.

Standing around chatting outside I didn't hear anyone complain or seem less than happy.

Back at the bridge it was quieter than usual and the buses were leaving before they were full and although only 2 immigration lines were open there were only about 10 people in each line.

My impression has always been that the girls that hang down by the beach are infected with HIV or too addicted to drugs to be able to hold a job at any bar.

Maybe I'm wrong and its the sweet innocent ones who don't know how to get a job at a bar, but I've always rather thought that punters who take beach girls have a death wish anyway, and to what lengths should we go to protect them from themselves.

Kindof harsh I know, but they're obviously willing to engage in very risky behaviour and will come a cropper one way or another anyway

Excuse me, but you are one ignorant sob when it comes to Pattaya, prostitutes, and the beach. The beach is for free lancers. Some are too young to work in a bar as that age is 20. Some are part-timers, and many have no desire to hang in a bar 12 hours a day. To assume anything else about HIV or otherwise is absurd. I lived in Pattaya for five years, had a salon and personally know many girls in the trade. They come from all over and make their choice as to where to work. So, put a sock in your mouth and choke on your ignorance.

Well said! I see many girls who I have met in bars working as freelancers. They say they are not tied to working everyday, and can choose when to work and who they go with.

Lot's of knights have been charging forward in this thread to defend the poor damsels' distress.

There's no point answering them individually as reducing everything to absolutist arguments is a symptom of an inability to think in anything other than black and white terms which makes reasoned discussion impossible.

The basic point however is that the use of logical fallacies such as exceptionalism or relativism does not counter my point. The point being that beach girls are more LIKELY to have HIV. Not that EVERY single one has HIV. That beach girls are more LIKELY to have severe drug addictions making it impossible for them to hold a job with regular hours. Not that EVERY beach girl is a hardcore drug addict.

And the counterpoint is not that NO bar girls have HIV or drug problems, but that overall their infection rates and addiction rates are LOWER than a sample of beach girls. NOT ZERO

So the basic point is that taking beach girls is more risky than taking bar girls. Responding with a strawman as if the point was that going with a beach girl means instant death is not a useful response.

I've stated already I have no moral position, but purely one of relative risk assessment. Without using exceptionalism ("I met one that didn't kill me so your entire argument is wrong") does anyone really believe its LESS risky?

Look at the company at the bottom of the page. Leader in factoring and about to go public, so should be OK

http://www.set.or.th/en/company/ipo/upcoming_ipo_set.html

This sounds like just another 'crackdown' du jour, done for PR purposes and cash. The girls on the Beach Road are defenseless when it comes to the Police. Afterall, both groups need to make a living. I suspect this is mostly the new Chief of Police trying to show who is in charge. What? Does he think that this has never been done before? And how can there even be prostitutes in Pattaya because it's clearly been explained to me in the past that since prostitution is illegal, it's not possible that there are any here.

As for the Bar Owner that posted that the girls on the Beach Road are HIV/Aids victims, or not capable of working in a bar, I have a question for you and for them: Has anyone (customers) ever seen a medical certificate from ANY girl they've taken from a bar? No, I think not! As for girls not being capable of working in a bar, come on now. Most of these girls have about 6 years of school. Bar work is not rocket science. The girls on the Beach I've talked to make far more than many girls in any bars except for some GoGo Bars. They are their own boss, wake up, work, and sleep when they want to without being fined from an ugly old fat mamasan for being late. Besides, assuming you are using a condom, it's very statistically unlikely that you'll get anything from them. They would be the ones to be more susceptible, not you.

Remember, all this too will pass...............

I'm not buying it that taking a girl from the beach is as safe as one from a bar.

All the stories of tourist druggings and thefts seem to involve girls picked up from the beach.

However, that's my level of risk taking, feel free to behave as you'd like, I'm not making a moral judgement, simply a practical one regarding safety

I think the' folklore' linked to prostitution, aside from the prostitution itself, counts for 80 percent of the charm of Pattaya.The strange ' zoo' which is the Beach at night is one of the tourist attractions of the city! Otherwise WHO would take a stroll along the beach?It's polluted, crowdy,noisy.So TAT should ENCOURAGE prostitution on the beach, and police should do the same.I like the beach the way it is.It is an institution, a sanctuary, a living museum, a unique scene for unrrivaled stand comedian. It s almost poetic, at times...

I love the free people watching. More interesting than the zoo.

The crazier pattaya is and the more outrageously dressed its attractions the better as far as I'm concerned as they all add to give the place a unique flavor like nowhere else on earth.

And for all the complainers, there are a zillion other beaches in Thailand you could walk down that are exactly the way you like so why pressure to change this one? And in case you weren't aware, taking one of the girls is NOT compulsory despite them being there

My impression has always been that the girls that hang down by the beach are infected with HIV or too addicted to drugs to be able to hold a job at any bar.

Maybe I'm wrong and its the sweet innocent ones who don't know how to get a job at a bar, but I've always rather thought that punters who take beach girls have a death wish anyway, and to what lengths should we go to protect them from themselves.

Kindof harsh I know, but they're obviously willing to engage in very risky behaviour and will come a cropper one way or another anyway

So you're a bar owner then?

Very unfair comment, these girls simply prefer to work for themselves (or so I'm told), .

BTW how does one tell a Russian mafia prostitute from an ordinary Thai prostitute?? Serious question, but if you folks want to add punchlines, please feel free....within the rules, of course.

Of course, they're all free spirited, independently minded entrepreneurs who don't want to be tied down by the rules imposed by "The Man". Well obviously their clients are discerning gentleman not threatened by a strong independent woman and wanting something more than a submissive bar girl. (With a one in three chance of getting something more)

"A total of 60 people were rounded-up, including 20 transsexuals and 40 women."

I just noticed this.

Is this a typical ratio for Pattaya, one in three "women" with the danglies?

My impression has always been that the girls that hang down by the beach are infected with HIV or too addicted to drugs to be able to hold a job at any bar.

Maybe I'm wrong and its the sweet innocent ones who don't know how to get a job at a bar, but I've always rather thought that punters who take beach girls have a death wish anyway, and to what lengths should we go to protect them from themselves.

Kindof harsh I know, but they're obviously willing to engage in very risky behaviour and will come a cropper one way or another anyway

One thing to bear in mind is that many Thai companies are paternalistic and cover quite a few expenses. Often the manager will buys lunch for the staff, nights out paid for by the company, interest free loans, help with hospital bills, mobile phone bills paid, gasoline paid etc. So salary is not the entire compensation.

Then don't forget that a skimming, pilfering and "commissions" is widespread, and to a surprising extent tolerated.

I've seen Tiger cubs and monkeys for sale there.

When I asked the seller of the tiger cubs where they came from she said they lived up country and her village killed the tiger and found the cubs so she came to Bangkok to sell them.

Of course, this was about 15 years ago. Probably aren't many tigers left in the wild so enforcing the law now would be barn door/horse.

Jesus, just one bust!

Makes you wonder how much drug use there really is going on out there.

I must be naive, but I rarely see someone I could point to and say I think they're on drugs. But with this level of volume there must be very widespread use.

I know of a few small hotels in Pattaya which have been fully booked this week end.

Long weekend for the Kings Birthday and Chiang Mai is popular with Thais.

Doesn't necessarily indicate a good high season of foreign tourists

I much prefer McDonald's coffee to Starbucks which I find bitter and over roasted

However, I like Thai style ice coffees with the sweet evaporated milk added so I'm probably not much of a judge

0.05 bt/km doesn't seem like a low running cost.

My multi-ton Fortuner will go around 600kms on a tank of diesel which works out to just over 2 baht a kilometer.

Hard to believe a little electric scooter can't be cheaper