steven100 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) I have a Compaq 325 notebook. Took it into <removed> in Phitsanulok and he installed a new video chip. Got it home and notebook power plug kept sparking when inserting the lead, and wouldn't start. Took it back, Two weeks later got it home, and it keeps shutting down at random, and volume squeals so I have to mute it. Took it back, 15 days later .. picked it up, the volume wasn't fixed and he said he didn't know about that but bring it back in a few weeks and he will take a look. ( but I am absolutely sure I told him before ) anyway got it home and worked ok for 8 hours, then shuts down again ...several times in 4 hours. Also, the black plastic in the corner of the keyboard has been scratched with a screwdriver or something ... and i mean multiple scratches. I don't know what to do ..... my friend says he doesn't want to talk to the shop anymore .... absolute incompetence !!!!!! I am think to go back myself with a Thai written note explaining my disbelief and the issue still happening. Edited May 25, 2019 by ubonjoe removed business name due to forum rule about libel/defamation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pib Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I'm confused as to who has been taking the notebook to the shop and explaining the problem. You first paragraph implies it was you. But then the second paragraph implies one of your friends as the friend don't want to talk to the shop anymore. Then the last paragraph talks about you going back yourself. If another person has actually been taking the notebook to the shop and also communicating the problem, maybe he/she hasn't been clearly identifying what the problem is which would allow the shop to specifically look for and focus towards fixing that specific problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Pib said: I'm confused as to who has been taking the notebook to the shop and explaining the problem. You first paragraph implies it was you. But then the second paragraph implies one of your friends as the friend don't want to talk to the shop anymore. Then the last paragraph talks about you going back yourself. If another person has actually been taking the notebook to the shop and also communicating the problem, maybe he/she hasn't been clearly identifying what the problem is which would allow the shop to specifically look for and focus towards fixing that specific problem. hi Pib, my friend ( thai ) has been with me every time we go to the computer shop. He explained the problem to the guy several times. The guy has been told it shuts down at random. And he was told about the volume squeal. Edited May 25, 2019 by steven100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 It's so frustrating .... You get something back two or three times and it's still faulty !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Pilotman Posted May 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 25, 2019 1 minute ago, steven100 said: It's so frustrating .... You get something back two or three times and it's still faulty !!! Um, why do you keep going back to the same chap? He clearly doesn't know what is wrong, so why are you persisting with him? Go somewhere else mate. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post steven100 Posted May 25, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 25, 2019 1 minute ago, Pilotman said: Um, why do you keep going back to the same chap? He clearly doesn't know what is wrong, so why are you persisting with him? Go somewhere else mate. I think your right ..... I only persisted with him because the random shutdown problem & the volume screech only happened after he replaced the video chip ( so essentially his wrong doing ) .... he hasn't charged me anything since the video replacement ....but that doesn't fix my notebook. I will take it to another shop next week. A computer tech my a** .... lol 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puchaiyank Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Just a thought, these folks would think nothing of swapping out your computer's parts to repair other machines... They will wait you out...frustrate you...until you go away... I would not trust them ever again... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pib Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Intermittent problems can be the most frustrating type of computer problem. I had an 8 year old Toshiba laptop that required the main video ATI GPU to be replaced...it completely loss all video on the laptop screen and VGA output connector. But this problem started off as an intermittent problem....then reached 100% dead status after a few months. I partially disassembled the laptop to check for loose/dirty/broken connectors & wires....none could be found. Also cleaned the inside to include cooling fan and heatsink....even replaced heatsink compound. Took the laptop to a local repair shop in large mall here in Bangkok....a few days later they called and said it needed a new GPU chip...would cost Bt3K parts and labor....I gave them the go ahead. Two days later it's fixed again....given the old chip....laptop now working fine but after about 6 months the same problem came back...initially intermittent over a few weeks....then completely dead. I opened it up again....saw where the GPU had been replaced 6 months early. Couldn't fine anything visually causing the problem...figured the GPU went bad again....probably something on the GPU module or motherboard causing the GPU chip to fail. I don't blame the repair shop for the short 6 months of rebirth....just something in the computer was causing the GPU to go bad. I didn't attempt repair again this time as I had bought a new laptop during that 6 month period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosan Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) I can't believe that in this day and age people are still trying to fix laptops. Most techies know that chips are soldered to the motherboard by precision equipment in the factory. Asking someone to change a faulty chip does not make any sense. In all likelihood, the entire motherboard was probably swapped out, and if the problem persists, then it could be an ongoing problem with said motherboard (bad design). Also how old are these laptops you guys are trying to repair? It's almost always more cost effective (and less headaches) to replace an old expensive Laptop with a new cheaper one--because newer cheaper electronics will almost always outperform older hardware. Say what you will, but at least stop banging your heads against concrete block walls! Edited May 25, 2019 by mosan changed "stone" walls to "concrete block" walls... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardandtubs Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Incompetence + impotence = incompotence? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayaout Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, mosan said: I can't believe that in this day and age people are still trying to fix laptops. Most techies know that chips are soldered to the motherboard by precision equipment in the factory. Asking someone to change a faulty chip does not make any sense. In all likelihood, the entire motherboard was probably swapped out, and if the problem persists, then it could be an ongoing problem with said motherboard (bad design). Also how old are these laptops you guys are trying to repair? It's almost always more cost effective (and less headaches) to replace an old expensive Laptop with a new cheaper one--because newer cheaper electronics will almost always outperform older hardware. Say what you will, but at least stop banging your heads against concrete block walls! This guy make a living changing chips and components on "unsolderable" motherboard. https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup However it might very difficult to find a repair shop with this kind of expertise in Thailand. This guy keep fixing other authorized "repair" shop mistakes. Edited May 25, 2019 by Tayaout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow Leopard Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 5 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said: Incompetence + impotence = incompotence? Still chuckling. Brilliant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pib Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) 35 minutes ago, mosan said: I can't believe that in this day and age people are still trying to fix laptops. Most techies know that chips are soldered to the motherboard by precision equipment in the factory. Asking someone to change a faulty chip does not make any sense. In all likelihood, the entire motherboard was probably swapped out, and if the problem persists, then it could be an ongoing problem with said motherboard (bad design). Also how old are these laptops you guys are trying to repair? It's almost always more cost effective (and less headaches) to replace an old expensive Laptop with a new cheaper one--because newer cheaper electronics will almost always outperform older hardware. Say what you will, but at least stop banging your heads against concrete block walls! Nope...the entire motherboard was not swapped out....only the GPU. The shop has a hot air desoldering/soldering rework station/machine with temp sensors to precisely control the hot air temp....just enough to cause the low temperature solder to melt for component removal/replacement but not damage components/motherboard. Very similar to soldering components at the factory....components are prcisely placed on the motherboard...then heated with hot air or in an oven which causes the components to self solder. When I picked up my repaired laptop I actually hung around and watched them unsolder a defective soldered CPU on a laptop motherboard and replace it with another one. The unsoldering and resoldering is the quick part....the clean up process between unsoldering and resoldering took the most time....the cleanup process involves preparing the "ball solder" for resoldering. Edited May 25, 2019 by Pib 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosan Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 20 minutes ago, Pib said: Nope...the entire motherboard was not swapped out....only the GPU. The shop has a hot air desoldering/soldering rework station/machine with temp sensors to precisely control the hot air temp....just enough to cause the low temperature solder to melt for component removal/replacement but not damage components/motherboard. Very similar to soldering components at the factory....components are prcisely placed on the motherboard...then heated with hot air or in an oven which causes the components to self solder. When I picked up my repaired laptop I actually hung around and watched them unsolder a defective soldered CPU on a laptop motherboard and replace it with another one. The unsoldering and resoldering is the quick part....the clean up process between unsoldering and resoldering took the most time....the cleanup process involves preparing the "ball solder" for resoldering. Pib, that is not a typical repair shop in Thailand. What are we talking about for costs? Additionally, did I remember you saying that the problem you had re-occurred and finally died--or was that some other poster? I still can't see doing that as being cost effective for the average joe living here--that's not to say you're average. Hell for all I know, you may be well funded. I'm not doing too bad myself, but being a techie type, I'd never invest in replacing components on a motherboard--let alone a laptop motherboard. Too proprietary, and too much hassle for my tastes. These components are commodity items. For the every day Joe, unless they are deeply in love with their machine, I advise them to move on... Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pib Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 6 minutes ago, mosan said: Pib, that is not a typical repair shop in Thailand. What are we talking about for costs? Additionally, did I remember you saying that the problem you had re-occurred and finally died--or was that some other poster? Talked in my post #9. Yeap, I'm a techie also when it comes to repairing electronics....grew-up that way early in my military career and being a hobby with electronics/avionics. It is getting harder to do repairs of many electronics today as they get smaller and smaller, more complex, but older electronics/motherboards can still be repaired economically in many cases....depends on the problem. I'm not of the "just go by another one" attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I can't believe that an ~8 year-old laptop can possibly have all these issues? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer90210 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Go for a MacBook Pro....and when the problems arise (and they do also have issues believe me), you can take it to the Apple Store at IconSiam and maybe the service will be upto standards, hopefully ?... and if not, you could always issue a complain by snail mail to APPLE INC in Cupertino, USA and believe me, they will take the issue seriously if not satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Sure, you can open up a laptop and fix/alter it, and if it's a success then good on you. But these things aren't designed with repair in mind, that concept began to fade away when vacuum tubes went out of style. Around the same time was the start of planned obsolescence, the idea that products were designed to only last a certain amount of time. In the US there were ads for cars implying they were supposed to last 50,000 miles (app. 80,000 km), and the dealer will be looking forward to seeing you again in another 3-5 years. (Reading back what I wrote, I guess it says something of why Japanese cars gained such success in the US, aside from fuel efficiency.) Myself, I'm kind of clumsy but I've managed to do things like open it up and replace the keyboard, and it would have been easy enough to break that thin-as-paper connector ribbon. Swapping out the hd and memory was easy when they had their own little doors, but my current Asus laptop has a completely solid underside. I had an Acer laptop in the 1990s that went hinky, I sent it in and they swapped out the entire motherboard, the operation probably took about 20 minutes, if that. Same happened with a Denon stereo receiver, they swapped out the board. My own lifespan for laptops the past 20 years has been app. 3 years. Moving around a lot, bags getting banged around etc is a big factor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazar Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 14 hours ago, mosan said: I can't believe that in this day and age people are still trying to fix laptops. Most techies know that chips are soldered to the motherboard by precision equipment in the factory. Asking someone to change a faulty chip does not make any sense. In all likelihood, the entire motherboard was probably swapped out, and if the problem persists, then it could be an ongoing problem with said motherboard (bad design). Also how old are these laptops you guys are trying to repair? It's almost always more cost effective (and less headaches) to replace an old expensive Laptop with a new cheaper one--because newer cheaper electronics will almost always outperform older hardware. Say what you will, but at least stop banging your heads against concrete block walls! If you know how to do it they are perfectly repairable unless of course you are dealing with Apple, this guy specialises in it, most major chains wont do a lot of this they'd rather lie and tell you they cant fix it, just like apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazar Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 5 hours ago, observer90210 said: they will take the issue seriously if not satisfied. If you watch many of the videos from the guy that I posted you will see Apple really don't give a shit about the customer, often saying it cannot be repaired at all and dong poor work. Louis Rossman will show you exactly what's wrong and how he fixed it when Apple have said you can't including data retrieval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattayabeerbacon Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 (edited) You cannot trust them. Edited May 25, 2019 by Pattayabeerbacon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer90210 Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 (edited) On 5/25/2019 at 11:58 PM, Chazar said: If you watch many of the videos from the guy that I posted you will see Apple really don't give a shit about the customer, often saying it cannot be repaired at all and dong poor work. Louis Rossman will show you exactly what's wrong and how he fixed it when Apple have said you can't including data retrieval. Read my entire post please that mentions where to refer if you have a grievance against a local apple store. Edited May 28, 2019 by observer90210 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 On 5/25/2019 at 2:58 PM, Chazar said: Apple really don't give a shit about the customer Recall that business early in the days of the iPod, something about the battery wearing out and was not replaceable. [note: I have never owned an Apple product] They had no intention of making good on it, but hey! the new iPod is out and it doesn't have the problem! I recall a friend being really incensed by this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Off-topic post reported and removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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