Free Laptop Help

What is a checkpoint friendly laptop bag?

2008-08-11T02:20:53Z

The TSA / Transportation Security Administration screens laptops to see if the electronics have been tampered with and look for irregularities. So, what exactly is a "checkpoint friendly" laptop bag?

]]> A checkpoint friendly bag will allow officers a clear, unobstructed view of the laptop and allow passengers to keep it in the bag during screening. There needs to be an unobstructed view of the laptop as the it moves through the X-ray machine. These new rules are set to go into effect Aug. 16, 2008.

A checkpoint friendly bag will have a designated laptop-only section. The laptop only section unfolds to lie flat on the X-ray machine belt and contains no metal snaps, zippers or buckles and no pockets. The bag should be 30 inches or less in length when unfolded.

Bags are already being sold by Targus, Mobile Edge and others.

The new Targus Zip-Thru case ($99).
Mobile Edge Scanfast laptop bags.

References:
TSA's blog post: The evolution of the Bag: Going "Checkpoint Friendly".

Below is a YouTube video w/ more information:

XP Install on T60 can't find hard drive

2008-08-10T16:07:29Z

While I know nothing is free in life, I have a question: My issue is this. I have a Thinkpad, T60. The Hard drive has been repartitioned/formatted and I am trying to load XP Pro SP2, however I keep getting "Windows is unable to a find hard drive." I have pressed F6 to try and load sata drivers, but then it tells me I must have a floppy drive, and guess what, no floppy on this model. I figure the issue is SATA hard drive. The woman I am trying to fix this for has no factory software, or O/S disk and the Restore - Recovery part of hard drive has been wiped out. Is there a work around to get this repair back on track? I live in Raleigh, any help would be greatly appreciated. David

]]> Hey there,

It is just a simple setting in the BIOS.

There is a SATA compatibility mode / AHCI setting in there- change it and go ahead and install XP.

After you get XP installed download this utility that will install all of the drivers automatically:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TVSU-UPDATE

How is that for free?

Loose power jack

2008-07-23T03:51:28Z

My AC Adapter Connector (where the AC cord plugs into the computer) is loose and causes the screen to pulse, as if between battery source and AC source. I just got the Jack replaced in Dec, because it burned out. it was still loose after that and before I bought it in. I have to play around with it and pull the plug to the side so it makes connection. It doesn't make connection when the plug is in straight. Can it be fixed?

- Christine

]]> Hello,

You are describing the symptoms of a loose power jack. Whoever repaired it did not do a good job. There are places that specialize in this type of repair. The best thing to do is visit this page about power jack repair. They can repair the jack so it is better than new and your problems will be cured. I would ask the other company for a refund. Without the proper tools and experience it will not be properly fixed.

IBM ThinkPad 390X Video Resolution

2008-07-23T03:47:22Z

The screen resolution on my IBM 390x will only go to 16 bit color, what can I do to resolve this?

- Dan Clark

]]> Hi Dan,

You need a video driver installed. We're not sure if you're using Windows 98 or Windows XP, etc, but the drivers are here on IBM's site.

Thanks!

- FreeLaptopHelp.com

I can't see the screen on my laptop. Help!

2008-07-23T03:32:30Z

my laptop turns on, only one problem, the screen is dark. It only turns regular when I close and open it back, but that only last for about 2 seconds. I don\'t know what the problem is, please help me.
- Kim the Angel

]]> Hello,

Well, we don't know what kind of laptop you have, but basically your LCD isn't coming on. This "could" be due to the backlight. Of course, it could also be due to 5 other things. This question is too vague for us to answer here. But you can however check out "The Backlight FAQ" which may help.

Dell 6000 broken hinges

2008-07-23T03:19:05Z

My Dell Inspiron 6000 is only a year or two old. The LCD flops back and forth. Can I get the hinges replaced?

]]> Yes, this is a very common problem with the Dell 6000. Heck, t may even be a manufacturing flaw- but I am not going to go there right now.

The problem is usually the LID. Yes, the cover- the top of the laptop. Where the hinges attach to the lid- the lid screw holes strip out.

D600 doesn't boot, blinks 10 times

2008-07-23T03:04:38Z

When I try to power up my Dell D600 it doesn't boot. The CAPS LOCK light blinks 10 times. I took it to the G**k Squad who had it for 7 weeks only to tell me that it had a bad motherboard. Now what? I called Dell and they wanted like $600 for a motherboard.

]]> Ah, simple, we've seen this over 100 times.

When the CAPS LOCK light blinks 10x it is simply a memory error.

You either have a bad stick of memory, or more likely a bad memory slot. Simply remove 1 stick of memory and see if the unit works- if it doesn't, remove the other stick instead.

As for the Geeks- we hear horror stories about them daily. I don't know why they enjoy torturing laptop owners- they need to quit screwing over innocent customers with their ignorance.

As for Dell, $600 is way too high. You can get it done for like $300 at AbsoluteRaleigh.com where they specialize in repairing laptops.

Where can I get an Alienware D9T Motherboard?

2008-07-23T02:40:38Z

Where can I get an Alienware D9T/D900T Motherboard? My system always ran too hot and one day it finally died. Alienware won't sell me a board. I have asked them on and off for almost 2 years now and they always tell me that they're "out of stock". I paid $4000 for this thing! What is the deal???

]]> Hi!

Alienware doesn't have any motherboards. They should just come out and tell you that they do not have the boards and never will. We don't know why they like to give you false hope and tell you they're "out of stock"- they have never had the boards available and never will. Not the kind of support you would expect after shelling out $4000 for an overheating machine, eh? When they say they're "out of stock" it makes you think that they're out and maybe they'll have some more next week, but this is simply not the case. All of the reps there have been brainwashed or something.

Alienware is a reseller- they didn't even build your notebook. They designed the cover and that's about it. In fact your D9T laptop was sold by: Clevo, Sager, ProStar, FalconNW, VooDooPC, Rock Direct, Alienware and probably a few other companies.

As for getting a motherboard, well, that is near impossible. There is a company on eBay that sells them but they constantly get negative reviews for selling defective Alienware motherboards (ZTronics). In fact, to add salt to your wounds, if you email Alienware tech support they will tell you that Ztronics has the boards in stock. There is another company that sells them on eBay as "TESTED" and these are ALL defective. We've tried buying them here a few times and nobody had a good one available.

So, we aim to provide solutions here as often as possible, but you basically you have a $4000 paperweight. Sorry!

Is Dell shipping the wrong keyboards on their laptops?

2008-07-22T05:10:15Z

I heard that Dell is shipping the incorrect keyboard on some of their laptops. Is this true?

]]> Yes, but only for select customers.

Affected models:
Dell Vostro 1310
Dell Vostro 1510

Affected regions:
Europe
Middle East
Africannnn

Dell will send you the correct keyboard.

Detail are available on Dell's Blog here.

What dies ERROR 8611 mean on my ThinkPad 600X?

2008-03-15T21:33:25Z

When I turn on my ThinkPad 600X I get a screen that says ERROR 8611. The computer doesn't go any further and I think it is dead. What do I do now?

]]> Error 8611 means that you need to replace your keyboard. Some people on the Internet will tell you otherwise but they are simply incorrect.

The error typically means there is a problem with the trackpoint (built in mouse), but regardless, that is part of the keyboard.

Side note: On very rare occasions this has to do with the use of a PS2 mouse.

Can I add internal wireless to my IBM ThinkPad T23?

2008-03-15T21:24:09Z

I recently got a T23. It is a great machine but I want to add internal wireless to it. It doesn't have it from the factory. I found a T30 lid assembly on eBay with the antenna already installed. Will this work?

]]> Hello,

You have a couple of options but installing the T30 lid assembly is not one of them.

Some T23s came with internal wireless. They use a slightly different lid assembly and come with the antenna installed- it runs down to the MiniPCI slot where a wireless card may be installed. This would be how they set it up rom the factory. Wireless range is ok this way.

The other option would be to use the antenna from a T30 or any other wireless laptop. You could run the antenna and attach it all yourself.

What is Shutdown Day?

2008-02-26T03:59:09Z

What is "Shutdown Day"? And what does it mean for my wittle compooter?

]]> Well, we don't know a whole lot about it. We'd suggest that you go right over to www.shutdownday.org and see for yourself. The websites states:

Shutdown Day is pleased to announce the return of the annual campaign for the year 2008. Like last year, this year too, we have a global online Internet campaign. In addition, we are in the process of planning and finalizing a series of activities for gadget addicts, so that they can organize themselves to contribute to the better of society on that particular day.

Not a bad idea for some people!

Do laptop locks work?

2008-02-26T03:43:23Z

Do laptop locks work? How hard do you have to yank on a laptop for the lock to break free of the laptop?

]]> If your laptop has a lock hole on it you can use a lock. The lock inserts into the hole and then when the lock is turned a little grappling hook thingy opens up- usually this is simply 2 little pieces of metal. These are not very secure although they may discourage the uneducated thief or impulse thief.

Here on YouTube we can see a little skit of a laptop being yanked free:

There is another one being broken apart with a screwdriver here:

The cylinder locks can also easily be defeated with a penny.

Is the Hitachi 5K500 the first 500GB 2.5" laptop drive?

2008-02-26T02:15:41Z

Is the Hitachi 5K500 the first 500GB 2.5" laptop drive?

]]> Yes and No.

Yes, it is the first 2.5" to get past 320GB. But, it is not the standard 9.5mm height. It is 12.5mm. This can be verified in the datasheet on Hitachi's site here.

What does this mean for you? It means the drive will not fit into your laptop. We're big Hitachi fans and don't want to bash them, but this drive is pretty useless. They just added another platter which made the drive too big to fit into the average laptop. It will fit into a few new gaming laptops- and most of those gaming laptops support 2 hard drives, so you could raid them to get 1TB internally.

A desktop 500GB will run you about $60 and a Hitachi 5K500 500GB will run you about $400, if you can find one.

Where is Steven Kazmierczak's hard drive?

2008-02-17T06:21:49Z

Where is Steven Kazmierczak's hard drive? The laptop seized from a DeKalb motel is believed to be connected to the shooting at Northern Illinois University.

]]>
Laptop hard drives are very easy to remove these days. The drive can typically be removed with just one or two screws. When a laptop needs to go in for service many people remove their hard drive. Most of all, people usually remove their hard drive when they want to take their data with them without transporting the entire laptop.

Why would the drive be removed? Did he just not want investigators looking at his personal data or was there more to it?

Maybe the drive will turn up.