Re: Computer power usage
- From: jontom_1uk@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2008 07:41:06 -0800 (PST)
On 6 Jan, 08:35, Lester Caine <les...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Having just received the latest missives relating to European directives -
this time relating to power usage reduction - an interesting question came to
mind.
Is M$ Windows compliant :)
I've got a laptop in on the bench to try and fix. It belongs to a student who
does not have much money so I'm doing it more as a favour but it is not
cooperating. Basically windows seemed to be corrupt, and since everything of
importance has been saved, re-installing seems the best option, except that
stalls after a while.
OK - Hardware problem? So run the Linux disk since it has some nice hardware
test programs. Memory test - several passes without a problem. Hardware test -
failed on hard disk! Plug in a spare hard disk - since I normally have a
couple in stock for the Mach-in-a-box orders. Hardware test runs fine, so
install Linux on new disk - all runs fine and the machine works great! Leave
it running some animations for a day because I don't have time to install
Windows - no problems. When I get around to running windows install on the new
disk it fails at almost the same point it did before. :(
What I had noticed was that the cooling fan while kicking in at switch on, it
did not seem to start while running on Linux so is this a cooling fan problem?
On the Acer machines I can force it on via the BIOS, but not with this HP
machine, so having a DivisionMaster box sitting on the bench I sat it on that
and blew some air through the fan hole. ( Again unlike the Acer - you can't
get at the cooling fan without pulling the whole machine apart :( ) With this
set-up the machine works better, but obviously the throttle back to reduce
power consumption is kicking in. Something that was not obvious using Linux
and I had not considered originally, since normally the cooling fan does not
kick in until a laptop is well up and running.
I'll pick up one of the external cooling panels for laptops on Monday to get
around having to try and find someone who can replace the internal one, which
looks more like a problem with the driver rather than the fan anyway! But the
fact that the machine worked fine for a day with Linux on and I even edited a
letter via OpenOffice is at least curious.
The obvious things that come to mind are the fact that there is no indication
on the laptop that it IS having a problem due to overheating - it's not as hot
as my own laptop so IS that the problem :( There are no test tools available
on any current Windows disks - hence the need to use Linux discs to test the
machine - but do I just return the machine with Linux on :) Having had a quote
of £100 to replace the fan - which I'm not convinced is the problem yet - is
it economic to repair. The machine is only 2 years old, so throwing it away is
stupid.
I'm just prattling on because in trying to do someone a favour I'm just
wasting time I do not have. Anybody got any ideas WHAT I should do next with
this machine? It's owner is going back to university Wednesday so I'm now
running out of time :(
And back to the original thought, of cause since Vista apparently needs twice
as much power to run should we simply be avoiding it to comply with these new
rules :) If I install XP instead of Vista do I get a better energy rating when
I sell the machine? Is *IS* relevant since *I* am the person supplying
Mach-in-a-box and required to comply with the regulations!
--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
-----------------------------
Contact -http://home.lsces.co.uk/lsces/wiki/?page=contact
L.S.Caine Electronic Services -http://home.lsces.co.uk
MEDW -http://home.lsces.co.uk/ModelEngineersDigitalWorkshop/
Firebird -http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php
Lester Hi, I'm not sure which is the bigger thief of one's time
"favours for friends" or the personal determination to "fix something
simple" that takes over once you have started. I'm guilty of both so
can't offer a solution there.
I have played with many laptops and find them frustrating and
annoying. The problem is usually simple, the fix extremely difficult.
Getting the parts is almost impossible unless it is one of the longer
production runs or one of the many "badged" generic models about.
While Peter's fan control programme is great if the fan is basically
sound the problem I have found to be extremely common is that the fan/
heatsink/pipe assembly can get blocked with dust and fluff very easily
and merely needs a good clean out. Don't get me wrong I didn't say an
"easy" clean out. I have had success with taking a couple apart and
giving everything a good clean and sometimes a drop of very light oil
on the fan bearings. I always return with a stern warning about
operating the laptop on anything else than a clean solid surface but
students particularly seem to think that they work best balanced on
their lap and complain bitterly about how hot they get - I wonder why?
I guess my success rate is only about 50-50 and if it is a paying job
just don't bother; fixing laptops is not the way to a fortune or even
a basic living. With regard to spares Google will find plenty of
laptop spares shops but they usually provide parts from broken
machines and yours may be a bit new to be easily available. They are
worth looking round though as one will specialise in your machine
manufacturer, although as you will well know not always who it says on
the badge. There are a couple of US parts suppliers that list
everything and a CPU fan/heatsink will be about $20-35 if they are
available - worth a try if a good clean out doesn't work. It is also
worth trying the original parts supplier if you can identify the
manufacturer once you have the bits in your hand (the difficult part)
particularly if like yours it is fairly new.
Nowadays I try a really good vacuum cleaner "adapted" to the fan
intake grill as a start and often find a large lump of fluff appears
at the grill. Secondly if a big favour then I will take the thing
apart and do a proper clean out of the cooling system - never just a
fan these days but some pipework and a heatsink thingy that does a
really good job trapping fluff and dust. The external cooling aids
will work for a little while if the user can accept the limitation to
use but I have always found a strip down is the only real answer and
even then will only last as long as it take sot fill with crap again.
It's a good job that new (basic) laptops are now in the £300 bracket
but they still suffer from the bespoke parts issue and relatively
small production runs. It is one area where the pc manufactures have
succeeded in getting the buyers to accept the "throw away" philosophy.
Luckily the desktop makers have been force to build most machines from
generic parts - much easier to fix or update.
Lester, sorry for stating the obvious to someone like yourself but I
thought this was a good question that many would be interested in
understanding what buying a laptop brings with it. It is the only
situation where I recommend people to buy additional breakdown cover
and although I build and repair computers for a (I almost said paying
but more of a contributing) hobby I have just paid for three year
cover for my daughters new Sony laptop. Hope you are successful.
Keith
.
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