BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Free Rants

TeeJay · May 1, 2014 7:37 pm

It's actually an Acer. I suppose I could still send it back to get my money back, but the rather unfortunate thing is that it was the only model out there that had (almost) everything I wanted in a new laptop. It's either this one or none at all. :-(

besleybean · May 1, 2014 7:39 pm

My hubby's just sent his back to be repaired!

TeeJay · May 1, 2014 7:45 pm

Also an Acer?

besleybean · May 1, 2014 7:52 pm

Yep.

TeeJay · May 1, 2014 8:22 pm

Damn. That just makes me wanna send the damn thing back to ask for a refund. And then what? Having no laptop is no solution either.

besleybean · May 1, 2014 8:27 pm

My hubby has TWO laptops in for repair now...he grabs a borroww of mine, when I let him!

This Is The Phantom Lady · May 1, 2014 8:46 pm

belis wrote:
This Is The Phantom Lady wrote:
Okay I'm just going to continue my rant here...

There's just been a lot of issues, we struggle to be given food at the venue and we were also promised free food in Copenhagen city, this has only been solved halfheartedly now and we have to hunt down one specific chain of restaurants... we were also promised free travel. I have to pay half my tickets out of my own pockets too...

Now, the Danish broadcaster has just sent out a long and very angry email because a few volunteers took a few bottles of water and a few pieces of fruit meant for the delegation because they were famished. I am sorry, but WTF!
They take liberties as they know that people will carry on becouse they are there for the love of the show. Just imagine where organisers would be though if all the volunteers suddenly walked out on them. They may need to be reminded of that. It realy reflects very poorly on the organisation when they treat volunteers that way.

I hope that you are having a good time overall though despite those problems.

Exactly! And overall, us Danes are known to protest... Oh that could be fun to see them do all of this without our help. Someone even calculated just how much they saved on having us work for free, it's a scaring lot of money!

But I'm having a lot of fun so far, the Irish delegation is a lovely and lively bunch! I'm trying to be polite and stand back but they aren't having any of that, they treat me like one of them! Well these are the 'easy' days still. We have more people coming soon!

stoertebeker · May 1, 2014 8:53 pm

TeeJay wrote:
It's actually an Acer. I suppose I could still send it back to get my money back, but the rather unfortunate thing is that it was the only model out there that had (almost) everything I wanted in a new laptop. It's either this one or none at all. :-(

Oh dear! That confirms my opinion to never buy an Acer again. I'm using a Lenovo since 3 1/2 years now and I am very satisfied. They are expensive but have good quality, are robust and very quiet!
But I see your point. I suppose you need especially good graphic power due to your art works. Well, you still have warranty on it, so hopefully the problem will be easy to repair.

TeeJay · May 1, 2014 9:09 pm

Actually, I've almost decided to send the whole thing back and ask for a refund. I snooped around some more, and there may be a Sony model that looks attractive enough. The screen resolution is not as good as the Acer's, but it has other perks, like a Blu-ray drive and a removable battery, which the Acer did not have. This particular model actually seems to be retired, but I still found a few online shops that offer it. I'm gonna have to think about this for a bit longer.

Mattlocked · May 1, 2014 9:19 pm

My husband told me, better not to buy an Acer. Bought an Asus then and am quite satisfied with it.
Removable battery is always recommended, so you won't need a new laptop or send the whole thing away when just the battery is broken.

TeeJay · May 1, 2014 9:42 pm

Yeah, a removable battery was really one of things I wanted, but it's almost impossible to find a 13 or 14" model anymore that has that. Especially in the really thin ultrabooks.

besleybean · May 2, 2014 5:35 am

Is it the battery that's buggered?
Mine always wreck cos I only ever use my lap top plugged in.
Mine's an Acer too and I recently discoverd I've knackeerd this battery!

TeeJay · May 2, 2014 8:30 am

No, it's not the battery. It has three USB ports, and one of them isn't working. Apparently it has power, but Windows doesn't recognize any device I attach to it. I'm quite sure it's not a software issue, because I've done a factory reset, reinstalled the USB drivers, tried to look at the BIOS, but none of that helped. It also doesn't recognize the bootable USB stick when I reboot the laptop with the stick in that USB port.

I've only bought it two weeks ago, and I'm pretty sure it didn't work from the start, because I vaguely remember replugging my mouse because it wasn't working. It was only yesterday that I really realized this port wasn't working when I wanted to attach three USB devices at the same time.

And, yes, batteries tend to eventually go on the fritz when you always plug in the laptop. Which is why I would prefer a laptop with a removable battery, because then you can take it out whenever you use the laptop for an extended period of time with the power plug connected to it. I've always done that with my previous Sony laptop, and even after 4 1/2 years, the battery still works for at least three hours without recharging.

mrshouse · May 2, 2014 9:38 am

For the first time since I started working I seriously forgot that I was an call yesterday. My colleague called at quarter past eight because I hadn't shown up. My son answered the phone and told her he wasn't supposed to wake me up. Of course he did in the end... And the shift was awful...
And I have three night shifts this weekend, I feel tired already

SolarSystem · May 2, 2014 10:57 am

Oh, mrshouse, I hope those shifts will be fine and you'll get through the weekend okay...! Sounds really horrible...

Davina · May 2, 2014 12:49 pm

Irish delegation 'lovely and lively'! Surely not! (This is meant as a joke...of course they are!)

mrshouse · May 2, 2014 1:17 pm

SolarSystem wrote:
Oh, mrshouse, I hope those shifts will be fine and you'll get through the weekend okay...! Sounds really horrible...

Thank you, Solar.
I might be off till monday if I can manage to rehab from the Benny picture thread.

This Is The Phantom Lady · May 2, 2014 4:44 pm

I hope it gets better for you, Mrs. House! That does sound annoying!

... I am so effing mad at the taxi company they messed up EVERYTHING today and made me look so stupid. First the cab drivers didn't come into the lobby to pick us up like they were supposed to (I specifically ordered VIP service), then I had to send a cab to pick up the costume lady, the cab driver got the name wrong, didn't go to the lobby either, and then wouldn't let the lady in because they had the wrong name... then they send one cab too few and I end up standed with the singer and two of the band.... when we finally get a cab we have to ask the cabby to let us out earlier because the traffic is so terrible the taxa meter runs nuts and we have to walk the rest of the way.

I HATE taxis!

Russell · May 2, 2014 8:07 pm

Aw, that sucks, you guys! Hope smooths over very soon!

Also, I feel like this is kind of a stupid question, but…. been using laptops a long while, and somehow never heard of that practice that TeeJay mentioned with prolonged life/being plugged in? I know you don't want to run it down to nearly dead before you plug it in again, but other than moving around once in a while with it, the majority of the time it stays plugged in on desk. You unplug it to let the battery circulate its charge?

TeeJay · May 2, 2014 8:46 pm

Russell wrote:
Also, I feel like this is kind of a stupid question, but…. been using laptops a long while, and somehow never heard of that practice that TeeJay mentioned with prolonged life/being plugged in? I know you don't want to run it down to nearly dead before you plug it in again, but other than moving around once in a while with it, the majority of the time it stays plugged in on desk. You unplug it to let the battery circulate its charge?

I'm no expert on this, but I think the best way to make sure your battery lives longer is if you take it out of the laptop completely when it's fully charged and you know you're going ot keep the laptop connected to the power cable for a longer period of time. But of course that only works if the battery is actually easily removable, which the ones in the newer (and especially the thin) models aren't anymore.

If the battery isn't removable, I've heard it's best to just keep charging the laptop, and once it's fully charged, you disconnect it from the power and let the battery run down until it tells you to recharge. And then you repeat the cycle.

However, I've also read that the modern batteries should not constantly be fully charged and discharged and may live longer if you recharge them in the middle of a discharge cycle. Maybe a good mixture of both methods is the right way? I dunno.

But I think it's generally bad to just keep your laptop always connected to the power for a long period of time when the battery is fully charged.

Last edited by TeeJay (May 2, 2014 8:47 pm)