struggling to switch laptop on
 

I have a problem when trying to switch my laptop on. I have to remove the battery and replace it. It usually comes on straight away, is it a fan problem?
Any suggestions please...

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Sounds more like a bad connection, have you checked the battery terminals.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Sounds to me like your battery might be buggered, mine is on it's way out at the moment, had it 2 years from new

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Does it work ok with no battery on it and just plugged into the power supply?

All the laptops I have tried with no battery worked ok. If it does work ok then it suggests it is a battery fault.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Further to Neil's comment - if you never use your laptop on battery power, there's no point having the battery in at all - it actually gets damaged through lack of use.

This is especially true if you shut it down or put it to sleep without unplugging it. Batteries don''t like that at all...

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

My Laptop must absolutely hate me then Studio:D

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Maybe once a week or so you could unplug it then plug it in again when it gets to 25% ish. That should help stop the battery failing

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

...or just pull out the power adapter jack before you go to bed. With the right power settings, the battery will discharge for a couple of hours then the laptop will go to sleep itself.

As Neil says, you only need to discharge and charge occasionally, but as I use my laptop at home and the office, it happens every day. I just set it to "sleep" whenever it goes back in the bag, and run it on battery until it complains at about 11am.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Cheers Neil and Ian, for the advice never given it a thought before but its easy to just unplug it when I retire in the evening then plug it back in in the morning

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Most batteries actually develop a memory for their usage pattern.
If you seldom, if ever, run the battery power down then you battery will become very inefficient. The ideal way is to run on battery power as long as is feasible and once it gets below 10% power level then plug in the AC and recharge to full level. If you do that your battery will have a longer and happier life.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Well that's not as bad as it could be, if the power is disconnected when the laptop is off...

Just received two laptops yesterday, with power problems. One looks like it's had the cable yanked, so there's a bad connection to the laptop internals. The other looks like the power adapter cable is damaged - probably repair that by throwing the whole PSU out and getting a replacement...

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

It turn's out that my laptop was switching on, but there is no image on the screen.
I took it into a computer shop on Blackburn Road, and the chap there reckon's it's the GRAPHIC CARD playing up.
So it look's like a visit to PC World or Comet to get a new laptop.
Thanks for everyone's suggestion's.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

I would get a 2nd opinion on that, why should removing the battery, and then replacing it affect the graphics card.
If you get a new one you will have a learning curve if you've never used win 7 before, I've had a computer with win 7 couldn't get my head round the stupid phrasiology, nowts where it should be, gave it to my daughter, she gave it back, said it was crap, must be something wrong with 7, or why is gates rushing out a new OS.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Well, you'd know all about them! :gif_12:

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Hope yeh don't mean the shop near the owd Grammar School mate?:eek: if so defo get a second opinion, theres a thread on here somewhere about yon place.;)

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

There is nothing wrong with Windows 7, its just different than xp, in many ways I prefer it, in a few I don't.

I think you soon get used to it as most people don't use the operating system much but the apps that are on the PC.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Agreed. Last lappy I had to fix had managed to get itself stuck on the external display setting. It was a trivial matter to fix it. Earned me a bottle of whiskey, though... :beer58:

I agree completely. Doesn't stop people from buying laptops, and leaving them connected to the mains even when off. Some people don't have the space for a desk, or space on their desk for a desktop machine. Or want to watch TV while surfing. Loads of reasons for having a mains powered portable...

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Rushing?

XP Released 2001
Vista Released 2005
Seven Released 2009

Doesn't seem like they are rushing to me. More like a set pattern for them.

If your daughter uses a Mac or Linux I can understand her saying its crap. :D

Windows 7 is the best operating system they have released in years. Definitely the most stable and user friendly

Windows 8 is aimed more at tablets/touch-- We are moving into the touch screen era and Microsoft have to do something about it = windows 8

I suggest you try Windows8 consumer preview and think again before saying 'nothing is where it should be' W8 will make your brain melt.(i am just kidding dude-- im just saying it is THAT BAD)

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

A lot of Laptops are having issues with batteries especially Windows Vista .....mine included. When the laptop has the mains lead in I keep getting a message...that the "power lead connected but the Battery not charging"
When you dissconnect the lead, it goes off and will only come back on with the lead plugged in. I have two batteries both OK, but it will not charge them. I have gone on Google and it seems it is a common problem with windows on laptops, there are various "solutions" put forward, but it appears hit and miss whether they work or not, and there doesn't seem to be a definitive solution. One Popular "remedy" is to switch on the laptop then remove the battery, then switch off the laptop, remove the mains lead, hold the on button down for ten seconds, then plug in the lead and switch on again, then insert the battery...but doesn't seem to work for most people...others include going into the battery registry.......and disabling things...
Buying a new battery doesn't solve it...so dont know if this is the same problem as yours....

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Praise 7 as much as you want but I still don't like it, they've changed thy names of umpteen things, new phrasiology, & Nowt where it should be. On the dammed thing the hard drive has two partitions, both near enough the same size, manage to find a way to look at them, the 2nd partition box had dire warnings about what would happen if I made it active. so what good is it.
Its about time we made gill bates's programmers learn the Lanky dialect, then we would be able to understand what they mean.
No outlook Express. Just had another look at it, still not keen.
I'm not a chicken any more, and short term memory is not up to it.
I'm not in the mood to spend ages learning about 7. I've too much else to do.
Retlaw.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

There is nothing wrong in sticking to what you know and like........I am a Vista hater - it is the most user unfriendly operating system ever........could not get used to it(maybe, because I didn't like it)........but Windows 7 is a different kettle of fish altogether.
But use what you are used to Retlaw, and what you are comforatble with.
(windows 7 didn't take much getting used to...or learning about...but that's just my opinion).

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

I have Vista on my desktop and windows 7 on my laptop. I find them both ok to work with.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

thankfully my desktop is windows 7.......the thing with Vista isn't that it doesn't work...it does, but it isn't user friendly.....ungainly to use.
My Laptop has Vista on it(I am supposed to be changing it over to Ubuntu but haven't got around to it just yet...life keeps getting in the way) it is a bumhole of an operating system.
All I can say Maxthecollie, is.....you must be a really patient guy - especially so, as you have windows 7 to compare Vista with.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

I find them both easy to work with. I use my laptop mainly to process my photos when I go on Holiday.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

It is not praise. Just simple facts. I do not praise Microsoft products much these days

Outlook/Outloook express?

Its now called Windows Live Mail. You have to install it separately

Windows Live Essentials: Other Programs


The computer you are on about. Is it a desktop/tower or a laptop? does it have more than one HD or is it partitioned. Could be something faulty going on there. HDD's don't last forever

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

^ when i say simple facts in above post. I don't me to sound like a jerk-- Im just saying :)

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Its a small desk top, Packardbell, as I said the hard drive has two partitions, as for the state of the hard drive, don't think its had more than 5 hrs running time since I bought it over 12 months ago, I don't want windows live mail, I want my normal email program, and as far as I know there is no Outlook for win 7. I would like to put XP on the other partition & make it bootable, but don't know how.
Retlaw.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Live/Outlook- as far as I know they are basically the same program. Most likely with a different theme and things moved around.

If you install XP over the the non system partition it will overwrite(i think) the bootloader, and it will boot from that partition and then you can format the seven partition and then use it for storage...(or it might create a dual boot screen, i doubt it though this way around.)

Do you have an XP disc? I really wouldn't recommend XP to anybody to use XP on a new pc. On an older pc where the spec is a lot lower, then yeah it is prob better to use XP.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

I've used both myself max and had no problems I'm on 7 with my laptop and its great

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

there is no way on earth I would use vista and/or keep it installed on a computer of mine. I wouldn't even reccomend it to my worst enemy

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

You might have problems making XP work on a new machine. It is very possible that you wont be able to find all the drivers you need to make the new machine work correctly.

As for the partition you mentioned, can you not see it in Windows Explorer? Many new PC's have a partition that stores all the restore data to return your PC to its new state if things get messed up.

This was done in XP as well on most new machines.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Agreed. This is just one of the reasons I don't recommend it

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

did you shine a torch onto the screen to see if theres anything there, it sounds like it could just be the inverter.windows 7 is top as it downloads the drivers when installing it saves me hours:D

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

Yes I have a legal XP disc, I've already tried to install XP, it more or less told me to sod off, so it just sits there alongside the other computers.
Retlaw.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

I don't really need all the drivers some people can't live with out, no sound drivers, wouldn't bother me, and any thing to do with games isn't needed, as long as I can access the internet via explorer, & my emails, store all my folders with all my WW 1 pictures, what else do I need.
It has another small partition that stores the restore data, the two main partitions C:\ & D:\ are the same size, C:\ contains the present operating system, D:\ is empty


Retlaw.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

You say Live/Outlook are basically the same, But would my email address be the same, or would I have to spend ages informing every one on my list, of a new email address. The computers I use now do what I tell them to do, I don't want to spend ages, arguing with a dammed computer about what I want to do, because some septic tank programmer, kissing gill bates arrse, has come up with some daft idea trying to justify his existance.
Retlaw.

Re: struggling to switch laptop on
 

no you use the same email. the settings should be the same as they were on outlook. But hopefully they might have made the settings easier.

Oh Mr Retlaw. You do not want to try windows 8