Journal #8841

Posted 6 years ago2017-07-26 14:06:32 UTC
Admer456 Admer456If it ain't broken, don't fox it!
My laptop is dirty, as all of you know.

I decided to clean it, so I found a screwdriver which came with my mBot, so I can unscrew the screws and take off the cover.

User posted image


I'm surprised that the main fan is still working. :o

User posted image


I couldn't wait to take out the fan and give it a good clean, but:
User posted image
The bottom-left screw doesn't look good. Looks like its previous owner tried to unscrew this one but he ended up damaging it. :/

Well, I've had an interesting experience, lol.
I wonder what this is:
User posted image


Lastly, I think that upgrading RAM here won't be that easy:

User posted image


There are 2 RAM sticks in the laptop, 1GB each.
One has this yellow, translucent tape on one corner while the top one is completely removable. So, I should get a module of 3GB DDR2 RAM, which obviously doesn't exist anywhere in my country. I can, of course, buy a 2GB RAM module, but then my total memory would be 3GB.

Ah well, better something than nothing.

Also, I located the hard disk on my laptop. I don't have a picture of it right now, but it's not that necessary and I don't want to take my laptop apart while it's running. Actually, I might just do that. :D

flips laptop

Alright, I got it:
User posted image
Don't bash me for doing this, I was very careful while doing that!
So yeah, I think I could get a 300GB laptop hard drive and replace the old one, couldn't I? ;)

Now I'm wondering, how can I unscrew that damaged screw?
There's the rubber band method, but I don't have any rubber bands that are wide enough. There's the pliers method, but I wouldn't want my dad to know about this. Any suggestions? xd

22 Comments

Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 15:42:23 UTC Comment #68411
Go for 4 gigs actually. You can get 2 modules with 2 gigs each (better) or a single 4 gigs one.

About that screw, there's a method I always use when I face such problem. Use a nipper of this type:
User posted image
Or this type:
User posted image
And just use it to unscrew the screw by grabbing it from its sides and turn the nipper. A bit of a hassle but that'll do.

And holy shit clean that mess lol.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 15:53:50 UTC Comment #68419
I wonder if they ship Amazon to Bosnia, I could probably just replace that mess with my newer laptop, lol.

Also, hopefully you know the proper technique on cleaning electronics.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 17:34:50 UTC Comment #68409
"My laptop is dirty"
Of course it is, after what you've done with it. You can't clean that.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 17:35:44 UTC Comment #68422
@James Luke
I think they don't ship to Bosnia. Lol.
Also, I've got a huge issue - nowhere to buy CO2 cans in Stolac. x(
And I'm just not willing to go to an I.T. store in Mostar just to get one. Ah well, I'll have a reason to go there, once I start buying parts for my PC. ;)

@Alberto309

I think my dad has the nipper from the first image. I'm not sure if he would allow me to use it, lol.

Also, remember what I've said:
The bottom RAM stick has this yellow tape thing on it, so I'm not sure if it should be removed or not. Ah well, whatever happens, it happens. :P

While writing this, I checked out next.ba, plus.ba and winwin.ba, but apparently none of them have DDR2 RAM for laptops. :o
"And holy s*** clean that mess lol."
Sure! If I've cleaned my old PC's keyboard once, I can clean my laptop, too, lol.

Edit:

@DiscoStu
But I only got it in 2014. With me, it's only been collecting dust for 3 years. :P

If you didn't mean it that way, then tell me what you meant.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 19:16:23 UTC Comment #68420
Actually, they do.

"Bosnia And Herzegovina"

But I can't imagine the duties and postage fees...
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 20:30:22 UTC Comment #68412
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-7010-Professional-Refurbished/dp/B01LKOZEF0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1501104438&sr=8-6&keywords=dell+quad+core

I checked it. Free shipping to Bosnia and Herzegovina...

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Clocked-Graphics-02G-P4-3747-KR/dp/B00KK8MEU6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501104535&sr=8-3&keywords=nvidia+gt+740+2gb+gddr5

It´s what I have and works like a charm on an even lower powerful system (Quad Core with only 4GB RAM, titles like Wofenstein New Order never go under 45-50 fps).

Checked. Free shipping to Bosnia Herzegovina... :)
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 20:38:48 UTC Comment #68421
This item does not ship to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Please check other sellers who may ship internationally.

Temporarily out of stock.

Hmm... Maybe it's available wherever you are, but being in the states, you don't get many options.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 20:54:04 UTC Comment #68423
People! Amazon doesn't ship to BiH. Period.
Even if it did, my father wouldn't allow ordering stuff in that way because he's overly-worried about Internet shopping and doesn't want to risk anything.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 20:59:02 UTC Comment #68410
My dad was the same way. Maybe do what I did and get somebody else who is less paranoid to order stuff online for you, and he might notice the items actually arriving and ease up on it.
Don't try to show it to him though, just let him figure it out on his own.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 21:38:09 UTC Comment #68424
The problem is that I don't have anybody else.
Look, upgrading my laptop isn't really that necessary. After all, I'll get a new PC in the future.

Also, I'd not really call him paranoid. To me, it's more like opinionated and conservative. Lol.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-26 22:00:38 UTC Comment #68413
Mmmmm, I did check twice using my account and doing the process except the final payment. Maybe is because it still detects that I´m doing it from Spain?. Anyway, I am sure it´ll be frustrating to try to buy something that is not existant in your country or city (I suffer from this last very often). :/
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-27 07:32:27 UTC Comment #68425
Hmm, I should look it up at the forums.

See, this year in school, I heard my classmates talking about Amazon not shipping stuff to BiH any more, because of... something which gets done to the packages upon their arrival to the country? I weren't surprised.
So, that's why I thought Amazon doesn't ship to Bosnia. :P

But if they do, well, yay. If they don't, I don't really care, my dad wouldn't probably allow anyway. >:P
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-27 11:57:16 UTC Comment #68414
I am sure you will finally get the system of your dreams.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-27 13:21:05 UTC Comment #68426
Hey, one more thing happened:

Last night, I played Crysis on my laptop (going to post the results at the Now Gaming thread), and suddenly, Firefox stopped responding and its process couldn't be killed. Then I decided to plug in my phone because its battery was around 30% (thankfully, my cousins brought long USB cables so I didn't have to pull the laptop closer to my bed, so it was on the table instead) and take the laptop's charger off to drain the battery.

Next morning, I started charging my laptop and it got stuck on the same screen as in the night before - dark-grey screen with a mouse cursor on it.
So I did a hard shutdown - I held the power button for a while, and then it shut down. :|

For some reason, I decided to remove the cover again, and I screwed around with the screws again, then I tried to take out the bottom RAM module, and it can't be taken out because it's pretty inaccessible, leave alone the yellow tape on it. :P

So I put the top module back on, but I didn't do it well, it wasn't all the way in. xd
Then I decided to take out the HDD to see how it's done. Man, I was so careful with it, and I was afraid of even the smallest impact on the HDD. Then I returned it to its place and installed it.

And then, I pressed the power button.
click
wooooooth
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Darn. The main fan was spinning at max speed, but there was no GUI, nothing on the screen.
Then I remembered that I placed the RAM wrongly. xD
I placed both modules properly and I tried again. Nope, same thing.

I did a hard reset on the laptop (removing the battery and all peripherals, then holding the power button for some time, and then placing the battery back and plugging in the charger), but it didn't work.

I believed that my laptop's motherboard broke. :c
I believed that my laptop won't live up to its 10th birthday. :c
But I knew it can't end like this. NOT with me! The average end-loser (I mean, end-user) would give up, but I'm not average. >:P

At some point, hopelessly, I decided to take the HDD out, and:

click
woooo (a pretty quiet one for the fan, actually)
woooooth (and then the main fan starts to sound normal)
User posted image
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Now it powered on properly! ;D
I even said some swear words out of happiness, lol.

It was something like this:
"J***m te i mrtvog i živog! Sve ti na svijetu j***m! J**ao ti Bise pr**o! Znao sam da neću naj***ti, majka ti zdrava! ALLAHU EKBEEEEEEEEEER!"
I seriously don't want to translate that, so ask Stojke if you really want to find out. Man, I have never before said more swear words in one day. xD

Then I installed the HDD again and I powered it on.

click
woooth
clack-cluck (must've been the DVD drive :P)
vibration (yup, this is the HDD, it always vibrates upon start-up)
wooooooooooooooo

20 seconds later:
Windows 7 start-up sound
User posted image
Yay, I recovered both myself and my laptop from my own mistakes. xD
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 04:49:17 UTC Comment #68415
Is it a Fujitsu?, If so, those pieces of hardware are hard as rocks!!, I have seen PCs of year 2005 that works 24/7 and they are still running (in the hospital where I work they´re used in Radiologist wards for the visualization and analysis of the images). :)
Also, your desktop rocks!!, looks like a sci-fi computer screen. :P
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 08:27:51 UTC Comment #68427
Exactly, sir!
Business-class Fujitsu laptops are valuable competitors to IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad laptops.

Even though I complain a lot about my laptop, I consider myself lucky to actually have this machine alive and kicking, lol. When I buy parts for my dream PC, I'll try to find some parts to upgrade my laptop with.

Also, thanks for the compliment on my desktop. I'm planning to overhaul my desktop with Rainmeter and a dark, Windows XP theme. ;)
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 10:34:14 UTC Comment #68416
Oooooh, man, I have seen pics of RM desktop & themes and I am going to install it this afternoon. Thanks to point me to it :)

BTW, and talking from personal experience, the first thing I will buy is a cooling pad, it will make your laptop run cooler and will make it last long. :)
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 13:44:38 UTC Comment #68428
Well, I'd also buy a cooling pad, except there aren't any in Stolac. :P
When I buy parts for my PC, I'll also make sure to get a cooling pad.
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 13:59:41 UTC Comment #68417
Your best invested 20€ in your next upgrade. :)

maybe this is a bit more expensive, but it´s one of the best you can get:

Thermaltake MASSIVE TM

BTW: damn AMAZON... >(
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-28 19:27:06 UTC Comment #68429
Also, I checked out the forums, and it seems that Amazon does ship to BiH. Trolololololol.

Looks like I might have a chance. :D
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-29 06:52:00 UTC Comment #68418
Glad I was not 100% wrong!!, sorry amazon then... XD
Commented 6 years ago2017-07-29 07:31:48 UTC Comment #68430
Well, the problem is...
Some items can arrive in my country, then they stay in customs for days, after which they decide to increase the taxes a lot. >:P

So, if an item stays in customs for a long time and doesn't arrive to the consumer, well, somebody (either at customs or the delivery guy) took the package for themselves. Fudge.
But hey, at least you can ask for a refund in that case.

So, it looks like that not all hopes are lost. :D

You must log in to post a comment. You can login or register a new account.