Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I took my laptop in to get looked at and found that my hard drive failed. The cost of replacing it and also upgrading would be $180 for a new 160 gig HD (previoiusly had 80 gig), labor, and installation. Does this sound fair?
I bought my laptop about 3 years ago for $600. It's an HP Pavillion, widescreen. I LOVE it, so I don't want to buy another one. Is it worth the repair?
Shop around for a better deal. That HD cost Best Buy maybe $50 at the most. You can replace it with the same size, that should save some money.
I got a laptop from a coworker who's "computer expert" relative told him it would be at least $100 to replace the HD. I went online and found an exact replacement for $40. Installed it myself and I now have a perfectly functioning laptop.
That's not an unfair price to pay, assuming that you need all that service. Paying for a hard disk, and then paying the shop to install Windows, all the hardware drivers, misc. stuff like java and Adobe reader and whatever applications you had on it, could quite reasonably add up to $180. On the other hand, if you can install Windows and all the other stuff yourself, ask them for a price just for the hard drive physically installed in the laptop. It shouldn't take over half an hour to install the hard disk and make sure it is working.
I called and left a message asking if the HD is 7200 rpm (thanks Tek_Freek), and I haven't heard back yet.
The way I see it, I'm so frusturated with this computer that I just want it FIXED. I don't want to deal with installing it myself, I don't want to deal with buying my own HD (I have no idea where to even begin--I'm sure there are thousands of varities). I am definitely paying for convenience by having this done by someone else, but at this point I don't really care. I can have my computer back this evening and have it work perfectly again--that's all that matters to me right now.
Bad news. The new HD is only 5400 rpm. I asked what would need to be done to upgrade to 7200, and he said it would be an extra $18. Is $200 worth it for a new HD, installation and labor?
I called and left a message asking if the HD is 7200 rpm (thanks Tek_Freek), and I haven't heard back yet.
The way I see it, I'm so frusturated with this computer that I just want it FIXED. I don't want to deal with installing it myself, I don't want to deal with buying my own HD (I have no idea where to even begin--I'm sure there are thousands of varities). I am definitely paying for convenience by having this done by someone else, but at this point I don't really care. I can have my computer back this evening and have it work perfectly again--that's all that matters to me right now.
Can you tell how frusturated I am?
Like grocery shopping while hungry, hardware shopping while frustrated is a bad idea. Of course you love your present PC but keep some perspective. How old is it? What is it's chip speed? Screen size, etc. Do you know what the going rate is for a NEW netbook size laptop? I'm not you but I would either buy the drive and install it myself (its not rocket science), buy a new netbook and flog the Pavilion as is on Craigslist for $100 firm or buy the hard drive and let a friend install it for dinner and a beer. You don't get instant gratification but you get value. YMMV.
Like grocery shopping while hungry, hardware shopping while frustrated is a bad idea. Of course you love your present PC but keep some perspective. How old is it? What is it's chip speed? Screen size, etc. Do you know what the going rate is for a NEW netbook size laptop? I'm not you but I would either buy the drive and install it myself (its not rocket science), buy a new netbook and flog the Pavilion as is on Craigslist for $100 firm or buy the hard drive and let a friend install it for dinner and a beer. You don't get instant gratification but you get value. YMMV.
H
Since the OP stated theirs had a wide screen and they love it I doubt they are in the market for a netbook size laptop. The rest I agree with.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
