My new desktop won't boot up! That's 3 busted computers now!

[Winston]

Christ Almighty!

My new desktop won't boot up properly now, after only two weeks this time! That's THREE broken computers in a row that won't power on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first laptop lasted over a year and then during a lightning storm, the ethernet port was damaged immediately when a loud thunder banged overhead. After a few weeks, the whole laptop wouldn't power on anymore. My second laptop lasted 2 or 3 months, then suddenly wouldn't boot up properly, even though the power light and fan would come on. No lightning strikes on it, but there were frequent brown outs that could have caused power surges to damage it? (even though my extension outlet is supposed to be a surge protector). And now this refurbished desktop, my third computer, just got broke after 2 weeks! It happened when I took out the RAM card to bring to shops and try to get more RAM, but I ended up not getting any so I reinserted it, but when I did, the computer wouldn't boot properly. The light and fan would turn on, but no beeps would sound and nothing would display!

The thing is, I took the RAM card out without unplugging the CPU, so that may have damaged it, or maybe the bad voltage or brown outs caused it. It's hard to say.

I checked many times all night to make sure that the RAM card was reinserted properly. I am completely certain it is inserted correctly. I tried all three slots as well. I even had a computer expert guide me through it by webcam. Nothing he suggested would work! He thinks maybe the RAM card got damaged somehow, maybe because I removed it without unplugging the computer, but even then, the risk of damage is very very minimal. Or maybe something else is loose but nothing appears to be loose at all. Or maybe this refurbished computer was bad quality to begin with. At least it's still under the three month warranty.

What are the frickin ODDS of THREE computers in a row breaking in the same room of the same apartment?! I'm not sure I buy that coincidence. Either there is some bad spirit or curse here that's causing this, or else there is an electrical current problem. We have had a lot of brown outs lately, that might cause power surges, but I thought my surge protector on the extension outlet was enough protection.

A friend of mine in Manila also said that three of his laptops broke. He said the voltage current is unstable and irregular here, so you have to get an AVR (automatic voltage regulator) to plug all your computers into. Another guy in Boracay also said all his computers that he bought here broke. But surprisingly Filipinos don't tend to have this experience with their computers, only foreigners seem to?

I brought this up to a Filipino tech at a computer repair shop, and he said that an automatic voltage regulator doesn't regulate voltage flow, but only acts as a surge protector! What the F?! If an "automatic voltage regulator" doesn't regulate voltage, then what does it do, shit bricks?! Why are there so many morons here?! My God. My friend said the techs here don't know shit and know less than many Western non-techs that he knows.

Anyhow, the bad voltage current seems to be the most likely culprit. Add to the three broken computers the fact that my cell phone's INTERNAL LCD screen cracked one day while it was charging, even though I never dropped or abused it, and that adds to the possibility of bad voltage. Either that, or power surges from frequent brown outs are damaging the computers and cell phones here.

Thus, three broken computers in a row plus a cracked cell phone LCD seems to lead to the electric current either in this apartment or in Angeles City, as the cause, since it is the common denominator. What do you think?

Right now I'm using my new laptop that was replaced last week when it wouldn't power on too. Fortunately it was still under warranty. But if the problem is electrical, then I am taking a risk right now by using it in my home, until I get an AVR box.

It will be a huge pain in the ass to carry this desktop onto a jeepney all the way back to the mall I got it at for service! And a frickin waste of time too! Dianne's insane drama has already wasted hours and days of my time already, and now this?! f**k!

I'm going to look for an AVR.

However, if computers commonly break in this country due to bad voltage current, then wouldn't everyone know about it and wouldn't every tech person recommend AVR's? One tech I talked to here said the voltage was stable here and that the laptops were designed to fit them. He also said that other people who use laptops here that he knows, do not use AVR's and yet they last for years. So how come only me and other foreigners have this problem, while Filipino computer users don't? I know one expat in Manila and one in Boracay and both claim that all their computers they've bought here have broken.

However, I heard that most internet cafes here use AVR boxes on their computers. So wouldn't that tell you something?

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Winston]

Hi all,
We just went to the mall and got an AVR for computers at the computer store. It was pretty inexpensive.

The weird thing is, the store staff said that their laptop had been plugged directly into the wall for 3 years now and never had a problem! Yet me and two foreigners I know that live here always get their computer broken! So I'm wondering, does this only happen to foreigners? Gee. Maybe foreigners have a vibe here that damages computers. It's been scientifically proven I read, that some people do have a vibe that damages electronics and computers.

Or perhaps the voltage current in the mall is more stable than at homes?

Do you think it's better to plug the computer power adapters directly into the AVR? Or just plug the extension outlet into the AVR, and keep the computers plugged into the outlet? Does it matter?

[Winston]

Hi all,
I took the broken desktop back to the computer shop. After replacing each part, they still couldn't find out which part of the computer was defective. So they concluded that the motherboard was damaged. They did find some burn marks on the RAM card though, however, even when they put new RAM cards in the slot, the computer still wouldn't boot up!!!!!!!!

WTF?!

So they took out my hard drive and put it in another computer to give me as a replacement. However, the Windows XP wouldn't boot in the new computer. The tech there said the operating system was corrupted but the files were still there. I have no idea why and he couldn't explain it either. So now I have to bring my old laptop hard drive (the first one, not the second) tomorrow to back up all the files before reformatting the corrupted one. Then after it's reformatted, I'll have to take it home, reinstall windows and copy back all the files in the hard drive, and then reinstall every single fricken program I've installed so far! Dozens of programs! Jesus Christ. That will take many fricken hours! f**k damn it!

My schedule is already f***ed already from many delays and problems, and hundreds of unfinished tasks and projects from months ago, and now this?! The reason I hate delays is because technically, if I have to do everything I was going to do today tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow I will have to do everything I would have done tomorrow, and so forth, ad nauseum. So delays create a domino effect in that everything that I would have done gets delayed and backed up day after day, the entire timeline. As a perfectionist, I hate that. It irks me and makes my blood boil and that's why I'm cussing now.

Now I can't do what I WOULD have done if the computer hadn't broke. Then I gotta deal with having to sleep, eat, and drama from Dianne, and that results in even less time. One thing I hate besides wasting money is wasting time as well. Money can be replenished. But time can't.

What I don't get is why if all the files on the hard drive are copied and recopied back onto it, why do I have to reinstall every single program as well? Wouldn't they all still be there? Aren't they all in the hard drive? Or do they use up a part of the computer, such as the registry, that is not part of the hard drive?

Every time I think I have control over my schedule again, something f***s up and causes more delays. I still have plans and projects from 6 months ago that I haven't gotten to yet! But life keeps catching up and time doesn't wait for me when things f**k up. I just get pissed and have to accept it.

God doesn't give you your time back when you lose it due to delays. That's what pisses me off. I hate having to put myself in the same frame of mind 7 days ago, for example, just to see what I missed and would have done had the delay or problem not happened!

My laptop breaking two weeks ago already cost me almost a week of time and delay!

I don't understand why all my computers keep breaking here. That's not something I'm used to at all. In the US, NONE of my computers break, and I've had many. Not even my computers from the 80's and 90's have broken to the point where they won't even boot up or power on! My Macintosh, PC and Commodore 64 from the mid-1980's still work too! The only thing that broke was my Atari 2600, but that's a game console. So why have three of my computers here broken so far, under mysterious circumstances and unexplained causes? f**k!

Sorry for venting.

I guess when you're lucky in love or with girls, then you aren't in other areas of your life, such as with computers, and vice versa. I've never been lucky in two areas of my life at the same time. As soon as luck or good things in one went up, the other went down. I guess some people aren't meant to have everything.

[momopi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware

Windows XP or Vista installed for one machine will not always work on another, due to hardware differences. The install is hardware specific in settings and drivers.

An emulated environment, such as a virtual machine, would run from one computer to another. You can install all your apps and transfer the VM from computer to computer. However:

1) It'd run slower
2) You need to back up the VM image on regular basis
3) You may need to back up your data files separately, in case if the VM image becomes corrupt.


Since you had just bought the computer, it should be in warranty period?

[Winston]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMware

Windows XP or Vista installed for one machine will not always work on another, due to hardware differences. The install is hardware specific in settings and drivers.

An emulated environment, such as a virtual machine, would run from one computer to another. You can install all your apps and transfer the VM from computer to computer. However:

1) It'd run slower
2) You need to back up the VM image on regular basis
3) You may need to back up your data files separately, in case if the VM image becomes corrupt.


Since you had just bought the computer, it should be in warranty period?

W: Yes it is still in the three month warranty period, that's why I took it there. They are going to replace it.

If I copy all the files in the hard drive onto the new computer, why would I have to install the programs though? Do the programs use a part of the computer other than the hard drive?