computer longevity ?

[kristina]

Hello,
My computer has been with me for over six, nearly seven years,
and I have used it every day (sometimes more than just once) and it has always been pretty reliable.
Now suddenly over the New Year, whenever I try to switch it on, it does not react at all anymore
and does not even switch on anymore either.
Could it be that the lifespan of my computer has had its day after six, nearly seven years
and it cannot be switched on or ever being used again? Or could it just be a little "hickup" in the computer,
or perhaps my computer could have developed a fault and I "only" need to use a few tricks
to get it "coming back to life" again? What do you do when something like that happens ?
What can I do to get my computer working again?

Thank you very much from Kristina.

P.S . I write this on another computer, unfortunately not my own...   

[iolaire]

A tec support person would tell you to make sure it's plugged to the wall and the computer. That is a good thing to do just incase. Otherwise maybe something like the power supply is bad. You might need to take it to someone to fix, but the fix might be more than a new computer. if it was me I'd buy a $20 external hard drive case to stick your computers hard drive in if it ends up being a loss. If they fix the computer just return the hard drive case.

[Simon Dog]

I have found the following gadget (under $20) to be very valuable for getting files off the old hard drive without actually installing that drive in the new computer.  I handles IDE, SATA and laptop drives and converts them to USB drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156102

This is easier to set up, and cheaper, that an external hard drive case but is designed for temporary setups.   The other advantage is the versatility, handling all 3 major types of drive interfaces currently in use (well, 2 current and one obsolete - but at nearly seven years, you may have IDE drive(s) in your computer).

You can look up the pinout for your power supply on line.    Then disconnect the power supply from the motherboard and use a jumper to momentarily connect one of the ground pins to the power on control line.  If the fans don't start right up, you have a dead power supply.

[kristina]

Thank you very much iolaire and Simon Dog for your kind help.
I shall have to digest the information and hopefully, with a bit of luck, my computer comes back to life again.
I actually only used the computer for my regular research about the latest medical kidney-research results
and for my daily IHD and a regular cheer-up of youtube classical music and occasional historical-research-films ...
I was actually never too long on the computer itself because of my photosensitivity to artificial light (i.e. computer light),
so theoreticlly my compute should still have a bit of life in it... hopefully...
Thanks again from Kristina.

[talker]

If no indicator LED's are lit, from what you describe, the power cord is bad.
Take a look at these to overcome any 'doubt's about looking into doing simple repairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRJ_vqVRp5g

http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/computer-completely-dead.25651/

http://www.acceptedpapers.com/free-term-papers/how-to-diagnose-a-dead-computer.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5518260_symptoms-dead-computer-battery.html

[kristina]

Thank you very much talker, I shall give it my very best
and hopefully my computer starts living again.
Thanks again from Kristina.

[Charlie B53]

When you first turn on the power the system should 'test' itself and give a faint 'beep'.  If this doesn't happen and nothing appears on the screen then more testing is needed. 

The usual suspects are:

  1) the power supply.  You will need a simple volt meter to poke the ends of the wires to see if they have the correct voltage.  Values and wire diagrams are available on line.

  2) bad memory, take out all memory and only put in one stick at a time, try each stick to see if it starts with any of them.

  3) hard drive failure. You would still get it to boot to an old style DOS screen reporting 'No Operating System Found'

Most likely the power supply died.  But as with ALL electrical parts, there is NO RETURN, so you want to be sure before you start spending any money.  I bought my last one used from eBay.  Still works fine.  A cheap digital multi-meter from Radio Shack or Wal-Mart.  You can take to cover off the machine and test.

[Michael Murphy]

Before you drop any money on a 6or 7 year old computer their are other options to explore if all you are doing is web access with some email or posting either a Android or Apple tablet or a Chrome book may meet your needs cheaply.  You can get a refurb PC really cheaply to

[kristina]

Thank you very much for the ideas Charlie B53 and Michael Murphy.
A friend of mine has a look at the computer and I shall see what comes of it
and whether it is really worth to spend any money on it.
Thanks again from Kristina.

[jcanavera]

Like anything else computers do go bad after time.  I use a Mac and I just replaced my Mac laptop after 8 years of heavy use.  In my case there were two reasons.  One was a graphics card which started affecting the display and secondly the operating system could no longer be updated due to technology changes.  Rather than buy new, I bought a used Macbook Pro via Ebay.  I just got it yesterday and was first put into service in August 2012.  It's still under Apple warranty till August of this year.  Coming from the PC world I really like Apple computers and how they work together and share data between iPhones, iPads and other Mac computers.

You obviously were probably using a PC which was probably running Windows XP.  If so, its time to change anyway since XP is no longer supported.  The new machines are Windows 8 driven and are much different than the XP you were used to using.  Some folks find the learning curve for Windows 8 pretty extensive.  I know one person I talked to about going to a Mac said that she had been working with Windows XP for so long that she didn't want to have to learn something new.  As it ended up her new PC is Windows 8 and she was extremely disappointed that it wasn't like her XP machine.  She noted that if she had known there was that much different, she would have gone with a Mac.

So my recommendation is to replace your machine if it is running Windows XP.  If you want to stick with Windows, you may be able to find one that will run Windows 7.  It resembles the XP machine you use now.  If Windows 8 is what you will get, look at Mac's also.  My suggestion might be a used unit built from the summer 2012 to current.  The Mac operating system is great and I have been through multiple operating system upgrades over the years.  They retain the look and feel of the older operating systems even though they have become more feature rich.  Also Apple has been providing operating system upgrades for free for the past few years.  In addition Mac Operating systems are much more free of concerns about virus's or hacking since those intent of exploiting personal computers concentrate their efforts on Windows PC's rather than Macs.

Jack

[Michael Murphy]

I too am a Mac user but the systems while wonderful are a bit pricey.  The iMac i bought last year was about 1250 and at the time it was the bottom of the line.  The good thing about the Mac is apple support if you live near a Apple Store is wonderful. However if all you do is web searches, watch videos and do some light typing I would take the time to go to a tech store and try the various options available.  I would reccommend trying a chrome book which is not a PC but sort of like a android tablet with a keyboard.  They go for less than 300 dollars.  Most PC company's also sell refurbs, systems that were returned and then sold for less then new. The thing is you have more options now then 6 years ago.  I personally do most things on my IPad which I have with most of the time.  I also watch movies during dialysis .

[kristina]

Thank you jcanavera and Michael Murphy for sharing your experiences.
I  have been trying to work out the problem with my computer and have noticed,
that there is a way to start the computer, when I first take out the battery and disconnect any electricity
before switching the computer on. Whilst the computer is switched on, I connect back the electricity-cable
and all goes well from then on, but the battery does not need to be put back agian.
Whenever I switch the computer off and later switch it on again, I have to repeat the whole process again...
Many thanks again from Kristina.

[JW77]

I'm assuming from your last post that its a laptop, if so it might be a good idea to run battery tests. You might need a tech savvy person to do this. This is just a guess.

You've had it a long time, in computer years, so best to find the problem before you go spending money.


I'm another Apple Man, using a now fairly old MacBook Pro:) There is excellent tech support for Apple products, both from Apple and the fan based Mac User Groups:)

Good luck

J

[kristina]

Thank you, JW77.
Thankfully my computer has "come back" again
and I assume, it has become with age, a little eccentric...
Thanks again from Kristina.

[Charlie B53]

Leaving a laptop plugged in long after the battery is fully charged does shorten battery life.  The computer manufacture claims the charging rate is reduced such that the battery will not over-charge, that's a crock.  I've killed way to many batteries.  And I know better.  I should be ashamed of myself  for not unplugging the power supply once my battery is charged.  I am trying to pay closer attention to my new battery.  I'll see how this one lasts.

If you insist on leaving your laptop plugged in, just take the battery out.

[kristina]

Thank you Charlie for sharing your interesting experiences !
They are a "new one" to me and I shall try it out.
As a "newbie" with computers I had not thought of it.
Thanks again from Kristina.

[jcanavera]

Batteries on laptops only have a limited amount of charge cycles built into them.  So using the battery till it runs down and then recharging will take a cycle off the battery life.  Some manufacturers recommend doing one full discharge a month.  As noted earlier always keeping it plugged in can also shorten battery life.  I keep mine plugged in when I use it, and unplug it when I'm not.  Plus I'll do the one full discharge a month.  That process keeps my battery in good shape.

Jack

[kristina]

Thank you jcanavera for your very useful input.
Thanks again from Kristina.

[Simon Dog]

Batteries on laptops only have a limited amount of charge cycles built into them.

When you buy an extended service contract from Dell, it's always "except for the battery which is limited to one year".   Laptop batteries are considered expendables, and you can expect to replace them if you keep your laptop for more than 2-3 years.

[kristina]

Thank you very much Simon,
Your thoughts are very much appreciated .
Thanks again from Kristina.