[DC LoCo] i'm blogging for PCRetro about tech access stuff

[Andrew Conklin]

I'm glad PC Retro is involved in other dealings than just customer computer
repair, as that is not their strong suit.

I took an older Alienware Laptop with overheating issues into the Computer
Warehouse store in Falls Church a few months ago.  They still have it and
they can not duplicate my issue.  It passed all their diagnostic tests.  I
am able to recreate the problem easily by just turning it on and keeping it
in use for an hour or less and the problem shows up consistently.  The
laptop's power is killed off, but comes back on when I press the power
button after failure.  The laptop does the same thing in shorter intervals
if I do not wait for it to cool down.

They did not ask for my login info and I have Ubuntu installed on the
laptop.  I assume they are using a LiveCD to run tests on it.  I speculate
that my SCSI dual hard drives are probably a prime component of the
overheating issue and their tests likely involve little if any hard drive
usage.

Its disappointing that I have to attempt to figure this out when I paid them
for at least an assessment, if not a fix for the problem.

The store clerks are nice.  They deserve some credit for customer
interaction.

Andrew Conklin




On Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 2:33 PM, Phil Shapiro <pshapiro at his.com> wrote:

> hi ubuntu dc loco community,
>
>    this week i started blogging for PCRetro.com about technology
> access issues.
> although PCRetro is a for-profit company, i see them as one of the
> strongest forces for bridging the digital divide in the DC-area.
>
>      my first blog post is at
>
> http://www.pcretro.com/wordpress/?p=81
>
>       if you have ideas for what you'd like me to blog about, i'm all
> ears, too. my main interests are:
>
> computers in education
>
> getting computers into the hands of those who can't usually afford them
>
> free software
>
> free web services
>
> squeezing the most out of older hardware
>
> fostering greater computer independence for computer newbies (i.e.
> self reliance)
>
> computer use in the nonprofit sector
>
> digital storytelling
>
> FIRST Robotics
>
> what we need to do next to be building a more inclusive society
>
>    my undergrad degree is in philosophy, so i sometimes post "i've
> been wondering" kinds of posts, too.
>
>             phil
>
>
> --
> Phil Shapiro  pshapiro at his.com
> http://www.his.com/pshapiro/briefbio.html
> http://www.twitter.com/philshapiro
> http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html
>
> "Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
> "Learning happens thru gentleness."
>
>
>
> --
> Ubuntu-us-dc mailing list
> Ubuntu-us-dc at lists.ubuntu.com
> Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
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>
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