It’s Dead, Jim—Again

posted in: Uncategorized 8
Antares the laptop
Antares, R.I.P.

My Asus laptop has died, this time the true death, I think. Two years ago (seems like yesterday), it died in a similar fashion, just going poof, bye when my back was turned. That time it was the motherboard, and I suspect the same is true this time. That time it expired on the last day of the warranty, and Asus (after considerable prodding) did the right thing and fixed it. This time it’s three years old. And I just two weeks ago got the latest Windows update to work on it. This is so depressing. A computer should last longer than this! They’re just like the replicants from Bladerunner, with a built-in expiration date.

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain…”

 

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8 Responses

  1. Reg Caton
    | Reply

    Buy a Dell XPS 13 and upgrade the ssd hard drive to 1000 Gb. 1000 bucks and joy.

    • Jeffrey A. Carver
      | Reply

      My previous laptop was a Dell. I liked it. I think it lasted 3 or 4 years, before the screen quit. My desktop is a Dell, and I think it’s 3-4 years old right now. Uh-oh. It’s been good. Except for the hard drive needing to be replaced once.

  2. ted
    | Reply

    Boy, I really feel blessed. I have a 17 inch Toshiba laptop we bought in 2007. It still works like new. Never had a problem.

    The only Asus I ever had was a desktop tower. We took a direct lightning hit on the power pole next to the house. My surge protector saved the thing . . . except the internet line wasn’t protected. When I open the case the next day, I found the modem had EXPLODED. Molten metal everywhere.

  3. Karen
    | Reply

    I left Windows behind 8 years ago and have never regretted it. But if you have to stay with a Windows laptop, spend some money on it. The cheap ones are designed to be disposable.

  4. Jim Ortner
    | Reply

    We use Dell Latitudes where I work. I support these computers and they have been quite dependable except for E5570 and E7470 which have battery issues and a few others issues. We usually go 4 to 5 years before users get new computers and very few have died before replacing. We have about 1,000 laptops deployed. The Latitude series is built for businesses and are more solid than the laptops designed for home use.

    Jim

    • Jeffrey A. Carver
      | Reply

      That’s good to know about the Latitudes. I think I looked at them on one of my replacement rounds, though I don’t remember why I went with something else.

  5. […] old faithful laptop, Antares, went neutron star on me a month ago. I hated that, partly because I really liked her red glowing […]

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