On 21/07/2020 04:35, David Wright wrote:
However, this laptop, the lenovo, no longer has a functioning power regulation. The battery shows full at all times, but if the AC is interrupted, it's dead. It doesn't help that the connector (a USB-A look-alike) is loose fitting, so the laptop now has to be a static desktop, with its power cord twisted and trapped underneath in such a manner that it can't move around. It's not worth spending any money on because, after a hard life, . the touchpad doesn't click any more, . the screen is coming away from the casing at the hinge, so closing or opening it is a delicate operation, . the USB sockets are about as loose as the power one with some sticks, . I've had to strap a straightened coathook to the PSU because the cable's strain relief has broken, leaving the wires exposed and vulnerable. (It's a replacement PSU.)
Wow. That puts mine to shame: I have replaced a dying fan, a dead hard drive, and a dead power adaptor so far. But apart from holes in the plastic case where the fan grid has given way it's currently all intact apart from the faulty regulator or whatever it is. Speed has been a problem - I ran gentoo on it for years but switched to debian when the hdd died, because compile times were getting too long.
I suppose if push came to shove, and Vostros were common enough, you might be able get another machine to charge the battery pack for you.
I'm not going to buy another dodgy antique just for that! But its not a bad idea in principle: maybe I can find something just as a recharger. My wife has a Packard bell bought on the very same day - but unfortunately her power regulator has died too. Must be a common fault, wonder if it was a particular component problem at the time (you'd think there would be more stress on the CPU
Cheers Graham
Cheers, David.