Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 11:53 AM, Ken Heard wrote: > Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is > such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? > My last laptop was a Lenovo, but not a Thinkpad. It died at just under three years of life. I was pretty hard on it, but I did expect more than three years. I'd say five years is the most you can expect from any laptop. Anything more is "gravy."
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On 11/02/2013 02:53 PM Ken Heard wrote: -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 In May 2008 I purchased new and started using a Lenovo R61 Think Pad. Originally I installed Lenny on it and subsequently upgraded it to Squeeze. Starting from 2013-01-01 various things started going wrong. For example I began to get segmentation fault errors for packages that I had used successfully before that date. Some of other problems where intermittent sound, and failure to detect the printer, even manually. At first I thought these were software faults and sought help from this list. Finally I decided to spend $100 for diagnostic tests. The diagnosis was a failed main board, but the hard drive and the memory modules were okay. The cost of repairs would approximate the cost of a new laptop. Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? Regards, Ken Heard -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlJ1SjoACgkQlNlJzOkJmTc6VgCggZKp2e30QS0fKTtayl//j9x8 HLEAn1S0w3IcH8NXCY+0/GZ/t0GrYG4A =lLag -END PGP SIGNATURE- Ken, It surprised me that I had quite a few problems early on with a Dell laptop I bought near the end of 2004. Within a hundred days there was a failure in the mainboard and it had to be replaced. (The warrantee provided parts and labor for just the first 90 days.) Over the next three years there were other problems. Fortunately, I paid for extended warrantees for the first three years because every year I had to have something fixed which would have cost something like double what the extended warrantee cost me each year. After three years they wouldn't even sell me another extended warrantee. So it's quite apparent that Dell doesn't think their stuff is sturdy enough to last more than three years. Since then, however, I've had just four problems. One is that I've worn the characters off of several of the keys on the keyboard; you'd think this could have been manufactured better. And the keyboard was already replaced once before (during the extended warrantee period. The second problem was that the touchpad... pretty much the same as the keyboard: I just wore out the surface of it. I don't know when the third problem started. Earlier this year I discovered that my 1.5GHz CPU was always running at 0.6GHz. It's a "stepping CPU", which means that it can run at different speeds depending upon conditions and preference. I liked this feature at first because running at slower speeds meant (supposedly) the system would consume less electricity. But the CPU runs slower also when its temperature gets too high. Well, perhaps the code that handles this is messed up, but this machine runs at 600 MHz even when the temperature is reasonably low (like now: 55C), even when it's plugged into the mains/wall (like it is now), and even when the load average is over 4 (as it is now). Under these conditions the CPU should be running faster (and it did during the first year). So the way I see it, I paid for a laptop with a 1.5GHz CPU, but got one with a 600MHz processor. ** To see what speed your processor is running at, do "cat /proc/cpuinfo" or check out "cpuspeed". The fourth problem just started earlier this year: first one part of the display became too bright, then the lid became floppy, wouldn't stay in position, and would either fall completely open or else onto the keyboard. Then the screen started going black after a few minutes. Then after a few seconds. ** Normally I'm not at all an advocate of extended warrantees. People smarter than I am have determined that, financially speaking, they're not worth it. But as it played out for me in this instance, the extended warrantees did save me some money. But that might speak more to the shoddy design and/or manufacturing of laptops or this particular laptop than it does to the value of an extended warrantee. Some people might say that it's pretty good to be able to still use a laptop almost nine years after it was bought new. Others, myself among them would say this is an example of diminished expectations and that something falling apart or breaking down sooner than it should is another way to accomplish planned obsolescence. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/52779bc9.80...@mousecar.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 11/03/2013 03:10 PM, Ken Heard wrote: > Yes the Samsung Galaxy tablet does have its limitations, stemming > in part from the fact that Android is not really open source. I > continue to use an email client (Icedove) instead of web based > e-mail; so when I am travelling I am forced to use Gmail and after > return from a trip I have download to my email client all emails > sent and received while away. Also while away I cannot have access > to my email archives. On the other hand the tablet is much lighter > than a laptop, a big plus when travelling. on the Galaxy Tab there is a gmail client, that was nice.. and I setup my other email clients IMAP, as I do at home. yes the tablet is MUCH lighter, less baggage. > > As for Windows, my freedom from Microsoft contamination dates from > 28 July 2004; since then is has been Debian all the way. Because > of security and privacy concerns I do not use any social > networking sites, especially Facebook. we use Facebook for our kids & friends & other relatives (many) mainly to share photos. All private settings, but yes, still Facebook.. - -- Paul Cartwright Registered Linux User #367800 and new counter #561587 -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.12 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJSdq6TAAoJEFOC6wwM39g1vhkH/A0kcdKNw2Ug6U0i3IACWJ98 LBik49wNaYTuNQVXimQYJAhhf7++DXbSAIgTvu9UFU1M6eOsiqrFjnYhgONtrLYq oY6J2c7AkQYEVbLZxz0jelw2FbENrOLu1gJRN5307Q0zfhj95hkyQJaUCRN4Wk0p qhmo5YK6vXLkMgLEQOfa5hhwYLgRvDH2q1w64jg0m76Z3nACwtd/VRmNhrgytoQs P2EINkajtNGIz2Ft6BMYxfqLJq3mt85XkYhhrgKuqYXHdJUKDdykMJHigv+KEwdF liTyM76IIN0emv92SQ/kmJRkf9q5Iy8L0PX1+flzAgA2vRMSqmxStObijC8mRK0= =O7bk -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/5276ae93.7010...@gmail.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-11-03 10:10, Paul Cartwright wrote: > I just got a Galaxy Tab 10" a few weeks ago for our trip to New > Orleans.. just got back:) it works well for a tablet, nicely > compliments my Galaxy S III phone.. BUT I was frustrated because I > can't do my normal cut & paste for email replies and chrome tabs > are hard to work with.. But I did have my main apps always there, > Chrome, Thunderbird, Greader ( I normally use Thunderbird to read > RSS feeds..) and Facebook. > > I did have a Windows 8 laptop with us( my wifes) but only used it > to pull in the photos from our devices- Iphone, Galaxy S3 and my > Nikon.. Yes the Samsung Galaxy tablet does have its limitations, stemming in part from the fact that Android is not really open source. I continue to use an email client (Icedove) instead of web based e-mail; so when I am travelling I am forced to use Gmail and after return from a trip I have download to my email client all emails sent and received while away. Also while away I cannot have access to my email archives. On the other hand the tablet is much lighter than a laptop, a big plus when travelling. As for Windows, my freedom from Microsoft contamination dates from 28 July 2004; since then is has been Debian all the way. Because of security and privacy concerns I do not use any social networking sites, especially Facebook. Regards, Ken Heard -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlJ2rbgACgkQlNlJzOkJmTcYUgCfRC4+sMKHLrZ/oSPIOhUyuBeM kRQAnR5BYONHZvSpzVnWyrhrW3kuZ60d =7PEE -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/5276adb8.4050...@teksavvy.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On Sun, Nov 03, 2013 at 12:03:13AM -0400, Celejar wrote: > On Sat, 02 Nov 2013 14:53:46 -0400 > Ken Heard wrote: > > > -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > In May 2008 I purchased new and started using a Lenovo R61 Think Pad. > > Originally I installed Lenny on it and subsequently upgraded it to > > Squeeze. > > > > Starting from 2013-01-01 various things started going wrong. For > > example I began to get segmentation fault errors for packages that I > > had used successfully before that date. Some of other problems where > > intermittent sound, and failure to detect the printer, even manually. > > > > At first I thought these were software faults and sought help from > > this list. Finally I decided to spend $100 for diagnostic tests. The > > diagnosis was a failed main board, but the hard drive and the memory > > modules were okay. The cost of repairs would approximate the cost of > > a new laptop. > > > > Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is > > such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? > > Any piece of electronics can fail, but I'm pretty sure that an R-series > ThinkPad doesn't have a *higher* failure rate than laptops in general. > My understanding is that the business class ThinkPad lines are beloved > precisely for (among other things) their superior build quality; I > bought a (refurbished) T61 (which ISTR is quite similar to the R61) for > exactly this reason, and I've been very happy with it. On the other hand I have to be careful how I pick up the T420i I bought last year because if I'm not, the case can flex enough so that the cd drive tray will open. -- Bob Holtzman Your mail is being read by tight lipped NSA agents who fail to see humor in Doctor Strangelove Key ID 8D549279 signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On Sun, 03 Nov 2013 09:32:36 -0500 Ken Heard wrote: > -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- > Hash: SHA1 > > On 2013-11-03 00:03, Celejar wrote: > > > > >> Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or > >> is such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? > > > > Any piece of electronics can fail, but I'm pretty sure that an > > R-series ThinkPad doesn't have a *higher* failure rate than > > laptops in general. My understanding is that the business class > > ThinkPad lines are beloved precisely for (among other things) their > > superior build quality; I bought a (refurbished) T61 (which ISTR is > > quite similar to the R61) for exactly this reason, and I've been > > very happy with it. > > Maybe I was just unlucky. > > I have been never sure of the difference between the R, T (and X) > series ThinkPads with the same number. For example is the T61 > supposed to be more robust than the R61? The T61 is apparently a higher-end machine, a bit lighter and offered with higher-end options, but the general design is similar: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3685&article=T61andR61 http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/124547-t61-vs-r61-what-difference.html http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=53905&start=0 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2149373,00.asp Celejar -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20131103132309.e982f18c3bd8ae34edbf0...@gmail.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-11-03 07:01, Paul Cartwright wrote: > On 11/02/2013 02:53 PM, Ken Heard wrote: >> Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or >> is such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? > > not sure where you live, but static electricity can ruin any > electronic gear in under a year. If you have heat on in the > winter, and it is dry, you need a humidifier in the room where you > use your computer/laptop.. lightening of course will fry anything > it touches instantly. I've had 2 modems go out in 2 years, and they > were plugged into APC UPSes. Well, it had been moved around the world quite a bit. In fact I really only used it when I was travelling and during the four-five months of the year when I live in Thailand; for the other seven-eight months I am usually in Toronto, Canada. The added wear and tear of such movement may not have helped to shorten its life. At the moment I have no plans to replace it. Instead of carrying a laptop back and forth between Canada and Thailand later this month I to buy a desktop in Thailand which will be left there. For other travelling I can use my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for such things as email access. Regards, Ken Heard -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlJ2YYgACgkQlNlJzOkJmTcdkwCcC1mapgSvP/sRGpQOJSzGyaem nNwAn240w92/v8oYtU3KfUDPH9wyJCQ7 =BILC -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/52766188.9010...@teksavvy.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-11-03 00:03, Celejar wrote: >> Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or >> is such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? > > Any piece of electronics can fail, but I'm pretty sure that an > R-series ThinkPad doesn't have a *higher* failure rate than > laptops in general. My understanding is that the business class > ThinkPad lines are beloved precisely for (among other things) their > superior build quality; I bought a (refurbished) T61 (which ISTR is > quite similar to the R61) for exactly this reason, and I've been > very happy with it. Maybe I was just unlucky. I have been never sure of the difference between the R, T (and X) series ThinkPads with the same number. For example is the T61 supposed to be more robust than the R61? Regards, Ken Heard -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlJ2XoQACgkQlNlJzOkJmTeduACfcAEs5cOfOxLfP7dIw3VY3krL PdkAn3l2vZ3va3C+A2m5kKrpC9b8mgPK =I/n6 -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/52765e84.4000...@teksavvy.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On Sat, 02 Nov 2013 14:53:46 -0400 Ken Heard wrote: > -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- > Hash: SHA1 > > In May 2008 I purchased new and started using a Lenovo R61 Think Pad. > Originally I installed Lenny on it and subsequently upgraded it to > Squeeze. > > Starting from 2013-01-01 various things started going wrong. For > example I began to get segmentation fault errors for packages that I > had used successfully before that date. Some of other problems where > intermittent sound, and failure to detect the printer, even manually. > > At first I thought these were software faults and sought help from > this list. Finally I decided to spend $100 for diagnostic tests. The > diagnosis was a failed main board, but the hard drive and the memory > modules were okay. The cost of repairs would approximate the cost of > a new laptop. > > Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is > such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? Any piece of electronics can fail, but I'm pretty sure that an R-series ThinkPad doesn't have a *higher* failure rate than laptops in general. My understanding is that the business class ThinkPad lines are beloved precisely for (among other things) their superior build quality; I bought a (refurbished) T61 (which ISTR is quite similar to the R61) for exactly this reason, and I've been very happy with it. > Regards, Ken Heard Celejar -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20131103000313.b662033c3b2d0ed888b3d...@gmail.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 6:53 PM, Ken Heard wrote: > > In May 2008 I purchased new and started using a Lenovo R61 Think Pad. > Originally I installed Lenny on it and subsequently upgraded it to > Squeeze. > > Starting from 2013-01-01 various things started going wrong. For > example I began to get segmentation fault errors for packages that I > had used successfully before that date. Some of other problems where > intermittent sound, and failure to detect the printer, even manually. > > At first I thought these were software faults and sought help from > this list. Finally I decided to spend $100 for diagnostic tests. The > diagnosis was a failed main board, but the hard drive and the memory > modules were okay. The cost of repairs would approximate the cost of > a new laptop. > > Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is > such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? I've had and I've seen laptops die faster than that... -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/CAOdo=SzOD7U0WvBGGZfHH99WRdd25RomcAVc1Z9Jimo=vt2...@mail.gmail.com
Re: Lenovo R61 Think Pad dead after fewer than five years
Hi, e-bay is your friend, there are thousands of spares for IBM thinkpads :o) On 02/11/13 18:53, Ken Heard wrote: -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 In May 2008 I purchased new and started using a Lenovo R61 Think Pad. Originally I installed Lenny on it and subsequently upgraded it to Squeeze. Starting from 2013-01-01 various things started going wrong. For example I began to get segmentation fault errors for packages that I had used successfully before that date. Some of other problems where intermittent sound, and failure to detect the printer, even manually. At first I thought these were software faults and sought help from this list. Finally I decided to spend $100 for diagnostic tests. The diagnosis was a failed main board, but the hard drive and the memory modules were okay. The cost of repairs would approximate the cost of a new laptop. Is it normal for any laptop to fail in fewer than five years, or is such a failure rate unique to Lenovo's laptops? Regards, Ken Heard -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAlJ1SjoACgkQlNlJzOkJmTc6VgCggZKp2e30QS0fKTtayl//j9x8 HLEAn1S0w3IcH8NXCY+0/GZ/t0GrYG4A =lLag -END PGP SIGNATURE- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/52754f30.8060...@yahoo.com
