computer help: My Lab top… - Help.com

Don’t smash your computer.

my laptop wont charge either, i contacted dell and they told me to update the bios, have you tried that?

if its freezing and running slow then you could have too much data on there? try deleting some stuff that you dont need or programs you dont run anymore, and you need to update stuff, all the videos and photos on the internet broke for me just coz i didnt update java :-/

if you do update make sure you wait until the update is completely finished before shutting down, otherwise it could cause problems

Don’t hurt it, it’s NEVER the technology’s fault. If I were you I would try rebuilding it. Meaning wipe the hard drive clean and re-install Windows or whichever operating system you’re using. Also, have you ran Malware, Adware, Spyware, and Virus scans?? Try that first!

You might have a bad hard drive if it takes forever to start up. Does it make a weird sound when it actually is on? Does it only turn on some of the times?

My guess is the hard drive. You could buy a new one and replace it but that’s barely cheaper than just buying a new one altogether. If it loads files slowly, moves slowly, takes forever to start up, makes noises, crashes, doesn’t recognize USB drives, etc, it’s the hard drive. That blows too, nothing really you can do. It’s happened to me before. But don’t toss it until you can afford something else. When you do decide to get rid of it you should try selling it for parts on ebay, you’ll probably get $100-$300 for it.

Around here (B.C, Canada) a new 2.5″ HDD for a laptop (250-320 GB)is around $60. Shouldn’t be much more where you are, and they’re relatively easy to replace.

How old is your laptop? It could be time for a new computer.

There comes a time when the cost to prepare a laptop exceeds the overall value of the laptop itself. Computers depreciate just like cars. A laptop may have been purchased for $600, but you’d be lucky to get half that amount for it after two years - and that’s considering it’s in near perfect condition.

There are a few things I’d take into account before deciding to invest in a new computer.

1) Did my current computer meet its average lifespan?

2) Is the problem(s) of my current computer so bad that I am prevented from using it for the purposes I’d like?

3) How much is cost going to be to have it diagnosed and restored to working order again?

4) Does the cost exceed the overall value of my computer?

If the anwser is yes to all of these questions, then I’d seriously consider a new computer.

windmills, wrote:
There comes a time when the cost to prepare a laptop exceeds the overall value of the laptop itself.

Sorry, I meant to say “repair” and not prepare.