I have had my laptop since about 2003, and I wonder if I should replace it now (before it conks out while I am in the middle of an urgent freelance project)....


The battery doesn't stay charged very long, even though I have replaced it with a new battery.

The laptop gets very hot on the bottom if it is on for a while.

It has lost its sound. When I go into Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices, it says "No Audio Device." Hmmm...I used to have sound....


Does this sound like I should replace it?

Thanks for any help.

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Lioness

..dayumm im surprised it lasted this long. once you buy an otc puter its already out of date. chuck it and get a decent one. chances are you get one for the same price that u bot that one but 2x better. yea chica.. u answered ur own question. btw.. realize how much that puter has depreciated in 5 yrs. it aint worth to fix it unless you do it urself. the cost of labor is more than that metal heap.

just keepin it real..

perhaps it's the problem of the battery. you could simply buy a new battery to replace the old one.
as for the sound, try and reinstall windows and drivers (especially the sound driver).

I agree with biker. If you have the technical know how then its fine. I have a friend who loves dealing in old puters, buying used parts, and the like. But he's like a self-taught genius in electronic gadgets. It's really a cost/benefit analysis. Is it really worth to fix an old puter when the salvage value is nil? The cost of labor and parts is more than the salvage. One thing I've learned about fixing old stuff. Repairs last for a short time before something else goes wrong. Sooner or later the tech guy will tell you to junk it. 3-5 yrs is about the average lifespan of a puter before a major upgrade anyway.

.

Thanks--I figured it was time to upgrade, but I feel better knowing that you guys agree with me. I am NOT definitely inclined to try to fix it myself.

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Lioness

Yeah, I would go ahead and upgrade.

You might want to look in to trade-in programs. It will serve two practical purposes in a new laptop purchase. (1) It properly disposes of your old laptop. Greener, use of old parts. (2) You are often given a discount credit towards the purchase of a new laptop. It's not much but it's better than nothing then having to pay for disposal on top of new laptop.

I'm experiencing the same issues almost exactly (I've already tried to replace the battery - persistent heat issue) and about to trade in my old Vaio for... maybe a new Vaio. I'm not sure. My only hesitancy is Vista. If you're very used to XP as an operating system, and chances are you're running a Windows based laptop 2003 is still XP timeframe, you may want to pay an extra $50 to have the factory install XP instead of Vista.

Vista is a space hog and awkward, so I've heard and read. This is why an XP 'upgrade' is available for an extra charge from some suppliers. Also be careful of your data both on the transfer and before your laptop goes out. Wipe the hard disk clean. Sorry if this is old information, I just thought better safe than sorry. Data transfer is a pain in the rear.

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