My electronic nightmare - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

1990 UM fan · 09-18-2020, 06:07 AM

I hope this is okay to post in this forum, but this month has been hell for my electronics, new and old, and need advice from those who are more knowledgeable on tech matters.

1. My laptop. My Acer laptop of 11 years gave out at the beginning of the month. For years, it had been giving me issues with file transfers and a fan blade grinding that was never fixed due to not being able to remove the bottom to inspect it. The real issue came this month when my laptop would open tabs on its own and lag really bad. I was getting error messages on sites that I log into, so I figured that malware or some bug had hit it after not having a working security system for years. I had to move stuff off of my laptop, remove junk, change settings and install a new security system. Even after this, it would lag or simply not load any tabs I clicked on, and one Monday, the screen died and nothing would load past that point. I figure that age and constant use took its toll, and I cannot do my usual online work long-hand now that it's dead. I am wondering if repairing it would be worthwhile, as laptops are super expensive this school year. Should I get someone to repair the screen and hard drive or should I try to put my pennies together to buy a new laptop? Who do I send it to so it can be potentially repaired? What laptop should I get that allows me to do my projects as I am used to doing?

2. My CD player. My dad bought me a GPX brand CD player in 2016. I have used it a handful of times since then but not constantly. The last Sunday of August was the last time it functioned properly. Two days later, I go to push the button to open the tray and it would not open and was making a grinding sound. I had to manually glide the tray door upward and it still made the same sound, but stopped when I slid it down gently. I am afraid to put a CD in it with it acting up like this. I had my brother look at the CD player and he thinks the belt that controls the tray door is broken, and/or the treads that it glides on are clogged. The tray itself looks a bit warped, but it has not been hit, dropped, had liquid or solids spilled on it, nor been near extreme heat or cold. What could be wrong with it? How can it be fixed so I can play CDs again? I'd hate to toss it since it's fairly new and the speakers still work too.

3. My Nintendo 64. A few days ago, I put a Goldeneye 007 game cartridge in it and the main menu screen "shakes", but the rest of the gameplay is fine (minus a momentary green blip on the screen). It had not done this before. The Nintendo 64 is hooked to a new Vizio smart TV and I wondered if the two systems are suddenly becoming incompatible, or if the console and/or cartridge are wearing down. I tried using an air can to blow out dust and even gently wiped the cartridge with Windex (it had helped in the past), but the main menu screen still shakes on the Goldeneye 007 game cartridge. I haven't checked to see if my other game cartridges do this, but I'm hesitant to. What could be the issue? How can it be fixed? Is my game console or cartridge dying or is this a temporary sputter that can be resolved?

One other issue is that I've had four power outages/surges from thunderstorms the past month and am wondering if that somehow affected any of these appliances. Two of my outlets in my home were fried because of the storms, so my brother and I discussed the possibility of the surges zapping and damaging the appliances. What do you think? Any help on any or all of these matters is appreciated. I'm at a loss and quite stressed over the loss this month alone.

1990 UM fan · 09-23-2020, 11:28 AM

Anybody?

RetroGuy2000 · 09-23-2020, 11:49 AM

It's probably time for a new laptop, as your current one is 11 years old. I don't know of anyone else who is successfully using a laptop from 2009. My own laptop is from 2013, and it is still doing okay, but I'll likely have to get something new in the next year or so. I had to get my laptop repaired earlier this year, as the connection to the power supply broke, and the battery would no longer hold a charge. These repairs were successful, and only cost about $150.

I would check to see if your other game cartridges play okay; if they do, it's likely your Goldeneye cartridge. If they don't, it's your N64.

These electronics unfortunately have a shelf life, and whether or not you had a power surge, they will all eventually fail. Do make sure your N64 is on a surge suppressor (your laptop will have one built in). I still play my GameCube, but I know eventually, it will fail.

1990 UM fan · 09-25-2020, 08:54 PM

I went and got a new laptop. As for the other two, I have yet to look at the Nintendo cartridges, and I still need to find out what exactly made my CD player all screwy and see if it can be salvaged. I'm not good at inspecting such things, so who can look at it for me?

Hawkee · 09-28-2020, 03:05 AM

I had the exact same GPX cd player as you and had the exact same problem with mine and the problem with it was the door broke suddenly on it and I had to open it carefully by hand. My mother had the same cd player as me and I got mine for Christmas because I wanted to be just like Mom but her GPX cd player broke when she accidently dropped it when she was cleaning the living room. I now use a portable boom box which still works and plays MP3's too and is made by a brand called Supersonic and if you can find one of these buy it it's great. As for your N64 troubles I rarely have had troubles with games that don't work. Where did you buy your Goldeneye N64 game? Because if you continue to have troubles with your game you can always take it back to the store and see if they have another copy that works. One other thing do you get an error message and is the game inserted correctly into the N64? Because sometimes that can happen and you'll have to gently push the game cartridge into the slot
Bestie

Furienna · 10-02-2020, 08:25 AM

Can you find all the songs you want on Spotify or similar streaming services? Then, you have no need for a CD player.

MA · 10-02-2020, 08:39 AM

I had to get a new computer myself a few years ago when it wouldn’t update all of a sudden.

IllinoisTVFan · 10-03-2020, 06:56 PM

I can relate. My laptop went offline 6 weeks ago and couldn't fix it. As it turns out my father went to a garage sale where someone was selling laptops and bought me a new one. It was never used which was cool. My portable CD player broke but I haven't used in years. Not sure what I'm going to do with the laptop, I might get it fixed and have two laptops but it's been acting weird anyway and most of what I saved I saved in my cloud drive online. I'd suggest looking for a refurbished laptop with CD. Not sure about Nintendo, I bought a Wii a few years ago.

Btw love your avatar photo. I have that box set and it's so good!

MA · 10-04-2020, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

I can relate. My laptop went offline 6 weeks ago and couldn't fix it. As it turns out my father went to a garage sale where someone was selling laptops and bought me a new one. It was never used which was cool. My portable CD player broke but I haven't used in years. Not sure what I'm going to do with the laptop, I might get it fixed and have two laptops but it's been acting weird anyway and most of what I saved I saved in my cloud drive online. I'd suggest looking for a refurbished laptop with CD. Not sure about Nintendo, I bought a Wii a few years ago.

Btw love your avatar photo. I have that box set and it's so good!

Thank you, and I agree!

IllinoisTVFan · 10-04-2020, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MA

Thank you, and I agree!

Ironically I meant UM Fan but I also do love your avatar too and I do have that box set. Night Court is one of the best shows ever. I still laugh at the Herb Tea one because it's so funny and sick.

MA · 10-04-2020, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

Ironically I meant UM Fan but I also do love your avatar too and I do have that box set. Night Court is one of the best shows ever. I still laugh at the Herb Tea one because it's so funny and sick.

I'm sorry.

RetroGuy2000 · 10-04-2020, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 UM fan

I went and got a new laptop. As for the other two, I have yet to look at the Nintendo cartridges, and I still need to find out what exactly made my CD player all screwy and see if it can be salvaged. I'm not good at inspecting such things, so who can look at it for me?

Sorry I missed this until now. In case you still need answers:

Some Best Buy Geek Squads will have people who can repair CD players. Call around to them, or other area electronic repair shops and see if they can repair it. Be sure to ask how much it will cost to repair it. Sometimes it's worth just investing in a new(er) machine.

IllinoisTVFan · 10-04-2020, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MA

I'm sorry.

Nothing to be sorry about. Everything's cool.

Furienna · 10-13-2020, 07:21 PM

My tablet is finally taking its last breaths. But luckily, I ordered a spare just last week.

1990 UM fan · 06-19-2021, 03:09 PM

Got some of these resolved. Laptop works fine, but would like to find a hard drive adapter to move files from the old one into the new one. Someone had sent me a link to a specific adapter but I don't have the link anymore and not sure what one is right for what i have. The Nintendo 64 issue is still around but haven't played it in awhile, so not sure what it's like now. Haven't gotten the CD player fixed yet, but my parents gave me 2 extras.

09-18-2020, 06:07 AM	#1
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	My electronic nightmare I hope this is okay to post in this forum, but this month has been hell for my electronics, new and old, and need advice from those who are more knowledgeable on tech matters. 1. My laptop. My Acer laptop of 11 years gave out at the beginning of the month. For years, it had been giving me issues with file transfers and a fan blade grinding that was never fixed due to not being able to remove the bottom to inspect it. The real issue came this month when my laptop would open tabs on its own and lag really bad. I was getting error messages on sites that I log into, so I figured that malware or some bug had hit it after not having a working security system for years. I had to move stuff off of my laptop, remove junk, change settings and install a new security system. Even after this, it would lag or simply not load any tabs I clicked on, and one Monday, the screen died and nothing would load past that point. I figure that age and constant use took its toll, and I cannot do my usual online work long-hand now that it's dead. I am wondering if repairing it would be worthwhile, as laptops are super expensive this school year. Should I get someone to repair the screen and hard drive or should I try to put my pennies together to buy a new laptop? Who do I send it to so it can be potentially repaired? What laptop should I get that allows me to do my projects as I am used to doing? 2. My CD player. My dad bought me a GPX brand CD player in 2016. I have used it a handful of times since then but not constantly. The last Sunday of August was the last time it functioned properly. Two days later, I go to push the button to open the tray and it would not open and was making a grinding sound. I had to manually glide the tray door upward and it still made the same sound, but stopped when I slid it down gently. I am afraid to put a CD in it with it acting up like this. I had my brother look at the CD player and he thinks the belt that controls the tray door is broken, and/or the treads that it glides on are clogged. The tray itself looks a bit warped, but it has not been hit, dropped, had liquid or solids spilled on it, nor been near extreme heat or cold. What could be wrong with it? How can it be fixed so I can play CDs again? I'd hate to toss it since it's fairly new and the speakers still work too. 3. My Nintendo 64. A few days ago, I put a Goldeneye 007 game cartridge in it and the main menu screen "shakes", but the rest of the gameplay is fine (minus a momentary green blip on the screen). It had not done this before. The Nintendo 64 is hooked to a new Vizio smart TV and I wondered if the two systems are suddenly becoming incompatible, or if the console and/or cartridge are wearing down. I tried using an air can to blow out dust and even gently wiped the cartridge with Windex (it had helped in the past), but the main menu screen still shakes on the Goldeneye 007 game cartridge. I haven't checked to see if my other game cartridges do this, but I'm hesitant to. What could be the issue? How can it be fixed? Is my game console or cartridge dying or is this a temporary sputter that can be resolved? One other issue is that I've had four power outages/surges from thunderstorms the past month and am wondering if that somehow affected any of these appliances. Two of my outlets in my home were fried because of the storms, so my brother and I discussed the possibility of the surges zapping and damaging the appliances. What do you think? Any help on any or all of these matters is appreciated. I'm at a loss and quite stressed over the loss this month alone.
	__________________ Join my Unsolved Mysteries page (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unsolv...899616?sk=wall

09-23-2020, 11:49 AM	#3
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	It's probably time for a new laptop, as your current one is 11 years old. I don't know of anyone else who is successfully using a laptop from 2009. My own laptop is from 2013, and it is still doing okay, but I'll likely have to get something new in the next year or so. I had to get my laptop repaired earlier this year, as the connection to the power supply broke, and the battery would no longer hold a charge. These repairs were successful, and only cost about $150. I would check to see if your other game cartridges play okay; if they do, it's likely your Goldeneye cartridge. If they don't, it's your N64. These electronics unfortunately have a shelf life, and whether or not you had a power surge, they will all eventually fail. Do make sure your N64 is on a surge suppressor (your laptop will have one built in). I still play my GameCube, but I know eventually, it will fail.
	__________________ The Facts of Life's "Lost Girls" Tribute to Julie Piekarski, Eastland Girl Join "The Group", Sitcoms Online's Facts of Life group!

09-28-2020, 03:05 AM	#5
Hawkee Michael Fassbender Fanatic Moderator Forum Star Join Date: Jan 17, 2016 Location: California Posts: 10,782	I had the exact same GPX cd player as you and had the exact same problem with mine and the problem with it was the door broke suddenly on it and I had to open it carefully by hand. My mother had the same cd player as me and I got mine for Christmas because I wanted to be just like Mom but her GPX cd player broke when she accidently dropped it when she was cleaning the living room. I now use a portable boom box which still works and plays MP3's too and is made by a brand called Supersonic and if you can find one of these buy it it's great. As for your N64 troubles I rarely have had troubles with games that don't work. Where did you buy your Goldeneye N64 game? Because if you continue to have troubles with your game you can always take it back to the store and see if they have another copy that works. One other thing do you get an error message and is the game inserted correctly into the N64? Because sometimes that can happen and you'll have to gently push the game cartridge into the slot Bestie
	__________________ Hawkee and Aguilar, Hoping to be a great team

10-02-2020, 08:25 AM	#6
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,280	Can you find all the songs you want on Spotify or similar streaming services? Then, you have no need for a CD player.
	__________________ Intelligence and purity.

10-02-2020, 08:39 AM	#7
MA Member Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: May 20, 2017 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 127,386	I had to get a new computer myself a few years ago when it wouldn’t update all of a sudden.
	__________________ ~-Mikaela-~

09-23-2020, 11:28 AM	#2
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	Anybody?

09-25-2020, 08:54 PM	#4
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	I went and got a new laptop. As for the other two, I have yet to look at the Nintendo cartridges, and I still need to find out what exactly made my CD player all screwy and see if it can be salvaged. I'm not good at inspecting such things, so who can look at it for me?

10-03-2020, 06:56 PM	#8
IllinoisTVFan Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 22, 2011 Location: South of Chicago Posts: 4,072	I can relate. My laptop went offline 6 weeks ago and couldn't fix it. As it turns out my father went to a garage sale where someone was selling laptops and bought me a new one. It was never used which was cool. My portable CD player broke but I haven't used in years. Not sure what I'm going to do with the laptop, I might get it fixed and have two laptops but it's been acting weird anyway and most of what I saved I saved in my cloud drive online. I'd suggest looking for a refurbished laptop with CD. Not sure about Nintendo, I bought a Wii a few years ago. Btw love your avatar photo. I have that box set and it's so good!

10-13-2020, 07:21 PM	#14
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,280	My tablet is finally taking its last breaths. But luckily, I ordered a spare just last week.

06-19-2021, 03:09 PM	#15
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	Got some of these resolved. Laptop works fine, but would like to find a hard drive adapter to move files from the old one into the new one. Someone had sent me a link to a specific adapter but I don't have the link anymore and not sure what one is right for what i have. The Nintendo 64 issue is still around but haven't played it in awhile, so not sure what it's like now. Haven't gotten the CD player fixed yet, but my parents gave me 2 extras.