PC fettling and repairs thread

[yello]

Yes, true enough! And, like that home clutter, most of the tat that we hoard on our phones and tablets would not be missed!

 

[DCBassman]

So, big box dismantled. I7-2600K has gone into the SFF box, along with a 1.5TB hdd and the OCZ Vertex 4 SSD. I now have a big pile of 120mm fans and a cpu water cooler to move on, quite apart from the enormous case!
Laptop is doing most duties just fine at the moment, while we refurnish the lounge, just hope there's somewhere left for the Mac Pro, or that will have to go too!

 

[alicat]

Replaced the keyboard on my laptop today. #feeling smug.

I spilt coffee on it when I was housesitting in Sweden. I took the laptop to a computer repair shop there and they told me to scrap it and buy a new one. I limped by until I got home. £16 for a new keyboard and £21 on tools has seen me right.

 

[Seevio]

Replaced the keyboard on my laptop today. #feeling smug.

I spilt coffee on it when I was housesitting in Sweden. I took the laptop to a computer repair shop there and they told me to scrap it and buy a new one. I limped by until I got home. £16 for a new keyboard and £21 on tools has seen me right.

Always satisfying to repair something yourself but £21 for a Phillips #1 screwdriver seems a little excessive.

 

[alicat]

Always satisfying to repair something yourself but £21 for a Phillips #1 screwdriver seems a little excessive.

The £21 was for two bottles of rubbing alcohol, a set of mini screwdrivers and a grounded wrist strap.

Yes, with hindsight I only needed two of the screwdrivers and I could have brought the bottle of rubbing alcohol back from Sweden.

I'm not going to beat myself up. If I were to go down that route, I wouldn't have put the coffee in a beaker and taken it on to the balcony when I was making sure that the cat didn't launch itself off the second floor balcony!

 

[DCBassman]

The Apple ecosystem continues to expand, with the acquisition of a keyboard dock for the iPad 3. Next up: run through the jiggery-pokery that will enable the Mac Pro to install MacOS X El Capitan.

 

[ColinJ]

My Win 10 laptop's Intel graphics driver got updated*** a couple of days ago. Since then I have noticed a few graphics problems - corrupted images etc. Has anybody else noticed something similar?


*** Intel® Iris® Graphics 540 driver to version 30.0.101.1191

 

[ColinJ]

My Win 10 laptop's Intel graphics driver got updated*** a couple of days ago. Since then I have noticed a few graphics problems - corrupted images etc. Has anybody else noticed something similar?


*** Intel® Iris® Graphics 540 driver to version 30.0.101.1191

Like this...

Sometimes ending up like this when I move the mouse pointer over the image...

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Like this...

View attachment 622480

Sometimes ending up like this when I move the mouse pointer over the image...

View attachment 622481

Obviously a virus.

 

[ColinJ]

Obviously a virus.

I think the cpu has caught O-micro-n!

 

[Bike Tyson]

I think the cpu has caught O-micro-n!

You can restore the previous driver by using the rollback option.

1. Simultaneously press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard. Select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display Adapters.
3. Double-click your Intel® display device.
4. Select the Driver tab.
5. Click Roll Back Driver to restore.

 

[ColinJ]

You can restore the previous driver by using the rollback option.

1. Simultaneously press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard. Select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display Adapters.
3. Double-click your Intel® display device.
4. Select the Driver tab.
5. Click Roll Back Driver to restore.

I was thinking of doing that but assumed that if the new driver really IS buggy then Intel would fix it pretty damn quick...

Weeks/Months, you say? Hmm...

The roll back option is greyed out. I did find where to get older drivers from Intel but I think I'll leave it for now and see if they fix it before I get totally fed up with it.

 

[Proto]

Daughter's mate (a penniless NHS Midwife) has a 2011 MacBook Pro which she has asked me to look at and hopefully revive. Battery is knackered and someone has already had a look and thrown the battery away away. I can easily source a new one from eBay, Amazon and suchlike but I'm very wary, as I know quality can vary enormously, and I understand MacBooks can be a bit picky (read they have a way of checking temp and will slow machine down to compensate, causing. Is this true?).

So, where do I go for a new one? Apple will swap it for £200. Amazon prices vary from £25 - £55.00

Ifixit do a kit for £85.00, and I'd feel more comfortable that warranty/guarantee might stand up.

https://store.ifixit.co.uk/products/macbook-pro-13-unibody-mid-2009-mid-2012-replacement-battery

If battery swap is successful I'll fit a SSD and up the RAM. Still a workable machine, I think.

Or chuck it away and buy something else?

Thoughts? Anyone got any experience?

 

[DRM]

Daughter's mate (a penniless NHS Midwife) has a 2011 MacBook Pro which she has asked me to look at and hopefully revive. Battery is knackered and someone has already had a look and thrown the battery away away. I can easily source a new one from eBay, Amazon and suchlike but I'm very wary, as I know quality can vary enormously, and I understand MacBooks can be a bit picky (read they have a way of checking temp and will slow machine down to compensate, causing. Is this true?).

So, where do I go for a new one? Apple will swap it for £200. Amazon prices vary from £25 - £55.00

Ifixit do a kit for £85.00, and I'd feel more comfortable that warranty/guarantee might stand up.

https://store.ifixit.co.uk/products/macbook-pro-13-unibody-mid-2009-mid-2012-replacement-battery

If battery swap is successful I'll fit a SSD and up the RAM. Still a workable machine, I think.

Or chuck it away and buy something else?

Thoughts? Anyone got any experience?

ifixit yes, Amazon no, or if you can get one a 2 power battery is good quality, I ordered a battery from Replace Base for mine.
https://www.replacebase.co.uk/macbook-parts/macbook-pro-parts

 

[Proto]

ifixit yes, Amazon no, or if you can get one a 2 power battery is good quality, I ordered a battery from Replace Base for mine.
https://www.replacebase.co.uk/macbook-parts/macbook-pro-parts

Many thanks, I’ll order from Replace Base in the morning. Next, the standard (5400mAh) or high capacity (6400mAh) battery? Decisions, decisions!