1 in 3 laptops die in first three years

[navychop]

It was not an issue with the battery. It was not even detecting a connection to a battery at all. I rarely used the battery.

Actually, I suspect you were using the battery, even if plugged in all the time. I haven't seen a laptop in many, many years that would operate if no battery was installed. If such a creature exists, anyone, please let me know. That would be a nice feature.

 

[BuddyBoy]

I haven't seen a laptop in many, many years that would operate if no battery was installed. If such a creature exists, anyone, please let me know. That would be a nice feature.

Hitting the crack pipe harder today than ususal?

Every laptop I've ever used in my life would work just fine with the A/C adapter plugged in and the battery removed. I'm typing this message in on my Lenovo T61 with no battery installed.

 

[Frank Jr.]

Actually, I suspect you were using the battery, even if plugged in all the time. I haven't seen a laptop in many, many years that would operate if no battery was installed. If such a creature exists, anyone, please let me know. That would be a nice feature.

Hp pavilion dv1000, in this case pavilion dv1410us. The original battery went south over two years ago. I got tired of it trying to charge that dead battery. I have a new battery that I use sometimes but I do not keep it on the laptop to burn. Just plug in the power cord/adapter and it works fine. I had no idea that was unique. Mine doesn't even show anything in the system tray about not having a battery connected.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I got a Gateway Laptop I have been using since 2003/2004 thats still running good. A matter of fact It was origionally my laptop that I used for traveling, then about 4 years ago my home computer died and I just hooked it up to the monitor, mouse and keyboard and its been running continously ever since with no issues.

The only reason why I haven't replaced it, is because I use gotomypc and access my PC from work on it, and the laptop runs so quiet I can't find a regular computer that runs quieter.

 

[diogen]

Every laptop I've ever used in my life would work just fine with the A/C adapter plugged in and the battery removed.

It works but is never recommended. The laptop becomes more susceptible to power fluctuations.
A Toshiba (!) circa 2000 (when they had the adapter built into the case) died on me within 2 hours when used in Eastern Europe.

Diogen.

 

[navychop]

The Toshibas and Compaqs at home and work will not work without a battery installed.

 

[Stargazer]

I have never owned a laptop, including a Dell I got in 2003, that would not operate without a battery. I get that message that no battery is installed in some of them. That Toshiba was telling me that no battery was installed when the dang thing was in it.

 

[Ilya]

I am running my Dell Latitude without a battery at the moment - for a few days already. Waiting for the replacement battery to arrive - the third battery in less than 3 years...

I am usually plugged in to external power most of the time, but from what I've heard, that's actually the worst for the battery life. It may actually last longer if discharged from time to time, or so I was told.

 

[mrsdrgn]

Your headline should read like this. 1 in 3 laptops die in the first three years with the exception of APPLE. I own 4 APPLE computers and never had a problem with them. Boot time in under 25 seconds. You get what you pay for.

 

[Ilya]

Our individual experience doesn't mean much. With so many failures with laptops, it mostly depends on our luck and also on how we use them.

But for what it's worth, in the past few years I went through several laptops from Gateway, Toshiba, Sony and Dell - mostly higher-end models from each brand. All of them had some problems over the years, but mostly minor. Surprisingly, I had the most problems with Dell Latitude, which I expected to be the most reliable of them all: I replaced the DVD-drive, fan, speakers, power supply and twice the battery. Thanks for the 3-year warranty and Dell's superb on-site service, I didn't have to pay anything, except for the batteries, which are not covered by the warranty.

My best experience so far, was with Sony. It's more than four years old now, but my daughter is still running it. It's not as powerfull as my Latitude, but the screen is actually much better. The only issue with it was a broken power connector (and that was probably from abuse). Fortunatly, I was able to find a local computer shop that fixed it for cheap, without replacing the motherboard. Toshiba served me pretty well too.

 

[diogen]

Your headline should read like this. 1 in 3 laptops die in the first three years with the exception of APPLE.

The OP just used the report's title
laptop-reliability-1109 | SquareTrade Warranties

I own 4 APPLE computers and never had a problem with them. Boot time in under 25 seconds. You get what you pay for.

Anecdotal evidence is not a substitute for real data.

Diogen.

 

[Stargazer]

Dell and Toshiba served well during their warranty period, never had to get anything replaced on a Sony during the warranty period, had problems afterwards on all three brands and got rid of all three as a result. The thing is, it was probably time for an upgrade anyways due to additional memory and faster processors / dual core in the current one. Those made for some big improvements which were very much needed. I don't know if there has been enough improvements in the past few years since the dual cores came out other than additional memory to make it worth while for upgrading.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Right now I have a brand new Toshiba, a fully functional 4 year old Lenovo (its just slow), and a 1 1/2 year old Fujitsu that has blown the trackpad.


I beat on laptops, and expect them to last a couple years. The Lenovo really is a stellar machine in terms of its lasting power. My son's HP, on the other hand, is dying, at 14 months.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Quick question. My wife wants to buy a laptop just for internet use. What are your inexpensive suggestions?

 

[jayn_j]

Quick question. My wife wants to buy a laptop just for internet use. What are your inexpensive suggestions?

Watch WOOT, ecost, etc and get the next cheap deal to go by. Browsing doesn't need today's power, so look for that $200 deal on last generation from a reputable name.

 

[Ilya]

Get her a netbook, e.g. Dell MINI. Around $300 or less. My wife loves it!

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Thanks guys!

 

[navychop]

Also, can always check Overstock.

 

[boypro]

Dell is also a good one too

 

[bhelms]

Still using (on occasion) my 9+ y.o. Dell Inspiron at home for simple stuff. It's running Win98. I'll finally get HS internet within the next month or so thus an upgrade is imminent. Been out of the market for so long I have no idea what I'll be buying, but I think I want some horsepower to handle HD video files and simple editing.

This Inspiron came with a 3 yr next day, on-site service agreement and I used that multiple times. I had the screen replaced (seemed dim) once, the lid/cover replaced at least 3x due to a cracked area near the hinges (poor design), and the DVD drive replaced once just before the warranty expired. Dell also replaced both batteries and 1 of my 2 AC adapters in recalls. (They actually "rewarded" me with a 3rd free battery!) I only ever had 1 tech call that was not hardware related - I managed to lock-up my keyboard and they had to talk me through the reset. The overall quality might not have been the best but the service was stellar! Ironically (KoW!) I have not had any service needs since the end of that warranty years ago. Predictably the lid cracked again at the hinge, but I simply epoxied both sides and never had another problem. One battery is completely belly-up and the others are weak, but other than that the unit works as well today as it did brand new! I wouldn't hesitate to consider another Dell when I upgrade due to the excellent service I once received (is it still that good?) but I am not beholden to them...