end of the road for my laptop?

dave71 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 10:58 AM

Hi there

several months ago i bought a second hand hp compaq nx8220. It was cheap as it had a fault which after a lot of d-a-l help was identified and rectified (new hdd fitted)

however it has developed new problems .

im a dj and i run the machine once a week for up to 7 hours at a time. I was aware of overheating issues and have been using a notebook cooler.

but after several hours of running i get random glitches (sound goes for split second) especially if i move or touch the laptop harder than what is needed to control mouse etc

last night after 6 hours it gave me a bsod and refused to restart. Im going to look at the dump file later for the stop codes but found these in event viewer

source disk error code 11 - the driver detector a controller error on device\harddisk0\d
source atapi error code 9 - the device\ide\ideport0 did not respond in the time out period

these have appeared quite a lot recently but have had no serious problems

im guessing that this is a none repairable fault if it relates to the hdd controller and considering the nature of my work there is no room for chance

your thoughts on this are most appreciated

Regards
Dave

Digerati · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

but after several hours of running i get random glitches (sound goes for split second) especially if i move or touch the laptop harder than what is needed to control mouse etc

That might suggest a loose or worn connection, either with a cable, or a plug-in module.

If a worn or damaged connector is an integral part of the laptop, such as the HD connection, you may have to take the laptop to a technician - and then determine if the cost of repair is worth it - entry-level laptops (that can run circles around many of the top performers of just a few year ago) are pretty cheap. If this is something you need as part of your DJ business, something newer may be more reliable. The good new is if all you are doing with the laptop is store and serve tunes, you don't need a lot of horsepower. You just need a big hard drive and plenty of RAM - I would recommend 2Gb. And the drive can be a slow 5400RPM drive too - cool and quiet. All good because (1) it cost less, but more importantly for you is (2) low horsepower means less heat and longer battery life.

Notepad coolers are great, as long as it is not powered by the notebook, but by the coolers own power adaptor. But still, 7 hours solid running is not what laptops were designed for. You might look into lugging around and blasting a desk fan on it.

Has the laptop ever been fully opened up and cleaned of heat trapping dust and dirt?

Does this laptop connect to the Internet? If so, have you scanned for malware?

Any errors in Device Manager?

dave71 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 08:36 PM

Thanks for that

I run dj software with external hdd and thats it. no games no internet no other software installed other than xp.

i have been using a usb soundcard a usb hdd and the fan (usb) all together an it does get rather warm
never used on battery only due to duration of playing
as i said i bought it secondhand and it has paid for it self 5 times over, so i cant grumble.

So im definately looking at a new machine. Its a necessity to use a laptop as i play mp3's as well as mp3+g (karaoke) otherwise i would use a dj specific hdd controller device, which dont have such a user friendly interface
My favourite dj software recommends a p4 3ghz intel processor (or the modern equivalent) with 1gb ram, but 2 would be better

heat will always be an issue due to venues/proximity of other equipment etc but hoping with pleanty of horsepower shouldnt be a problem if using alternative psu's for the fan and soundcard.

so what else other than actual spec relating to processor ram and hdd should i look for is the question?

thanks again
Dave

Digerati · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave71

i have been using a usb soundcard a usb hdd and the fan (usb) all together an it does get rather warm

And where do these devices get their power? From the USB connection? If so, that is not good as that places an even greater demand on the laptop's charging and regulator circuits - which creates more heat. If devices do not have their own power adapters, I recommend getting a powered hub, similar to this.

Quote:

My favourite dj software recommends a p4 3ghz intel processor (or the modern equivalent) with 1gb ram, but 2 would be better

heat will always be an issue due to venues/proximity of other equipment etc but hoping with pleanty of horsepower shouldnt be a problem if using alternative psu's for the fan and soundcard.

By alternative PSU you mean the AC to DC power adapters, then yes, that will help. By horsepower, I mainly meant CPU and GPU horsepower - in general, the more powerful the central and graphics processors, the more power hungry they are, and the more heat they generate. Since you are not doing extreme 3D animated gaming, you do not need the most powerful (and hungry) CPU or graphics.

Quote:

so what else other than actual spec relating to processor ram and hdd should i look for is the question?

thanks again
Dave

Hmmm, I don't know. I'm not really into laptops anymore - and never for your purposes - you are unique here, you don't have a demand for the finest graphics. That's good because that adds tremendously to the costs. In your case, I would look for ruggedness - and one that can take a splash of brew and survive - long warranty, and good price. Good luck.

dave71 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 10:58 PM

Thank you for your input.......much appreciated

regards
Dave

Digerati · #6 (**permalink**) 07-04-2008, 11:12 PM

Good luck!