Bad/Sad News - My Computer = Dead :(

[chip!]

well.. i woke up this morning, turned on my hp dv2000t laptop only to hear 3 loud beeps and a blank display. no boot up, nothing. just the beeps. my laptop was dead  . after a quick search of the internet using my roommates computer, i found out that the beeps are indicating a graphics card error..  1 long beep.. 2 short beeps.

so then i do a little more searching and find out that the hp laptops have a more or less known issue with certain models that the integrated nvidia 7200 ge force mobile graphics card dies after a while. it apparently was such a problem that hp even extended their normal 1 year warranty to 2 years for certain laptops and are replacing the motherboard of affected laptops 100% free of charge. so I called up HP to see if i was eligable to receive the free replacement since obviously I found out I have one of the defective mobo/graphics cards. but here's where I get even more bad news. My particular product model of the dv2000t's product line is NOT included in the list of free extended warranties. AND I bought my laptop about 1.5 years ago. so i'm basically SOL with my laptop. it would cost me a fortune to get the laptop mobo replaced (about the same to just buy a basic desktop machine).

so im a little bummed right now because I dont have extra funds to fix or replace my laptop.. but i wouldnt be able to continue working on my software projects here until i get a machine up and running.

so in any case, here's a heads up that I might not be around or online much in the next few weeks. hopefully I can figure this out soon!

oh, and i guess ill be setting up a special donation fund (you can use the normal PayPal one for now) if anyone is kind enough to help donate $20 or whatever towards helping me fix or get a cheap new barebones desktop ($500 or less).

sad friday. 

-chip

[billyfridge]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.............poor Chip ...........so you are mortal after all



 

[puzzledone]

Sorry bout your loss .
Death is the only doorway to changes, usually good ones i think. So, 
Dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright!

[texasboy]

  Dont worry Chip , A small donation is on its way via  general donations. You never know Billy may even dip his hand in his pocket and match this.lol
cheers

Donation sent via paypal
regards

[billyfridge]

I'm skint .................we're not all 'wadded' like you Tex

[chip!]

holy cow.. you guys are so great. thank you sooooo much! i will have an update when i get back home today. i was able to put a budget desktop together and even used the harddrive from my laptop to save money.. so the good news is that im back online, and you guys definitely made it possible! thank you thank you thank

[chip!]

crap, sorry i havent updated this

ok, i bought a mini tower case on sale for $50
intel core2 duo e6850 3.0ghz for $120
cpu came combo'd with $30 cheap motherboard (probably should get a decent one someday, but i dont care right now, haha)
heatsink for $20
evga nvidia geforce 8400 gs for $40
2gb ram for $40
dlink wireless card $30
sata cables $5
card reader $5

i used my laptop's harddrives (luckly they were sata drives) and mounted them in the tower, put all the parts together and i already had a USB keyboard/mouse and a 20in LCD monitor so I was able to get a decent budget computer out the door and setup for about $350.

thanks again to everyone who helped make it possible, especially billy and tex.  beers on me if i ever make it across the pond!

[Quantum]

Awesome Chip 

Sorry I couldn't help with moneys, but if you ever do come across the pond, be sure to drop a bell!

[billyfridge]

Way to go Chip  just as a matter of interest, which antivirus program are you going to install?