Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Pligganease]

I have a Dell notebook (Inspiron 8200)... It's about 3 years old, but it was top of the line when I bought it (About $4,500 US). It has a gig of RAM, Mobile 2.2 Pentium 4 processor, 40 gig hard drive, and all of the top graphics/sound/misc parts...

However, is starting to flounder... Often it locks up, and I can hear the CPU gasping for air.

My feeling is that the hard drive is shot, because it ocassionally does the disk check thing where it looks for errors, even after a fresh repartition and format.

Is it possible to get it refurbished in Korea? Are Dell guts proprietary? I am clueless about this stuff, but I love the darn thing and I would hate to trash such a good computer if all it needs is a few replacement parts...

Any advice?

[JongnoGuru]

We're specialised these days, us gurus, but I'll take a crack at this anyway.

The problem: patchy hard drive, bad sectors, dust

Getting it refurbished in Korea: Hmm. Isn't that something only the manufacturer can do? You might find shops in Yongsan that will replace some parts. That's what I'd try.

Dell guts proprietary: Not things like the hard drive and fans, which could be the problem with your system. Just a guess. Samsung makes the innards of Dell notebooks, I believe.

But don't make a move till a real computer guru replies.

[Pligganease]

Yeah, dust/hair is probably a big part of the problem, having lived with a beagle for the entire time I've had the computer.

Refurbished was probably the wrong word to use. I just want the thing cleaned and repaired.

You think I could get new fans and a new hard drive in Yongsan? I know that they have everything for computers. If I could get the stuff there then I feel it would fix the problem.

[Industrial Strength]

a couple weeks ago, i bought a laptop hard drive for my buddy's toshiba. old one died. replacing it was a snap. don't see why your dell would be any different. there should be panels on the bottom where you can access the drive, or it might even slide out the side. only bother was all the reinstalling of xp and progs.
replacing the fans might be a bit trickier depending on where they are located and the access to them. just using some compressed air or blowing into the vents might knock out some of the dust. that's what i do for mine. you'd be amazed at the size of the dust bunnies that fall out.
good luck,
is

[dbee]

Sounds like it might be ready for the great computer repair shop in the sky there OP. These things aren't built to last I suppose

... actually on second thoughts, take it into the shop have them replace the HD, give it a clean, and then wipe the OS and replace it with something high quality (... perhaps ubuntu linux).

And if it does come back to life - make sure you treat it right this time ... no more running around with loose browsers (internet explorer), and if you are surfing porn - make sure you use protection ... Anti Virus, spybot killer, firewall.

I'm sure you'll be spending many more happy years together ...