Computer Update.
I am doing this post from a borrowed computer (a laptop) and working with the annoying non-mouse. I can either use that little annoying nipple in the center of the keyboard (a bit like drunk driving) or the finger slidey thing at the bottom of the keyboard. I hate them both. Yeah, I know. I could hook up my mouse, but I’ve already plugged and unplugged enough stuff to give me an anxiety attack, so I’ll go with the nipple and the slidey for now.
So, Jimbo. What’s with the Raptor?
Damned if I know. My friend Mike, the computer maven, had it going, but it still decides to shut itself off and then announce that Windows cannot start. He took it home to see if he could figure out what the problem is. If he can’t figure it out, I guess it’s off to the H-P “authorized†repair place. Of course, the warranty ran out about a month ago.
So, that’s the story. In a nutshell, as they say.
I had an H-P computer about 10 years ago. As Kim would say, it work velly bad. That rast H-P computer for me.
Comment by Cousin Jack — August 2, 2008 @ 5:27 pm
Is this an HP laptop? I read somewhere HP laptops are overheating due to an overheating NVIDIA graphics chipset….and YOU MAY be entitled to free repair via HP factory service.
Comment by Braden — August 4, 2008 @ 8:05 am
Also could be (in the case of a desktop computer) that the processor is heating up…The p4 class has code in the bios that monitors cpu temp, and once the cpu heats up to that point, it shuts the computer down to prevent the processor from hitting critical mass. Also look at the fan on top of the cooling fins of the processor and blow it out with compressed air if it looks like there is a rug in there. Hope this helps your situation.
Comment by Dave — August 4, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Ditto the overheating – that is the most likely culprit.
Comment by Carmen — August 4, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
I had the overheating problem in my HP laptop too. It only happened when I played chess against the computer, but it was very very annoying.
I cured it by going into the “power settings” and setting the computer so that it never used more than 50% of its available CPU power. On my machine it is from clicking “Control Panel”, “Power Options”, “Change Power Settings”, “Change Advanced Power Settings”, “Processor Power Management”, “Maximum Processor State, and then “On Battery” and “Plugged In”.
The result of that travesty is that my machine runs beauitfully now. Of course the thing was much, much, much, faster than I needed before I cut it off at the knees, so I’m perfectly satisfied.
But what an engineering joke, the published CPU speeds must be much less than what is claimed. This is the Intel Centrino POS, but I understand that their AMD machines also overheat. These guys are shipping machines that are basically overclocked.
Comment by Carl Brannen — August 5, 2008 @ 1:34 am
I should add that when you’re using a computer, almost all the time that the computer spends (where you have to wait for it) is due to the long times required for it to read stuff from the disc drive. After that, it’s the fairly long times required to access DRAM memory. Neither of these is slowed down much when you downclock the CPU. So my machine acts just the same as it did before, it just probably plays a slightly worse game of chess.
Comment by Carl Brannen — August 5, 2008 @ 1:37 am
When you cram all the stuff that’s in a normal desktop machine into a fraction of the space, you can reasonably expect problems. The one thing that all electronics hate is heat – and you simply can’t get enough cooling air through a laptop. That’s why the lifetime on a desktop computer is roughly 5 years, and only TWO for a laptop.
Comment by DMerriman — August 5, 2008 @ 8:38 am