Advent 7017 laptop major problems

Ihatethislaptop

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May 8, 2007
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Hi all, could anyone help me with my Advent laptop?

Specification
CPU Intel Pentium 4 3.06 GHz (Northwood)
BIOS AMIBIOS.
Memory 512MB PC2100 DDR SODIMM (2 memory slots. Max 1GB) ***
Hard Drive 40GB Toshiba drive)
CD Drive QSI SDR-081
Screen 15" TFT (Native Res.1024x768)
Video Card ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB DDR **
Sound Card SiS 7012 audio chipset
Modem SmartLink 56K
Netword Card SiS 900 integrated fast ethernet

I don't know if this is definately the spec inside as it was bought off ebay cheap as it has some v minor cosmetic damage (missing hinge, v tiny crack to casing)

Apparently it's a rebadged Gericom Blockbuster 251S6?

It was bought primarily to surf the internet, and play football manager
Anyway, we turned the thing on, all good, then attempted to load some games on, football manager, age of mythology, nothing too bad.
Had some problems with graphics so downloaded Omega drivers?OmegaDrivers.net

Anyway, had problems with it, it kept crashing, random errors, blue screens etc so we did a clean install of winxp sp1, didn't put sp2 on cos had heard of problems with this machine with sp2 ie won't shut down properly etc.

Same problems, as soon as you try to do anymore than surf the web it crashes, freezes etc different messages and screens.

I've tried various diagnostic tests ,(Memtest 86, prime 95), but a)it fails them all! and B)I don't really know what I'm looking for!

I have various error files and minidump things if anyone can tell me which ones would be helpful and what to do with them!

All help and/or suggstions as to what direction to go in gratefully received!

Thanks

Angela
 

ironhell

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Mar 14, 2002
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If it failed memtest then perhaps you should look into getting new RAM. Bad ram can seriously mess things up.

I mean, if it's in that crappy of a condition, it's almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. Your worst nightmare could be the motherboard itself malfunctioning.

At some point, you need to weigh the opportunity cost of the cost of repairs to what you can really get out of the machine if/when it is repaired.
 

Ihatethislaptop

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May 8, 2007
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Hi, I bought a new stick of 512 and tried that by itself, and in different slots, it still failed memtest86+.
So unless I've been unlucky with the new ram then it must be something else.
It's a nice machine, and I'm still hoping I can sort it out, but I agree that it's looking for a needle in a haystack right now.

I'm particularly interested in the event codes it generates around the times it crashes, the most common is event 7023, source is the service control manager. Does this mean anything?
Like I can attach files and screen shots if someone tells me what to look for :)

Cheers

Angela

PS Thanks for replying!
 

ironhell

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Mar 14, 2002
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Unfortunately I can't decipher the code for you (also try Googling it to see what you can dig up.)

I remember a time similar thing happened to my desktop a few years back. For two months, I replaced the memory, replaced TWO motherboards, the CPU AND the harddrive (and I think the problem was the motherboard).

I agree though, at this point, I'd see if the error message tells you anything before putting down any more $ to go after the wild-goose chase.

Best of luck.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Hello, These Advents are very heavy on current drain during boot-up. (I had a 7016) The original battery failed, the PC stores test battery was also no good (they declared the laptop to be faulty - tech guys? what a joke!) The new battery from China was also no good although once booted with mains help it would play an entire DVD movie on battery. I bought a spares-or-repair laptop intending to swap the power controller but to my amazement the SOR battery worked OK! It was a great laptop but burglars stole it. That's what life in England is like these days unfortunately and even if they are caught the burglars only get a caution.
Oh I almost forgot, I also did some cleaning of the CPUs heat pipe and applied new silicon grease. If the blower gets clogged-up with fluff or dirt you WILL get mysterious trips caused by excess heat. That 2.66GHz Pentium was a really good goer but the power drain was a bit naughty for a portable. Not a problem though as I only used it on mains and it helped to heat the house! It was a lot faster than its replacement that keeps showing little wheels going round and round but this is supposed to be progress.