Dropped laptop Help please

[bodgit]

Ok so I've dropped my laptop a dell 1545 for the umpteenth time but this time its serious. Previously I,ve replaced the screen and bezel and all was well. This time my foot got caught in the power cable and yanked it off the window. Lid is in a bad way hinge threads torn off , screen not cracked but bezel broke again.
When I turn it on i get the usual boot up sounds but no picture. I connected it to the tv but there,s no signal output. I dont really want to repair it this time but dont want to lose all my photo,s etc. Im not too clever with the workings but im thinking of buying a second hand 1545 and was wondering could I do a straight hard drive swap or if I get another model is there a way to recover my info from the hard drive.
All explanations in simple terms please

[RudolfXC]

If you haven't password protected your files you can easily remove the hard drive by removing a cover and either connect to the data and power cables of a desktop PC or buy a USB adapter/box to connect to another laptop/PC to get the data.

[jim76]

you can buy a USB hard drive dock and slot the laptop hard drive into this and plug into a new PC. This gives you access to the whole contents of the hard drive like a glorified memory stick, or a normal external hard drive.

I got one from Amazon when my old desktop dies for around £15 delivered.

[bodgit]

Thanks gents. I like my 1545 but the bezel is so flimsy and cracks easy. Think I'll upgrade to a new machine and follow above advice, or wait till son comes back from uni to do it for me.
Any recommendations for about £400 with about 4gb ram. I dont game so not too bothered about graphics.

[jim76]

a dock like this should do you
http://mobile.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=226653

just check what sort of hard drive you have to make sure it is compatible (IDE/SATA2 etc)

[jim76]

try saveonlaptops.com
i got my parents a laptop from there a couple of months back. Far cheaper than i found elsewhere and their service was excellent. Fast, fully tracked delivery with emails all along the process.

[MatJohnson]

Yank the drive and get a usb adapter for it, then just move the files you want.

[Cardnim]

Hey bodgit - sorry to hear about the demise of the laptop!

Good advice from the guys so far - definately go with the usb dock and you wont have an issue (making sure you get the right one)

For a new laptop - a HUGE important thing is the CACHE. Laptops with big processors and 6Gb+ of RAM look really attractive sometimes because of a low price tag; but this is usually because they have put a tiny cache in the machine (like 1Mb)
This means you have a big bottleneck and is a main reason why peoples laptops (and desktops) never live up to the spec and have problems later in life.

I'll have a look on my normal sources to see if I can find the best deal going.

Min spec I would be looking for (and you should easily get this for under £400) is:
Intel Core-i3 / AMD Dual-Core 350
3Mb Cache
4GB RAM
320Gb HDD

[Cardnim]

Not sure these are the best deals out there mate, but certainly pretty good...

I normally dont go near PC World, but every now and then when they do a special offer, they are very good, and for people who arent too savvy with computers (not suggesting you arent!!? :p) its a peace of mind to know that you can drive to the shop with any problems you might have.

So... in order of preference:
1 - Dell - £379 - http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/dell-inspiron-q15r-switch-15-6-laptop-black-10562071-pdt.html

2 - Sony - £379 - http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/sony-vaio-vpceh1j1e-15-5-laptop-blue-10690379-pdt.html

3 - Acer - £479 - http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-as5750-15-6-laptop-black-10783812-pdt.html

I know the last one is a fair bit over budget, but if you could stretch to that, you are getting a flipping great machine for the money (Intel i-5 processor with 6Gb and 3Mb cache - the thing is going to eat up anything you throw at it!)
Definately the best value I found on PC World.

Also check out Tesco Direct - again, sometimes with a offer on, you can get a bargain (you also get your clubcard points!)

Good luck mate,.
And if you want, post up or PM me if you want me to have a butchers at any you find. I certainly dont know loads, but am happy to help if I can. :thumbsup:

[Cardnim]

Had a fling round "saveonlaptops.co.uk" as JIM76 recommended.
They're a reputable supplier - never used them myself, but know colleagues who have.

Pick of the bunch in your price range on their site seems to be:
Acer Aspire 5742G - £399 - http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5742_1070068.html

Great little laptop that two of my family have bought and are very pleased with. :)

[bodgit]

Thanks for those recommendations. The acer does look great vfm but I,ve heard too many negatives about pc worlds customer service both on here and on tv. From my experience with dell I have found them brilliant so will probably stick with them.
I never game or use office etc Im just a browser who would like a bit more speed as my old 1545 with 2gb ram seemed very slow at times, while the old inspiron 1300 Im on now seem very quick after I upgraded the ram.
My thinking is that if I buy the same model with better ram I can have a spare battery and other bits from my broken one, at least then it has,nt died for nothing.
Could be a simple repair that my son will look at for me when he gets back from uni as thats his thing.

[Cardnim]

Sounds like a plan mate; and if you know and like Dell then you certainly could do alot worse.

Good luck mate! ::thumbsup:

[jaywestwood]

I work for an IT company and we specialize in PC'S and Laptops... give me a pm and i get you a cheaper replacement :thumbsup:

[mark christopher]

Hey bodgit - sorry to hear about the demise of the laptop!

Good advice from the guys so far - definately go with the usb dock and you wont have an issue (making sure you get the right one)

For a new laptop - a HUGE important thing is the CACHE. Laptops with big processors and 6Gb+ of RAM look really attractive sometimes because of a low price tag; but this is usually because they have put a tiny cache in the machine (like 1Mb)
This means you have a big bottleneck and is a main reason why peoples laptops (and desktops) never live up to the spec and have problems later in life.

I'll have a look on my normal sources to see if I can find the best deal going.

Min spec I would be looking for (and you should easily get this for under £400) is:
Intel Core-i3 / AMD Dual-Core 350
3Mb Cache
4GB RAM
320Gb HDD

can you alter the cache easily?

[DaSloth]

No, its built into the CPU