topic Re: Overheating GRT716S in PCs & Accessories

Overheating GRT716S

Billy-Rainbow — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 11:16:59 GMT

My laptop gets warm, like most laptops would, then it gets red hot and then it cuts out. I place a big fan next to it, it increases the time it takes before it dies. Any idiot can plainly see this is an overheating problem. Ring technical support and I get told that its the games I play thats causing the problem, and if I reset my laptop to factory settings it should work fine... it still doesnt. Yet still the technical support dont admit its the machine overheating due to bad circulation. Which is design flaw, as the fan is on the bottom and there are no extendable feet!!! But still the technical support (which as a collective have the IQ of that of your average garden pea) refuse to admit that overheating is the problem. They still claim its my fault for playing games. So.. I am sold a laptop from Sony-Style, being told on the phone "its good for games" and now technical support tells me I shouldnt play games on it?? The trading standards law states that a product must be fit for the purpose it was designed, am I being told now that my "games laptop" cannot be used for games. Therefore I ask for a refund, but get the reply "we cant refund or replace the unit only repair it... how the bl**dy hell do you repair a design flaw, or as they claim its software causing it so how can they repair it? And now I've spent enough money on phone calls to at least buy serveral small cars.

Last october my laptop had the problem that if left on for extended periods of time it would cut out and not turn back on. It went to be "repaired" i get it back being told "there is nothing wrong with it" ... the problem happened again, it went away for 5 weeks and still I get told there is nothing wrong. Then I (yes I not the engineers not any expert but me the lowly customer) has the idea that it may be when my laptop tries to go into standby mode or turn its hard disks off to save battery. I disabled both these modes and havnt had that problem since. But yet again law states that my laptop must be fit for the purpose it was designed, so If i want to put it on standby and I've paid for that, why cant I? And the law also states that I should have a replacement repair or refund within 10 days of the fault, which for this first fault, I have not had still to this day.

So now I cannot use my laptop unless I carry a desktop fan around with me... this wasnt mentioned when I bought the machine, I wasnt told "oh by the way in a years time you'll have to attach a huge fan to the back"

Im not psycic but I can see what's going to happen here, its going to be "repaired" and when it goes wrong again its going to be out of warrentry and Im going to end up paying, which is ridiculus. I had the same problem with a Sony laptop previous (the NV105) which in the end John Lewis gave me a refund because they agreed it was ridiculus after the 5th time it broke.
This is the last time I shall buy sony as I have lost my faith. And if nessicarry I will take this to court as I am fuly aware of the Trading Standards Laws.

I also have had various problems with my MP3's player battery life and I finally got a refund and bought another that also had a few problems but has now been solved (thank god) but I'll let you guess what company they were provided by ... it rhymes with pony.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 14:07:57 GMT

Is it under warranty?
Spray condensed air to free the vents from unecessary dust,

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:04:57 GMT

My laptop has the fan underneath itself, and it works just fine, even playing games in hot weather. Maybe it's a model thing. Anyway if cleaning the vents doesn't work then you probably have a good case. I'd like to hear supports reasoning behind blaming games making your computer cut out. The only reason for that to happen (at least the only reason I ever heard of) is that games often can make computers cut out due to.............overheating.

Unfortunately in my experience even if you have more technical knowledge than the guy giving you support you may as well try and lick your way though a brick wall. Maybe your inclination towards brute force could be useful lol.

However just to be sure, and to back yourself up if needed, download this file here. It's a temperature monitor. Run your computer on idle for half an hour to an hour, then see how hot it is. Run a game and do the same. Compare and contrast.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:07:58 GMT

Unfortunately in my experience even if you have more technical knowledge than the guy giving you support you may as well try and lick your way though a brick wall. Maybe your inclination towards brute force could be useful lol.

Then they have the cheek to tell you you're wrong and you don't know squat LOL

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:09:44 GMT

Me: The USB socket on my laptop broke. It just seems to have sort of caved in on the inside. It's loose I can feel it.

Dell tech: Sorry that's not a registered design flaw.

Me: Oh.....

Dell tech: Yes that means it's your fault.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:11:58 GMT

LOL
Luckily I have never dealt with DeLL support.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:17:47 GMT

Well the engineers at Dell apparantly have a higher IQ than a bendy straw, no offence anyone who works on technical support lol. They replaced the motherboard under warranty.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:20:03 GMT

LOL
When my uncle rang them for a quote they made all sorts of blunders so he didn't get a DeLL

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:22:42 GMT

I live 3 miles down the road from their UK headquarters....but they refused to let me pick up an order. They were going to charge me the full £60 delivery charge which is a ripoff even if you don't live close enough to see them from your window. Funny thing is they used to be really good. Bought a desktop from them about 5 years ago best service I ever had. Oh how things change. And it's quite tempting to start a thread on crummy customer services lol.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:25:02 GMT

WOW thats bad. So they wanted someone to bring it round for £60? I would have told them where to get off.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:28:29 GMT

Well I'm in Club Vaio aren't I. Say no more lol. Better laptop anyway.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

Billy-Rainbow — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:35:16 GMT

how does that temperature thing work, i havnt got thermometer in there have I??? but i've just turned it on and its doing bugger all and im getting 61C on cpu and 36c on hardisk... is that ok??

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:37:29 GMT

True Tyger

Billy: yes VAIOs have themometers - and thats very high indeed. Is it still under warranty?

Re: Overheating GRT716S

Billy-Rainbow — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:38:02 GMT

lol i've just got the one internet explorer page open and its crept up to 64 and 39

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:38:39 GMT

Can you hear any fans running?

Re: Overheating GRT716S

Billy-Rainbow — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:39:12 GMT

it is under warrentry still... well it runs out today, but i reported it to their techies before hand so it should be fixed for free.. but what could be causing it?

i can hear the fan.. its not going full speed though

and now its on 66 and 42

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:44:21 GMT

Apparently dust piles up in the exhaust and makes a layer.
So it's best to have it seen to asap.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

Billy-Rainbow — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:46:12 GMT

and the o so clever technical support people told me its my games messing up the machine... damn those bendy straws *ahem* i mean people!

what should a reasonable temperature be??

and when the warrentry runs out is it easy to get rid of dust myself, or might i break things??

Re: Overheating GRT716S

TygerTyger — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:46:27 GMT

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it much, they aren't going to return it unrepaired when it's doing that.

Re: Overheating GRT716S

kee-lo_ — Sat, 14 Aug 2004 16:47:18 GMT

LOL well it's obvious games would be causing the problem, because they generate tons of heat.

I give up on support some days.