Hello,
Apologies if not closely related to mailing list; not sure where else to ask
for help -- need some help w/ Hardware
I've used both Gentoo (yay emerge!) & Debian (yay apt-get!) at one time or
another; I hope you'll not flame me for my somewhat offtopic post on account
of that.
If you respond, please CC me a copy of the email; the lists are a bit too
high volume for me, so I'll be unsubscribing shortly afterwards.
Store named written as XYZ to avoid bashing an entire store
just because of one bad experience.
Scenario:
Laptop got broken a while back
- BIOS won't even load; just has blank screen when
I turn it on; tried to "login blindly" -- wait 2 minutes
(better finish loading by then), typing in user/password,
then typing some command to make it beep -- nothing happens
- Not running sshd on laptop; so unable to try to login
via LAN
Tried to get it fixed yesterday
Service desk at XYZ's requires that a HD be in the laptop for
them to troubleshoot it (side note: I don't even recall them
mentioning "the original" HD, just "a HD").
[how fscked up is this? they don't have extra HD's lying around?]
I can't do that because
* I don't trust random people with data on my computer (i.e.
nothing prevents them from making a backup, and trying to
do identity theft on me)
* I use to use Mozilla; the password/form manager has old
passwords on it
* I use GAIM ... AIM password also stored on there
* I worked unofficially with a CS Prof on trying to improve a
program his research group developed (source code on my laptop),
and I can not distribute the source code [and I have no guarantee
the service desk ppl won't copy the code]
So here's what I tired:
* Asked store about separate HDs for given model of laptop
* Bought a separate laptop HD; ppl at XYZ's service desk won't lend
me a screw driver to switch HD, so had to leave store, install
HD, then come back to the service desk a 2nd time
* Apparently the people at XYZ's says warranty only valid if
original configuration (so they won't fix it)
So here's my question:
* Is there some way I can access the laptop HD (2.5" I think,
don't remember exact specs) ... I need is some hardware so
that I can mount the HD under linux, and I can take care of
the rest. (Perferably USB, I'm not familiar with firewire; though
if I have to open up my computer to connect it in, that's fine too).
Anyone have bad scenarios like this? I think I'm going to avoid
laptops at XYZ for the rest of my life; anyone know of a company
that actually offers good warranty service?
Thanks,
--TongKe Xue
--
Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
I'm so screwed. Time to stop wasting time, do something good for humanity,
and hope I can compensate my earlier laziness with future hard work.
