Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

for a few seconds; other machines may have a small reset button that is acti-

vated by the high-tech method of inserting a straightened paper clip.)

If the machine restarts and the problem is nowhere to be seen, you can hope

it was a very rare hiccup. If the computer works for a while and then the mes-

sage reappears, consult your notes and see if this was a recurrence of the

same sequence of events that caused the failure before.

Sign on to the Internet — on the laptop if it will allow, or on another machine

if necessary — and seek assistance. If you believe the source of the message

was Windows, go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.comand

type in the title of the error message.

If the source of the message is a product from another company, go to the

support section of that manufacturer’s web site and look for a solution there.

Or call the maker and read the message to a cheerful, helpful customer service

engineer... or to a sullen, barely comprehensible drone.. .and seek assistance.

If you can narrow down the cause of the problem to a particular program,

consider uninstalling the program. Reboot the machine and see if it is per-

forming properly. Run a system check using Norton SystemWorks, System

Mechanic, or a similar utility. If all seems well, reinstall the software. In the

process, check to see if the web site has an updated version of the program

or a new device driver.

Your Ports Set Sail........................................................................................

On many machines, the weakest links are the places where data and power

enter and exit the machine. Just imagine a laptop falling or bouncing even

just a few inches with a power cable plugged into the rear, an Ethernet cable

or a phone cord attached to the side, and an external mouse connected to

another port. Snap, crackle, and pop!

As I explore in Chapter 4, some laptops are sturdier than others when it comes

to the ports. The better design has connectors separated from the motherboard

by a cable to allow a bit of flex if strain is placed on the port. Unfortunately,

many laptops have connectors directly attached to the motherboard; if they

break off, they damage the board. In a tiny fraction of such situations a techni-

cian can resolder the broken connector to the motherboard.

But don’t panic. With the exception of the connector that provides power

from the AC adapter — essential for both powering the machine and charging

the battery — there are workarounds for nearly every other situation. They

306 Part VI: The Part of Tens