On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:55:25 -0300, Gerhard Fiedler wrote:
> Russell McMahon wrote:
>
>> The only solution to Ross's problem with the dead "o" key on his
>> relatively recent Dell 9300 laptop is apparently for him to renew the
>> warranty through Dell  - and the person who told him that didn't know
>> how long he would have to renew it for nor how much that would cost.
>>
>
> They (you) have a point. But I wouldn't buy a notebook (Dell or other)
> without service contract -- for exactly this reason. It's easy to harp on
> Dell, but what notebook manufacturer guarantees you that you can buy
> replacement parts in 5 years for the notebook you buy tomorrow? And what
> notebook manufacturer has a reasonably international next-day service
> warranty for the time you need/want it?

I've never had good luck with service contracts. Every time I've gotten one
either the unit has not failed or fails just after the contract expires...
;-)

Another alternative would be to search ebay for the same model laptop parts
unit or even the specific parts you're looking for (assuming you can
isolate what's wrong).

I've had very good luck keeping a Laserjet 4MV (and several other Laserjet
printers) alive this way. I picked up a reconditioned LJ4MV for about $250
and another $50 for a 500 sheet feeder about 2 years ago. I got a 2nd LJ4MV
as a "parts unit" and the repair manuals for all HP Laserjets on CDROM for
$5. So far, I've replaced the toner fuser assembly from the spares and that
saved me about $100. I expect to be using this printer for some time, it's
built like a tank.

Ebay can be a great source of replacement parts for computers and computer
equipment.

Matt Pobursky
Maximum Performance Systems


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