I've known about this defect for at least two years now, but I thought I should bring this up here in case a member has one of these laptops or finds a used one for an incredible deal (they're out there like crazy right now).  This is my brief explanation of the defect with the models:

The issue with this series of laptop is the Nvidia chip becomes too hot due to the fact that both the CPU and the GPU are sharing the same heat sink and fan!  This was a VERY bad idea.  The processor is an AMD and the CPU is an Nvidia.  Both are the hottest type of CPU and GPU on the market and require very good cooling systems.  The reason why the laptops eventually fail to turn on at all is because the thermal paste on the processor and GPU wears off leaving the components without the necessary cooling agents to properly cool the chips.  The heat causes the GPU to become slightly loose in the board so you must heat it again and let it solidify once it's properly seated.  It's a terrible, terrible issue and it was all done to save a few dollars for HP.  That's why there's such an uproar about it.  And on top of it they pulled that shit with the "recall" (or so they like to call that BS they pulled).

The "recall" was a terrible thing that HP did to its loyal customers.  They put a limited recall out on the laptop series.  Unfortunately they never contacted the owners of these laptops (not even the registered owners!) about the problem and didn't directly link to the page about the recall on ANY page of their site!  It was just a hidden page deep in the HP website and they limited the time you had to redeem the recall.  The limited recall lasted a few months before they ended it.  Now if you call them up they tell you too bad and offer to fix it for you for $400.  HP will never be getting a penny of my money due to this crap.

Now it is possible to fix, but it's a board level repair.  The procedure is high risk and still experimental, but I've successfully repaired both a dv9000 and a dv2000 and destroyed another dv2000 (the dv2000, dv6000, and dv9000 were all affected by this recall).  I haven't tried it on a dv6000 yet, but it should be fairly similar to the dv2000 and dv9000 models.  This is board level repair with a high degree of difficulty.  Computer repair places don't even do this.  They send them out to specialized centers for repairs like this or just replace the board (which is usually cheaper).  But I fixed the dv2000 and dv9000 over a month ago and they're still both working great.  Unfortunately I cracked the Nvidia chip on the other dv2000 because it got too hot under the hand torch (this happens quite often in this type of repair which is why it's classified as high risk).  

The procedure is fairly simple in theory.  Take apart the entire computer down to the last part and locate the Nvidia chip.  Heat the chip to around 210 degrees to weaken the solder joints then push down on it and wait for the chip to cool.  Then apply a new copper conductor on top of the CPU and GPU and put Arctic Silver to each side of the copper conductor.  Then place the heat sink on top of the CPU and GPU and wait.  Push on the back of the board where the Nvidia chip is with approximately 5lbs of pressure for 10-15 minutes.  Let the laptop sit for an hour to let everything settle.  Then check to see if it will power on and operate normally.  The process should take around 4 hours in total.

If you have one of these laptops, STOP USING IT.  Take it in immediately and see if your model is affected.  It's easy to tell because the thermal paste will be gone/almost gone and there will be other symptoms.  There's a class action lawsuit against Nvidia regarding this issue (though from what I've seen I believe it's all HP's fault because they were being cheap with the cooling systems) and you may be entitled to compensation.  Visit this website for more details:

http://www.nvidiasettlement.com

Things have been getting really old and stale lately when it comes to my online works.  TheLandBeforeTime.org is in dire need of a redesign and the LBT Server needs to become more than what it currently is.  I've been thinking a lot about this and I've come up with some ideas.  I'll be blunt.  I don't want to run the LBT Server off my home server anymore.  It's such a huge pain in the ass to have to worry about that thing all the time.  In addition, too few people use it to justify keeping it up.  The LBT Server costs nearly $500 per year to run and the total revenue of the LBT Server is $0.  It's been up for nearly 4 years now, so that's $2,000 in the hole.  I've toyed with the idea of putting it on my master computer because it's on 24/7 anyway, but I don't want to have to deal with all the viruses and crap that gets uploaded, especially since my master computer is connected to my main network (the LBT Server is behind a second hardware firewall so no viruses can infect my network directly).

I'd really hate to see the LBT Server go.  It's so convenient to not have to deal with those horrible hosting companies.  But I have other ideas.  I could set up a private server in the Philippines (to avoid legal issues) for about $230/year.  Unfortunately the LBT Server is Windows based so the whole thing would have to be scrapped as it can't run on a remote webserver.  Then I could fund the LBT Server by selling premium packages to my clients (I would of course give out free premium packages to members here ).  The problem with this is, it's going to be an absolute shitload of work to code up the server from the ground up in PHP.  Despite this fact, I've already started.  The thing is a great big cluster f*** right now as I've only spent about 200 hours on it so far, but I can foresee this being an actual improvement to the current LBT Server.

So what will the new LBT Server be like?  Well, first of all if it's going to be funded by my clients, the name has gotta go.  You just can't remember it very well unless you know "LBT" stands for "Land Before Time."  In addition, it's going to be simplified drastically.  Most of my clients are completely computer illiterate.  Part of it being simple is looking simple.  The background has to be axed and replaced by a simple white or something.  I don't know exactly what's going to happen with the LBT Server, but things have got to change.  Once I get everything finished, I'll post a link up here and let you guys check it out.  Hopefully you'll think of it as an improvement.

As some of you are very well aware, I'm becoming quite the savvy internet marketer (see the topic about me being on the second page of Google for "computer repair" (no quotes)).  I really love the Land Before Time.  I really do.  Because of this, I decided to do a quick check to see about how much it would cost to get to the very top of Google for "land before time" (no quotes).  Based on my initial observations, it would be even harder than "computer repair."  But today I decided to dig into it and do a lot more research and I discovered that the competition for that keyphrase is 1/10 of what it is for "computer repair."  I did more research and this is what I've found:

*There are roughly 10,000 searches per month for "land before time" and "the land before time"
*The cost to get to the top of Google for these two keyphrases could be as low as $100
*The potential income of TheLandBeforeTime.org if it reaches the top of Google for these two keyphrases is $300/month if I monetize it (meaning put ads on it)

So here's what I'm thinking of doing.  I'm thinking of trying to get onto the top of Google for those keyphrases and investing some money.  I'll monetize the site to cover the costs of getting to the top.  Once the costs have been covered, I'll remove the ads and make it a nice place again.

So why aren't I doing this?  I do have some concerns.  The first concern I have is getting too much traffic.  TheLandBeforeTime.org is hosted on my private server.  Too much traffic and it will go down, especially if people are watching the TV episodes.  If this happens, I'll have to host the website somewhere else and I'll have to keep the ads up to help cover the cost.  I'd love the extra $300/month, but I DON'T WANT ADS ON MY SITE!  That's why I left Freewebs.

Other concerns I have is that if my site becomes too popular and Universal sees me monetizing it, they might try to sue....they might even go so far as to blame my site for shutting LBT down.  I could easily avoid a lawsuit and keep my identity secret by hosting in the Ukraine, but again I'd have to keep the ads up to help cover the costs of hosting.

Another issue is the fact that if I do reach the top, GOF will likely receive a lot more visitors and potential members.....but it'll also receive a lot more spam.  I could remove the link to GOF from my website, but I value my affiliate status with GOF and would hate for it to have to come to that thanks to a few bad apples.

Here's what I'm thinking of doing.  I'm thinking of recoding TheLandBeforeTime.org from the ground up using PHP and MySql to create a fully dynamic website where users can edit the website directly, create profiles, contribute images as well as fanart/fanfiction and do a lot more things.  Unfortunately if I'm to get to the top of Google, I'll have to remove the TV episodes for safety reasons (I really don't want to be sued, thank you very much!).  Unfortunately, just the use of LBT images could be grounds for a lawsuit.  I may end up killing TheLandBeforeTime.org entirely.  I really don't know what to do about this.  I'm so tempted to do this, but the chances of things to hit rock-bottom is a real possibility.

I couldn't believe it when I went into Tmobile today and just tried to get a phone that wouldn't fall apart after 2 weeks and they REQUIRE that you sign up for a data plan for all decent phones (AKA smartphones)!  We have two lines, so that's an extra $60 a month they want to steal from us!  The last thing I need is internet on my phone....especially for that price!  You can get a good home internet connection for half that cost!  I decided to try to go with another company, but they all do that now.  F****** B*****s!  It's not like they have enough money already.  My only option is to pay $500 per phone in order to avoid the required data plan!  

I have been looking at other options and they are appealing.  One option I have is to just get their regular free crap phone then buy a "smartphone" off eBay and call them up, claiming that my new phone won't work.  They'll totally unlock the sim and I'll be able to use it without a data plan.  That could save me a few hundred bucks at least.  But I still don't want to spend tons of money on phones!  But I want to be able to do more than call someone on my phone.  I really want a phone with Windows Mobile like I have.  I guess I'll just stick with my Wing (which is now like 3 or 4 years old).  I've already had to take the sucker apart and fix it a couple of times....and it was a $600 phone!  I can't imagine going with some of those shit phones they have out there.  They wouldn't last a week with me.

It just really pisses me off that these companies are trying to screw their customers even more.  They've already got more money than they could ever spend.  Cell phone prices are absolutely asinine.  Now they want to tack an extra $60/month fee onto that for a service that I will NEVER use?!  I don't think so!  I'd rather have a f****** landline (God forbid) then be used and abused like this!

There's been a lot of talk around the tech community about the death of desktop computers.  With smartphones, Ipads, Netbooks, Laptops, and other devices, are desktop computers becoming obsolete?  It seems that everyone nowadays wants a laptop.  These kind of discussions have been going on for years and years ever since laptops became available for less than $1,500.  I for one would die without my desktop.  I have a laptop too, but if it was a choice between a desktop and a laptop, I'd have to choose a desktop.  Desktops are easily expandable and upgradeable.  You can always get a bigger monitor if you want.  Laptop keyboards usually suck.  Sure you can plug in an external monitor/KB/mouse to a laptop, but who wants to do that?

Desktops are becoming smaller and smaller.  Take a look at the newest Mac Mini.  It's smaller than a Frisbee (and not much thicker either!).  Slim desktops are readily available as are all-in-one units.  But these things have always been available.  They're just pushing them more because sales are so low due to the economy.  They think they have to change desktops because they're not selling as well as they used to.  I think the reason so many people are going for laptops nowadays is the fact that the prices of laptops has dropped considerably.  But there will always be people who would prefer a desktop.  They just want a laptop for portability and because laptops are pretty cool.  I know I wouldn't want to be without a laptop, but I'd much rather be without a laptop than a desktop.

So what do you guys think?  Will desktop computers ever die out?

Sorry to say this, but my A/C is busted and no one can come out until Monday (6 days from when I called them!).  Due to the extreme heat, I'll likely have to keep all the computers in the house off.  This of course means that the LBT Server and TheLandBeforeTime.org will *probably* have to come down until we have air again.  I wish I could spend this downtime of TheLandBeforeTime.org and the LBT Server to work on development and back-end work, but without a computer I'm pretty much stuck.  After this I'll likely need to have downtime of both TheLandBeforeTime.org and the LBT Server so I can work on development.  I'm going to work on a flash uploader as well as a preview function of the LBT Server and I might even change the skin around a bit to make it a bit more usable.  As for TheLandBeforeTime.org, I'm going to implement a members system as well as profiles and upload rights without having to use the LBT Server interface at all.  I have a lot of work I have to do, but it looks like I'll be out of commission for the next 5-6 days.

Well, I've realized that I have a lot more free time on my hands now that I'm out of school than I thought I would.  I finally got a projector set up in my room so I decided to buy a few new PS2 games so I went to Game Stop.  While I was there I got a few games like the Star Wars Episode III game that was originally like $65 for $7 and a few other games.  Then I decided to buy a GameCube.  It was only $29 with all the cords and a controller so I thought "What the heck?."  

For those of you who don't know, I used to be a real hardcore gamer until my computer work (and school) pretty much took over my life.  Because of this, I used to get game systems all the time for gifts from relatives and such.  I had a PS2 and a GameCube as soon as they came out, but I decided to return them and buy computer parts and such.  I got out of gaming right after the N64 came out and I haven't considered myself a gamer since.  I bought a PS2 a few years ago off eBay for $65 (the guy was real pissed I got it for such a good deal too).  Now I've got a GameCube.  

Yeah I know it's not much, but I'm definitely staying behind in the gaming craze.  The way I see it, there's no reason to pay for the newest systems when you can just wait a few years and get 'em for $29 and the games for $5 a pop.  So I'm always going to be behind a system or two.  And I have absolutely no market for portable gaming.  That's really dumb.  I'll just use an emulator on my laptop.  You can't even see those tiny screens.

I bought a few games for the GameCube including Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, MarioKart, Super Smash Bros, and Rogue Leader.  Altogether I spent less than $130 and I got 8 games (4 for GameCube and 4 for PS2) and a GameCube console.  It still seems like way too much to me, but I suppose it's better than being gouged $750 if I had bought all the stuff new.  So anyways, I might be spending as much as two hours a week playing video games again.  But I have to be careful.  I can't become addicted. Back in the good old days I would spend 10+ hours per day playing games.  That's obviously not going to work nowadays.

Well...my new computer repair website is only 2 1/2 months old now.  I've done all the SEO I can do other than backlinks (which I'm still working on), but it takes MONTHS to register all the backlinks and I have to make sure to get them gradually otherwise Google might get suspicious and penalize my site for getting backlinks too quickly.  I can't get a better ranking any time soon because of the young age of the website and the fact that I have to gradually obtain backlinks.  Because of this, I've decided to sign up for AdWords.

After a needless $5 activation fee (which really chapped my ass I must say), I'm off.  My ad now appears on the right side of Google search results for certain keywords which I've specified.  Hopefully this will go well.  I've purposefully set a low bid amount of $0.10 per click and a daily budget of $2.00.  We'll see how it goes.  Hopefully I'll get some business from this.  If not, I might up bid amount and/or the daily budget amount.  I'd tell you guys where to find my sponsored ads, but I don't want you clicking on 'em.  They cost me money ya know. Next thing I'm gonna do is see how much it costs for the sponsored ad slot at the top of the search results that's highlighted.

I've had Windows 7 for a while on a couple of computers, but never on my master.  My master computer is way too important to just throw a new and unproven OS onto it and hope for the best.  But yesterday, I decided to finally put Windows 7 on there.  It was time for a format anyway so I went ahead and tried it.  Now my master computer is as much of a media center as it is a workhorse.  I don't like the Windows 7 Media Center as much as the Windows Vista one, so that was another reason why I wasn't too keen on putting 7 on my master.  But anyway, I've been screwing around with the new media center for a while now, and I like it.  But that's not what this topic is about.  I was bored so I went to the "Learn More" section and watched some intro videos.  Imagine my surprise when I see LBT 11 referenced in the video.  The video is also on the official website of Windows Media Center.  I couldn't find the video in the Windows directory no matter how much I tried, which lead me to believe that the video was stored online.  Anyway, you can watch the video here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-m...it/default.aspx

It brings such joy to my heart when LBT and computers are mixed together, but to have it referenced by Microsoft.....this is great.  Perhaps LBT isn't dead after all.

Well, the LBT Server is back online again however there is one problem.  Here's the speed for the LBT Server:



I'm paying for 50mbps.  I'm thinking there may be something wrong with the connection in the living room (we've never used it before).  Once everything is set up again, I'll call Comcast out and have them test it.  Until then, you may notice slower speeds from the LBT Server.