Sending a laptop to the manufacturer.

p8ntguykenny · 06-12-2008, 11:37 PM

So, the screen on my beloved HP L2000 finally died after 4-ish years of loyal service, twice outliving the extended service warranty that was a waste of money. Now, like most men's computers, it contain a lot of porn. Also, like most young people's laptops it contains a lot of pirated software, media, etc...

If I intend to send in my laptop to have it fixed, would it be a good idea to clear all this questionable content off? Are they gonna turn me into the popo if they find that stuff, or the RIAA/MPAA?

sable · 06-12-2008, 11:47 PM

a resounding no. privacy policies prevent them from even looking at the personal content of yeur computer.

probable cause laws prevent authorities from searching yeur personal effects (including computer data) without having a good reason to do so.

i sent mine in, and i have about 13000 songs that are all stolen, and no bad things happened. chances are, they wont even turn the thing on. (unless its to test it)

remove this foolishness from yeur mind.

Party of A-5 · 06-12-2008, 11:56 PM

I remeber a couple of cases up here where guys were busted big time for having child porn on their computers when they sent them in for service. (sick, sick freaks)

Walking_Target · 06-13-2008, 12:08 AM

yeah, we had a case like that where i Co-Op'd during highschool.

Then again, it was on his firggen desktop... with very obvious names.... and his wallpaper was enough to give probable cause...

We had to call the cops at that point, it was at the point where common sense overruled our privacy policy.

oddly enough, none of our other customers gave a second thought to brining in computers filled with porn or other crap, we never went looking on their HDDs, except on virus and adware scans... which we could care less about.

Phantom Power · 06-13-2008, 12:14 AM

I would recommend backing up anything you want to save to DVD's then scrubbing the drive before sending it in. if you made recovery discs of the machine when you first got it, use those to restore it to it's original software state (I assume you can use an external monitor for this).

There are a bunch of freeware and open source utilities that will scrub or 'shred' a drive so it can't be recovered easily datawise.

CrazyBoy78 · 06-13-2008, 11:26 AM

Just chiming in with agreement. As a tech, I really don't care what's on the computer. Even if I have to move files over to another machine and see explicitly named stuff, I don't open it. I've got my own pr0n stash...

sable · 06-13-2008, 11:42 AM

well there you go then...

even techs have skeletons in their folders..

ScrapIron · 06-13-2008, 12:14 PM

My guess is your LCD inverter died, (fairly common HP/Compaq laptop problem)unless you know its the whole LCD screen.
My compaq had its LCD inverter conk out last fall. It was an extremely easy fix, ordered the new inverter from singapore, got the part a week later (I paid extra shipping) and using just a small philips head screwdriver I swapped out the part. I think the part cost me about $50, 35 for the part and 15 to ship it.

To test if it was the inverter just boot up the computer, and even though the screen will be black, if you shine a flashlight really close to your monitor you might see a little bit of what it's trying to display (probably your desktop background).
If so, then its the LCD inverter.

If not, then I just wasted your time to read all this.

But if it is the case then its probably cheaper to just fix it yourself rather than pay to have a HP tech do the work out of warranty.

Rayodder · 06-13-2008, 12:48 PM

while they don't look at what is on your hard drive, they also don't care about what is on your hard drive, if they need to reformat your hard drive and re-installed the O/S they will do it. every shop has a policy that they will not secure your data for you. so if you don't feel like downloading those porn again, makes sure you back them up before you ship it out.

C_losjoker · 06-13-2008, 01:02 PM

Just wondering on this. You might want to check out what it's going to cost to have it fixed. I have a Dell laptop that is from 2000 or 2002, the screen ones in a while gets fuzzy. I was thinking of the same thing, sending it in to have it fixed. but looking around at new laptops, the price have come down big time. can get a really nice dell for like under 600. just a thought.

06-12-2008, 11:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
p8ntguykenny MCB Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 175	Sending a laptop to the manufacturer. So, the screen on my beloved HP L2000 finally died after 4-ish years of loyal service, twice outliving the extended service warranty that was a waste of money. Now, like most men's computers, it contain a lot of porn. Also, like most young people's laptops it contains a lot of pirated software, media, etc... If I intend to send in my laptop to have it fixed, would it be a good idea to clear all this questionable content off? Are they gonna turn me into the popo if they find that stuff, or the RIAA/MPAA? __________________

06-12-2008, 11:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Party of A-5 Fine Brass Connoisseur Join Date: May 2007 Location: 3500' Posts: 2,229	I remeber a couple of cases up here where guys were busted big time for having child porn on their computers when they sent them in for service. (sick, sick freaks) __________________

06-13-2008, 12:14 AM	#5 (permalink)
Phantom Power Pump Gun Dealer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pender Island, BC Posts: 1,905	I would recommend backing up anything you want to save to DVD's then scrubbing the drive before sending it in. if you made recovery discs of the machine when you first got it, use those to restore it to it's original software state (I assume you can use an external monitor for this). There are a bunch of freeware and open source utilities that will scrub or 'shred' a drive so it can't be recovered easily datawise. __________________

06-13-2008, 11:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
CrazyBoy78 www.tacobuilders.com Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mississauga, ON Posts: 1,824	Just chiming in with agreement. As a tech, I really don't care what's on the computer. Even if I have to move files over to another machine and see explicitly named stuff, I don't open it. I've got my own pr0n stash... __________________ Later........ Andry : ) Proud member of The Peacekeepers, UMSG JTF7, Rogue Cell #12 and CCABB My Feedback Stuff for Sale

06-13-2008, 12:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
ScrapIron Cobra Paintball Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Central Iowa Posts: 947	My guess is your LCD inverter died, (fairly common HP/Compaq laptop problem)unless you know its the whole LCD screen. My compaq had its LCD inverter conk out last fall. It was an extremely easy fix, ordered the new inverter from singapore, got the part a week later (I paid extra shipping) and using just a small philips head screwdriver I swapped out the part. I think the part cost me about $50, 35 for the part and 15 to ship it. To test if it was the inverter just boot up the computer, and even though the screen will be black, if you shine a flashlight really close to your monitor you might see a little bit of what it's trying to display (probably your desktop background). If so, then its the LCD inverter. If not, then I just wasted your time to read all this. But if it is the case then its probably cheaper to just fix it yourself rather than pay to have a HP tech do the work out of warranty. __________________ Shoot first, check armband tape later. Proud to play Lucky 7 and Fledgling scenario games. My Feedback

06-12-2008, 11:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
sable Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 567	a resounding no. privacy policies prevent them from even looking at the personal content of yeur computer. probable cause laws prevent authorities from searching yeur personal effects (including computer data) without having a good reason to do so. i sent mine in, and i have about 13000 songs that are all stolen, and no bad things happened. chances are, they wont even turn the thing on. (unless its to test it) remove this foolishness from yeur mind.

06-13-2008, 11:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
sable Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 567	well there you go then... even techs have skeletons in their folders..

06-13-2008, 12:48 PM	#9 (permalink)
Rayodder MCB Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Richmond, British Columbia Posts: 1,071	while they don't look at what is on your hard drive, they also don't care about what is on your hard drive, if they need to reformat your hard drive and re-installed the O/S they will do it. every shop has a policy that they will not secure your data for you. so if you don't feel like downloading those porn again, makes sure you back them up before you ship it out. __________________ $$$ trumps dibs every single time!!! MCB Feedback

06-13-2008, 01:02 PM	#10 (permalink)
C_losjoker Active Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 116	Just wondering on this. You might want to check out what it's going to cost to have it fixed. I have a Dell laptop that is from 2000 or 2002, the screen ones in a while gets fuzzy. I was thinking of the same thing, sending it in to have it fixed. but looking around at new laptops, the price have come down big time. can get a really nice dell for like under 600. just a thought.