Options For a Laptop With a Broken Screen? 544
DefenseSupportParty writes "I recently traveled via an unnamed airline, and stupidly checked my laptop. Unfortunately, the screen broke in transit and they refuse to take responsibility for it, claiming that it could have been broken before the flight. I'm not really in the mood to replace the screen if I have to pay for it, as I have other laptops that I can use. At the same time, I don't want to waste computing power that could be put to good use. I've thought about the common stuff: file server, SETI@Home, but I'd like to do something a little more creative. Does anyone have good ideas for a relatively powerful laptop without a display?"
Braille Quake (Score:5, Funny)
Braille Quake is available for Windows & Linux.
Re:Braille Quake (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Braille Quake (Score:5, Interesting)
My dad had an old laptop have the screen go out. It's now hooked to my TV to watch streaming Netflix / Hulu / etc.
You could take the guts out and make some sort of robot brain out of it.
Put it in an arcade cabinet and host MAME ROMs.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The MAME cabinet idea rocks.
Got something like that in the works for my daughter. We have a bunch of Windows-98-era driving games, a spare 900 mhz eMachine with Win98 CD and a V3 racing wheel. Marry that to 2 sheets of plywood cut in the shape of a car and a few sticks of 2x4 and you have the makings of an arcade-style racing cabinet.
With no Internet connectivity, the fact that it is Win98 does not pose much of a security risk.
As an added bonus, we can then convert her main desktop machine to Linux. Right n
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes, this is what I did. I had a 2002-vintage PowerBook, the model with those flimsy little hinges. I put that computer thru a lot of abuse, and eventually the hinges gave up the ghost.
NO. Sue them. (Score:5, Insightful)
Nobody's given the correct answer:
- Small Claims Court.
"It was probably broke before you checked it," is not a valid excuse for an airline to refuse baggage insurance (or any other company for that matter). It is THEIR responsibility to check the luggage/item and verify it is not broken prior to accepting it under their liability insurance, and since they failed to do that, the legal presumption is that the laptop was 100% okay when received and damaged during transit. In fact in many cases the mere threat of court action is enough to make the airline cough up the cash.
This is somewhat similar to how the law presumes a mail-order package is 100% the seller's responsibility, even if said package was lost by the post office, or stolen by the neighborhood teenager. It's the seller's fault and requirement to issue a refund. The law is designed to protect the *customer* not the airline or seller.
One other option:
- Call your credit card company. Many of them provide protection, such that if an airline damages your luggage, you can get a refund of all your ticket money and/or replacement of the damaged good.
Re:NO. Sue them. (Score:4, Funny)
"It was probably broke before you checked it," is not a valid excuse for an airline to refuse baggage insurance (or any other company for that matter).
A man sues his neighbor because, he says, he loaned the neighbor a pot, and the neighbor returned the pot with a hole in it.
The neighbor says:
First, I never borrowed the pot.
Second, it had a hole in it when I got it.
Third, I returned it in perfect condition.
Re:Braille Quake (Score:4, Informative)
Some laptops aren't designed to run with the lid closed. I burned out two (used) Thinkpad 600s this way (you can disable the auto-suspend but I later learned you really aren't supposed to :-/). It's probably different nowadays; the firmware will shut the machine down before damage occurs.
Still, if you've given up hope on fixing the lcd anyway, think about just disconnecting/severing the display cabling and sawing off the lid. It'll make the machine even lighter and thinner, and more convenient to use as long as you don't stack anything on it (which is not a good idea anyway).
Oblig. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I wish I had mod points, I literally laughed out loud.
Well played. :)
Re:Oblig. (Score:5, Funny)
Search the airline by using the asterix ? (Score:3, Funny)
I'm flying with *, and you?
Re:Oblig. ^2 (Score:5, Funny)
*Whoosh*
For more information, read the last 10 years of Slashdot comments.
Re:Oblig. ^2 (Score:5, Funny)
Had you read the last 10 years of Slashdot comments, you would realise that the correct expression is: "You must be new here".
Re:Oblig. (Score:5, Funny)
Can you be my facebook friend? Can I follow your twitter feed?
You must be new here.
The correct way to say it is: "Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter."
PQ (Score:5, Funny)
Set-top-box (Score:5, Insightful)
2) add IR
3) add connection to file server with videos 4) ???
5) entertainment
Re: (Score:2)
Good idea. Especially if the laptop already has IR - some of the nicer media laptops do.
Re:Set-top-box (Score:5, Insightful)
Most laptops already have IRDA built in. I'm not sure why exactly, but it seems almost ubiquitous. There are USB TV tuners that are supported by linux. These usually do MP4 encoding on device to keep the USB bandwidth down, so should be excellent for MythTV, even if the laptop isn't the most powerful.
Re:Set-top-box (Score:5, Insightful)
Interesting, that's the exact opposite of my experience. The last laptop I saw with IRDA was one I bought in 1996.
Care to mention any models that do include IR?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Set-top-box (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
What's your point? Super duper grand parent is suggesting to use the IR for a remote control for mythtv. Seems to me that a receiver "for use with a remote control" would do the trick nicely.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
IRDA and remote controllers work differently. I wanted to use my laptop's IRDA for the remote controller only to find out that it is not possible. IRDA's that support remote controllers are rare IIRC.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
IR existed because it's faster than actually using a janky RS-232 cable; it got murdered by USB, which is faster still and over which you can charge your phone. IR disappeared not because of any conspiracy, but because it was stupid.
Dash-top-box (Score:3, Insightful)
Attach an LED readout screen, and create an MP3 server for your car.
You can (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:You can (Score:5, Insightful)
I used to use a hand-me-down HP laptop (that had a broken screen) as a desktop using an external monitor. It's just like having a desktop, really.
Re:You can (Score:4, Interesting)
I have a beast of a Thinkpad. I lug it around occasionally but it's more or less my "desktop".
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Can't agree more about built-in ups!
I lived in rural area and the one really feasible option is just having a laptop, because power is so shitty. Well, you can buy real ups, but this is really bulky, not cheap and not well-integrated solution.
Re:You can (Score:4, Funny)
Buy a cheap external monitor.
Make it a small one and a few rolls of duct tape later you have your laptop back! At least as long as their is a plug nearby....
Checked it? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Checked it? (Score:5, Interesting)
Travel insurance has become a much greater value as airlines cut back. For 5%-10% of the cost of your trip you'll get protection for valuables, medical expenses, and cancellation/delay coverage. Shop around for a reputable company [travelinsu...review.net], but most travel experts strongly recommend insurance for any trip.
Insurance a good value? (Score:5, Informative)
It should be impossible, in theory, and usually in practice, for insurance to be a good value for anybody who flies with any frequency. Insurance companies make profits, after all. They probably pay out half of what they take in, if that.
Insurance is only for risks where you can't handle the cost of the risk. For example, financially you could not handle replacing your house, so fire insurance makes sense. Life insurance can make sense to look after a family. Health insurance to cover a $300,000 operation can make sense, while dental or optical plans make little sense. Extended warranties (which are just insurance) make no sense and are very high margin because of that. Which is why they push them on you.
For anything small, it is far better to self-insure. That's a mathematical certainty.
Now there are two exceptions. One, if you know you are taking a risk that is far above average, and the insurance company hasn't figured out to charge you more or block you, insurance can be a value. Secondly, with medical insurance, you may find you don't want to have to consider cost when making medical decisions, you just want it covered. (Of course now an insurance company will be weighing cost as it decides if you are covered.)
Re:Insurance a good value? (Score:5, Informative)
Most insurance companies pay out nearly all the premiums that they take in. They make money through their investment portfolios by taking advantage of the timing difference between premium payment and claim time.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I do. I don't want it on the plane and it weighs enough to be a nuisance. I pack it in the middle of the suitcase, protected by clothes and, so far, haven't had any trouble. Any data that I'd worry about is encrypted and the laptop is an old, slow, one that I use just for travel. Someday, I suppose it will be stolen or broken. Until then, I'm more than happy not to be lugging it around and putting it in a separate tray for security.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I do. I don't want it on the plane and it weighs enough to be a nuisance. I pack it in the middle of the suitcase, protected by clothes and, so far, haven't had any trouble. Any data that I'd worry about is encrypted and the laptop is an old, slow, one that I use just for travel. Someday, I suppose it will be stolen or broken. Until then, I'm more than happy not to be lugging it around and putting it in a separate tray for securit
Taking a calculated risk and appropriate precautions is one thing. Checking
Donate it? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Donate it? (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, replacing the screen is not expensive at all. All you have to do is locate a LCD for your model laptop on a site like ebay. I have found LCD's for as little as $50. Then in a search for "lcd replacement on your model number laptop" and you should find exact instructions on how to remove and replace the LCD. I have done this many times and it is really easy.
Re:Donate it? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Donate it? (Score:4, Informative)
Or airline unclaimed baggage dept.
I hear the selection is good.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
pchub.com is also a good source for notebook parts.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Donate it? (Score:5, Informative)
If you have an IBM Laptop, replacing the screen is really easy. You find full hardware documents online telling you exactly what you need to do, and there are plenty of screens on ebay. I have done this about 50 times now, no problems at all.
Re:Donate it? (Score:5, Funny)
You must be really, really clumsy.
Re:Donate it? (Score:4, Funny)
"You must be really, really clumsy."
No, they aren't sealed and I spend lots of time on Usenet.
Perhaps an upside-down sneeze guard is in order.
Server (Score:5, Insightful)
Built in UPS, plenty of computing power as you say.
Best use I can think of is as a server - web, mail, mysql, whathaveyou. Wear and tear on the hard drive not an issue if you're using something set up correctly - the hard drive will be spun down most of the time.
Ebay (Score:4, Insightful)
MythTV (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MythTV (Score:5, Informative)
A great many laptops have S-video out. That is better quality than composite, if your TV (or other video component) has S-video in. Again, your headphone out is your audio.
My Mac has HDMI out, and if your laptop has anything like that, you also basically have TV out; you just need an adapter cable.
Sue them? (Score:2)
Why not take it to small claims court? They broke your laptop, they should fix it.
Re:Sue them? (Score:4, Insightful)
Read the fine print. The airline is not responsible for the damage. Do. Not. Check. Laptops. Carry it with you at all times. Common luggage offers little if any protection for a laptop. Have you ever watched how the baggage handlers "handle" luggage?
What? He doesn't have any form of insurance of his own? The cost of a screen is substantially cheaper than the cost of a new laptop. (unless it's an old and/or crappy laptop.)
Re:Sue them? (Score:4, Interesting)
"The cost of a screen is substantially cheaper than the cost of a new laptop"
Depends on the laptop model. I broke my laptop screen a couple years back. It's a 2003 dell model (D505) that's crucial for my work, but couldn't afford laptop replacement. New screen set me back around £50-60 (~US$80). I fit it myself (was rather simple to)... and now it's continuing to serve me well. But, that particular model did sell rather well, and many neighbouring models (such as D510 I believe) used the same screen, so it a very common, easy to find part. As for Unbranded Model(tm)... that might not be so cheap.
Re:Sue them? (Score:4, Interesting)
The fine print is NOT the law. Them stating arbitrary things in some fine print does not make it somehow ok.
What if they started to shred everything you check-in, and then pump the pulver in the plane. On check-out you would get a bag of that stuff with the same weight.
Then the airline would state that it were a big accident.
Do you really think that would bail them out?
This is the same principle. They break it, they fix it. A fine print is only a rule, if all parties obey it.
I know that here in Germany, there are many things you can state in the terms and conditions fine-print, but that have absolutely no meaning. You can even get sued for stating some especially evil things in there.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Sue them? (Score:4, Funny)
I don't know a single lawyer who has ever managed to pass a bar.
Re:Sue them? (Score:5, Informative)
I agree about not checking in laptops. That was a stupid thing to do. However, do not ever assume that the airline is not liable. So do read those fine prints, but also do not rely on your memory. Here are the links to the "conditions of carriage" or "contract of carriage" for a number of airlines.
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=91&category=1&page=2 [independenttraveler.com]
And also know your rights, in the US you can try to recover up to $1,250 for lost/delayed/damaged luggage (unless you're on an international flight, which has its own limits governed by international treaties).
http://www.kevincoffee.com/airlines/lost_baggage.htm [kevincoffee.com]
Also if you travelled with British Airways, see if that class action lawsuit against British Airways is still going on. And on that topic of class action lawsuits, I agree that small claims court (depending on your State) is probably the most efficient way to recover your money after you've exhausted the airlines claims and claims appeals process, but it pays to use the word "class action lawsuit" in your legal threats. Most corporate lawyers know that threats of a class action lawsuit from a lay people are almost always empty threats, but no corporate lawyer wants to have a class action lawsuit come to him on his watch especially if it was so easily avoidable in the first place.
Well he could also have purchased additional insurance for a premium, or insurance for excess valuation, at the ticket counter as well, but airlines are also notorious for trying not to pay out on those as well. And as to the other types of insurances, the ones with your credit card, travel insurance, etc, he should check out if he has any there as well, but hindsight being 20/20 -- I doubt he would be asking us this question if he did.
Fix it yourself. (Score:5, Informative)
http://computershopper.com/laptops/howto/replace-your-laptop-screen [computershopper.com]
Yeah, Screen replacement works wonders. (Score:2)
Most screens will run $100, and while laptops aren't made to be "easy" to repair, You'd be replacing the entire screen, which is just popping the case open and unscrewing a few things.
I've replaced the backlight on my laptop's screen (a much harder task!), so this ought to be gravy for you, and cheaper than repairing it otherwise.
Re:Fix it yourself. (Score:5, Informative)
They even have a warranty on them I think.
Make it into a desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Make it into a desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
Use it as a media center (Score:5, Informative)
You may already be set up the way you like, but I'm not and others might also not be, so here goes:
Use it as a media center. That is, connect it to your TV and sound system, and have it play video and music from wherever you got it (sshfs/NAS, w/e).
For that, you want something which can start and stop (suspend/resume) quickly. You'll probably also want to connect a wiimote, so that bluetooth chip on your wifi NIC is going to come in handy. Saving yourself from running more cables (wifi) probably isn't going to hurt either.
Why fix the screen when you can replace it with a bigger and better one? :)
Hook up a display? (Score:3, Interesting)
Simply hook up a monitor and you have a energy-efficient and quiet desktop. For fun, strap the laptop to the back of the monitor.
With older laptops you could fool around with those mini-LCD screens, use them for displaying the weather for instance. But as you mention it's a powerful laptop, so it would probably make a decent desktop.
Power reliable server... (Score:3, Interesting)
Use self-powered USB drives, and have this be your server. Yes, its boring, but that way its a server with a built-in UPS!
HTPC (Score:2)
Use it as an HTPC in a streaming mythfrontend/mythbackend setup.
eBay to get the parts (Score:4, Insightful)
Quite often, the parts you need are available on eBay especially if you use a Dell. (Availability of parts is the #1 reason I recommend Dell, not because they are "better." The #2 reason is because new Dell laptops almost always have accidental damage coverage available as a purchase option in the warranty... accidents happen, BUY IT! By the way, Apple computer does NOT sell accidental damage warranty coverage. If you buy an Apple, make sure you get it through a 3rd party vendor that does offer it or never buy Apple laptops...they are too expensive for accidents.)
The position of the airlines is 100% correct. There should be a certain level of abuse that passengers should absolutely expect. If you don't expect it, then you are an idiot and need to learn the hard way. CARRY ON anything you believe to be valuable and/or breakable.
Its called a half-lap-top (Score:5, Interesting)
I used one to teach myself AutoCAD on.
Was a bench carpenter for 27 years and decided I was getting to old for the sawdust.
A co-worker had given me a busted lap top and and so I got a monitor I'd leave at the shop with my toolbox but would take the half-lap-top home with me.
I'd study Autocad during lunch...
Now I work in the cad deparment programming CNC routers and doing construction drawings for some stuff some may thing is cool.
Infinite Dimensions [id3group.com]
So there is certainly a place for half-lap-tops... especially with the low cost flat screen today.
DefenseSupportParty? (Score:2)
Carputer (Score:5, Interesting)
Play area... (Score:3, Interesting)
I did the same thing with a laptop several years ago. I ended up putting Ubuntu on it and used it as a server for a few websites (Plone/Zope, MRTG, NTP, DNS/DHCP) and some other things at home. Works well, is quiet and tucks away nicely.
Alternately, I hear that vSphere will have better hardware compability/support, so you might be able to fit v4 on it and run several VMs of your choice.
get creative (Score:3, Interesting)
The result: a computer that sits next to a recliner.
If you don't want it when you're done, take it to the nearest senior center or retirement home and plug it in there...
Got firewire and HD cable? (Score:2)
In the US, HD cable providers are required by the FCC to give you a receiver with firewire output if you ask. You may have all the hardware you need for mythTV, without even buying a tuner card.
Why unnamed? (Score:3, Insightful)
If you let the world know the name of the airline that ripped you off, could we not boycott them?
I'm sure damaging a customer's gear and then refusing to pay for the damage will look REAL good for PR...
So why not complain?
Are you a sheep?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
To whoever modded me flamebait:
This sort of behavior is inexcusable for an airline and in my opinion it should not be tolerated.
That's what you get... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
its not all white, its got a red stripe too...
Tell you what (Score:3, Funny)
If you don't have the imagination to figure this one out, send it to me and I'll do the thinking.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Upgrade! (Score:2, Insightful)
Answer a centuries old question . . . (Score:5, Funny)
Blind (Score:2, Insightful)
Give it to a blind person in need of a laptop - perhaps to a charity that works with the blind.
Carputer... (Score:5, Interesting)
Why not install a touchscreen 7" monitor in your dash, and have a carputer? Mount the reasonably powerful laptop w/broken screen in the trunk, wire it in to a power supply, attach a USB GPS antenna, and go from the audio out to the amp / speakers?
All the MP3s you can store, instant access to the OBD-II information, "free" GPS, and (with Backtrack III or the like), war-driving capability. Have it get email from your wireless access point and read it to you on the way to work. Keep a copy of the local yellow pages on the drive, and look up the nearest Cuban restaurant.
There are a lot of great "front ends" out there, and most all of them are skinnable to your heart's content.
Hope that this helps / is something in which you might have interest.
http://www.mp3car.com/ [mp3car.com]
how about a mythbox? (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Worlds most ridiculous door bell. (Score:5, Funny)
Rip the key board out mount the key board in some sort tin contraption. Now mount the keyboard and laptop in the tin contraption on the wall outside of the house/unit/apt/country lane.
Then put up a sign.
"Please enter the 64char apt code then hit enter. To gain entry or ring tenant".
Now load the laptop up with every annoying you got the answer wrong game show sound. Just randomly play one of the files, when ever someone hits a key other than say "+". Where "+" actually rings you and lets you know someone is at the door. :)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
all in one home server (Score:3, Informative)
Discarded laptops are perfect for all in one home server. Most real servers are overpowered for home use including silly electricity bill, heck most recent spec desktops are overpowered. Laptop esp. no screen = low power, quiet, small.
I have a full LAMP stack running ampache (streaming mp3s from my home archive to any web browser), torrentflux-b4rt (headless torrents and usenet), DLNA media server (like itunes) and steam left4dead game server running 24/7 no issues on an IBM T41 (Pentium M 1.6, 512M RAM) so your recent spec laptop should blaze.
Heck stick an external USB drive onto it and you also have a NAS solution. I have NAS so thats redundant (and incidentally the linux solution works well with the NAS, point everything at the mounted share, esp. if the NAS supports NFS though samba works fine for the above applications).
I have colleagues who go down the windows home server route and they swear by it as well.
Use VNC to access it, install a network firewall. (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.tightvnc.com/ [tightvnc.com]
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ipcop/ [sourceforge.net]
Let's Get This Straight (Score:5, Interesting)
...but...
Here's the rub. TSA opens and checks most bags. They check for bombs that might look like...oh...say...laptop computers. So they make you show that your computer actually operates like a computer.
They open your bag and your laptop either operates perfectly, or they don't let it on the plane and probably question, if not arrest, you. Really good chance that your laptop operated just fine when they inspected it. So what happened?
Option 1: TSA broke it while "inspecting" it. Real good chance there since they had it out and were handling it. But because they broke it themselves they put it back in and shipped it along so as not to have it be their problem.
Option 2: It was broken after the TSA inspection and before you picked it up again.
Option 3: There is no option three. It was broken during the baggage handling, the airline didn't tell you not to put laptops in your luggage because they get broken all the time, and now they don't want to pay for it.
You've already shown yourself to be stupid twice now. Once when you checked your laptop, and the second time when you let the airline bluff you out of what you're due for their damage of your equipment. Do you really want to go for three?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:How powerful exactly? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How powerful exactly? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Last I checked, most notebooks have at least a VGA port and more commonly now a days is an HDMI port.
So just hook it to any monitor and use it like a desktop. Problem solved.
Re:How powerful exactly? (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:External display (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Somebody Had to Ask It... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah... on the list of "Stupid Ways to Get Your Laptop Stolen", we have:
#8: "Oh, it's okay, my friend's watching it"
#7: Leave it in the car
#6: Pass out at a frat house
#5: Two words: Finals Week
#4: Take a leak while "telecommuting" at Starbucks
#3: Work for a government agency
#2: Check your laptop with your airplane luggage
#1: Put child porn on it. (for a legal alternative, your social security number will also do.)
Seriously, to actually trust TSA to be doing their job 100% of the time and NOT screw with your valuables? You're nuts.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
True. I had an unopened bottle of Crown Royal in my bags for a trip to vegas, brought in anticipation of celebrating wins that did not happen. When I got home I opened my bag and the bottle was on top with about 1/5 gone.
I can only hope it got the guy drunk enough to protect the possessions of someone else.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Or more interesting, perhaps... use the wifi remotes along with some kind of home automation software. Then all you have to do is hook up your house and that computer could control all of your house :)
Where does one find this mythical 'house-plug'? Is it USB? Serial? Some kind of ATA?
Tard.