Down and Out

A has been without her computer for about 3 weeks, which is 3 months in teen years, and she has been functional and okay, though you realize how important computers are for the young and hip. To her credit, she's adapted and hasn't complained, she never does, though I'm sure she's been bummed. Fortunately her school provides all the kids with laptops so she has something, but it's not the same as having your own computer at your disposal, especially when you're talking Macs vs. PCs.

A few weeks back her computer went on the blink when her logic board went out, at least that's the explanation I got. The screen just went berserk, and she couldn't do anything with the machine. Her biggest concern was losing all of her data, including writing, drawings, and videos, not to mention music. We took it over to the computer service center at the college and they said it sounded like the logic board, which is apparently a common problem. Replacing the board was going to cost about $450, and they said the best solution was to send it to Apple and they would do whatever repairs it needed for a set fee of $300. I didn't quite get how it all worked, but I was all for it. Apparently Apple has a policy of fixing every aspect that is faulty when you send it in, even if it involves multiple aspects. I wasn't in a position to question it too much, A needed her computer.

Well, as it turns out, her computer is too old to qualify for the repair, so Apple sent it back un-fixed. The guys at the service center recommended replacing the computer with a used one that you can occasionally get through the store for about $300, which is a great deal. The only problem is that you never know when they'll get them in, and it could be months. I asked them if we could just replace the logic board even though it cost a bit more, and he said it should be fine with the added benefit of having a new board. If we'd bought a used computer, it would have an old logic board. Plus, I had purchased a memory upgrade for A last Christmas and was going to have them install it (free with the purchase) when they repaired her computer, and if we had bought a "new" used one, that memory would have gone to waste. With this in mind, we decided to move forward with plan B, thus repairing the computer and installing the new memory.

As of today, I'm still not sure if this plan is going to work, but at least the guys at the service center said that if it doesn't work, they can simply return the logic board and all we have to pay is the $8 shipping fee. The computer will still not work, but at least we're not stuck with a $450 bill for nothing. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to AZ Laptop Medic for the pic.