I've been having a few problems with my laptop recently, including the battery not charging up properly, and draining very, very fast while it's hooked up to an AC adapter. Now, it just started smoking! When I tried to turn it on again, the power indicator on the laptop and the AC adapter light both flashed very rapidly, and the computer wouldn't turn on."

I called Compaq, and a Customer Relations person is supposed to call me in a few days, but I'm on vacation now, so I don't know what to do! I need access to the files and information on my laptop right away. A week even is too much. Is all my data still intact? Will I lose everything, or are the hard drives okay?

My laptop is still under hardware warrenty, so is there someplace I can go to fix my computer right away that won't charge a fortune?


I use a Presario 1800T (the bottom says 18XL, so I guess I use an 18XL).


Thanks!

If you are in the same country where you bought the laptop; then take it to their local service centre who will be obliged to fix it (although if you don't have the purchase receipts with you; they may turn you away).

I've never actually had a Compaq computer, so I don't know what their service is like, but other companies I've had computers fixed under warranty by are very quick (usually 24 hours) and I've never been asked for the purchase receipts.

As for if the hard disk is in good condition; this is impossible to tell from a forum post. However, I would suggest taking out the battery and leaving it unplugged from the AC until you can get it serviced.

--Shaun

--Shaun.