My Laptop Is Acting Weird

**mcs328** · 03-09-2011, 07:36 AM

My laptop is acting weird lately. I accidentally dropped a month ago or so. When I put my wrists on the palm rest, I can feel the laptop hum but not very noticeable. The problem is my wife sits next to me and when we rub elbows, the vibration seems to traveling through me and our skins have this gritty feeling. If I lift my hands off the laptop then our skin slides over smoothly. Now we try to avoid skin contact but once in a while we touch and we can feel like this electric discharge or at the point we're touching, the point starts to heat up and then a small shock. It's weird because it's only when I can hear the hard drive ramp up. Time for a new laptop? New Hard Drive?

**Napoleon54** · 03-09-2011, 07:46 AM

Your laptop is possessed. Contact your local shaman to perform an exorcism.

**ArkiStan** · 03-09-2011, 08:47 AM

Macbook? Are you using a 2-prong plug? Try switching to a 3-prong plug which will ground/earth the plug making the electric current go away. If that fails call the exorcist.

**renovation** · 03-09-2011, 09:46 AM

if it just started after you drop it like you said a month ago my guess is death is soon to follow .time to call hospice.

**attgig** · 03-09-2011, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by mcs328

Now we try to avoid skin contact

your laptop is trying to come between you and your wife. Don't let it win.

**mcs328** · 03-09-2011, 11:05 AM

It's a Dell XPS m1530. I was thinking about downgrading to a netbook.

**Prngr44** · 03-09-2011, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by mcs328

It's a Dell XPS m1530. I was thinking about downgrading to a netbook.

Hurry up and sell it on eBay!

**Jeffbx** · 03-10-2011, 04:30 AM

That's quite a downgrade! You might want to look at a Lenovo X100e - it's a netbook, but it still has a decently usable screen
http://outlet.lenovo.com/laptops/thinkpad/x-series.html

**cruelpupet** · 03-10-2011, 06:13 AM

Lenovo also has a sale on the x201....core i7 for $800, you can see it on fatwallet.

**mcs328** · 03-10-2011, 07:12 AM

I bought my laptop 3-4 years ago thinking StarCraft 2 was coming out the same year it was announced. I thought I would be playing it 24/7. I never bought it and just use to surf the net, check email and VPN to my work computer if I'm working from home. So my needs have changed a lot. I did look at the Lenova and the Dell Alienware in the same 11-12" form factor but I'm looking for something sub $500. I've already moved my files to an external HD just in case.

**Napoleon54** · 03-10-2011, 09:43 AM

I replaced my 12" Latitude with a netbook a while ago and it's great. I wouldn't rely on one as my main machine (for that I have a desktop), but they are fantastic for travel and at ~$300 it's practically disposable if you wanna upgrade in a few years.

**Showtime** · 03-10-2011, 02:13 PM

My mac does that. Hope the surge protector does it's job if there's ever a big spike.

**Devhux** · 03-10-2011, 07:28 PM

Does it do the same thing when the laptop is disconnected from AC power?

**vertex** · 03-11-2011, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by Devhux

Does it do the same thing when the laptop is disconnected from AC power?

Yeah, I'm curious about this also. I've never heard of anything like this. Very weird.

**mcs328** · 03-11-2011, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Devhux

Does it do the same thing when the laptop is disconnected from AC power?

Haven't tried that. My laptop runs out of juice without the ac power in 15 minutes or less.

**mcs328** · 03-13-2011, 08:01 PM

That was it. When I disconnect the power cord then it doesn't happen. So what now?

**ArkiStan** · 03-14-2011, 07:19 AM

Does your power adapter have a 3-pronged plug? If it's using a 2-pronged plug it could be that it isn't being grounded properly. Not sure how to convert it to a 3-prong plug (plug it into a surge protector that uses a 3-prong plug?), but that was basically the solution to tons of macbooks that were/are experiencing the same issue.

**ArkiStan** · 03-15-2011, 06:31 AM

. double post

**mcs328** · 03-15-2011, 08:08 AM

It's a 2 prong and I've had it plugged in to a 3 pronged surge protector. Not the same?

**ArkiStan** · 03-15-2011, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by mcs328

It's a 2 prong and I've had it plugged in to a 3 pronged surge protector. Not the same?

Hmm. Time for the exorcist?

**Napoleon54** · 03-16-2011, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by mcs328

It's a 2 prong and I've had it plugged in to a 3 pronged surge protector. Not the same?

Your surge protector is grounded but your lappy isn't.

(Assuming it is plugged into a grounded outlet to begin with.)

**ArkiStan** · 03-19-2011, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Napoleon54

Your surge protector is grounded but your lappy isn't.

(Assuming it is plugged into a grounded outlet to begin with.)

If that's the case you just have to find a way to ground it. I've used things like this which convert a 3 prong to a 2 prong, but what would you use to do the opposite?

http://www.amazon.com/Prong-prong-gr...0600708&sr=8-1

**Napoleon54** · 03-20-2011, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by ArkiStan

If that's the case you just have to find a way to ground it. I've used things like this which convert a 3 prong to a 2 prong, but what would you use to do the opposite?

http://www.amazon.com/Prong-prong-gr...0600708&sr=8-1

Those things (your link) just let you plug a grounded device into a non-grounded chord/ outlet. In that case the manufacturer is saying "we designed this device to use a grounded outlet" and you're saying "I'm gonna bypass that".

Going the other way... There's no simple way to turn a 2-prong into a 3-prong. The only thing you could do is to rig up a separate ground wire: attach a wire to a metal part of the case and stick the other end of it into the ground-hole on the outlet.