jeff@nospam.com wrote:
> i have an older lifebook and just found out that it will cost between
> $200 to $500 to replace the $5 CMOS backup battery. fujitsu's
> documentation said that it may have to be replace after 3 to 5 years,
> which is reasonable to me but what is not reasonable is to design it
> so that it costs $200 to $500 to replace it.

This is a common issue. Find a cheaper repair place, or do it yourself.
>
> i can not recommend fujitsu as a source for laptop computers due to
> their design philosophy for replaceable parts.

I'm sure Fujitsu is quaking in their collective boot over your
decision to not recommend.
>
> a "very unhappy" N3010 owner (but it has a very nice display)
>
> (i was just "unhappy" when i discovered that the N3010 had a design
> flaw that caused the mother board to over heat - i worked around that
> with a combination of a temperature measuring program (non-fujitsu)
> and blowing out the hot air discharge vents every once in a while when
> the temperature gets above normal. all this was no thanks to fujitsu
> who insisted that there was no problem and provided no help is solving
> it. so i guess i also can't recommend fujitsu due to their lack of
> support of their products, even when their is a design flaw!)

This is a common problem with smokers, pet owners etc.
Fujitsu did not put the debris in your fan.
Quit bitching at Fujitsu and get rid of the cat...or get a swiffer...
or just blow out the **** fan every week.
>
> (btw, the letter "I" key on my keyboard has stopped working does
> anyone know how it might be fixed? i hate to think what fujitsu would
> want for that)

Sounds like the "I" key failure is due to overuse. I'll leave it to you
to ponder the deeper meaning of that.
But check underneath
the key for cookie crumbs, cat hair, spilled pop, usual debris.
>
> (i guess that i should mention that the hard drive failed as well but
> replacing that was straight forward and with a disk image back up i
> had made. i was going again very quickly for about $100 and my labor)
>
> would apple do this kind of thing to their customers? i am thinking of
> switching to a macbook pro and i am hoping that i will get a better
> product and better support then fujitsu provided, and easier CMOS
> backup battery replacement. comments?

I replaced the cmos battery in my powerbook. Just remove the bottom,
disassemble the cdrom and it's right there underneath. All it took was
4 lithium cells and a spot welder. Piece of cake.

Call up your car dealer and ask them how much to replace the filter in
your automatic transmission. Or the appliance repair shop and ask how
much to replace the light bulb in your microwave oven. Or the plumber
to ask how much to unclog your pipes. Or the Department of
Environmental Quality to ask how much to test your car for emissions
so you can get your tags renewed even though there is nothing wrong.

Think how many other items you could not recommend.

While I've got your attention, anybody got a port replicator for a
Fujitsu B112 they wanna sell cheap?

mike
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