R31 Hardware Issues

[djspoof]

I still haven't figured out my sound issue. No matter what operating system or drives I install it is always super choppy to the point that the computer is unusable. I noticed a new twist to the situation which was something I wanted to ask here. When the sound gets really choppy I noticed that tapping on the laptop will make the sound stop skipping and get through it's problem faster. I wondered if there is a possiblity that the previous owner may have had it open and when putting it back together had reassembled it incorrectly and there may be some pressure somewhere or something that by taking it apart and putting it back together may resolve. Is it worth the time, effort, and risk? Or should I just leave it alone? Has anyone ever had or heard of a situation like this?

[SeanM]

Possibly. . . odds are, something is a little loose on the board. If that's the case, then I'd bet that when the machine is cold it might work for a minute or two, until it warms up.

Have you tried taking one or the other memory module out?

It's possible that taking the system board out & putting it back in might help, but I'd guess no.

If someone disassembled it who didn't know what they were doing, you'd probably have gotten 3 beeps when you first got the machine and turned it on. Reseating the cdrom would have fixed this. The front edge of the machine also wouldn't be snapped together (at the palmrest), this is hard to detect & fix unless you're familiar with it.

Do the built-in speakers work? I assume so, since you haven't mentioned it.

[djspoof]

hey im so glad you responded! that's the best help i've recieved yet! anyways the speakers DO work and it's funny you mention that about being cold and then warming up and acting up. that's exactly what happens. when i haven't used it for a while or it's been in my car on a cold day and i go out and get it and turn it on it runs soooo nice til it gets warm. then it acts up so bad i can't stand it. i hadn't mentioned that because i wasn't sure if that was just me or it was really doing it but it happens everytime. i'll try all the things you mentioned though. im pretty familiar with hardware and things because i used to work at a computer where i was in charge of new system builds but we never put together laptops so i only took apart about 5 of those and only 2 other ones were a thinkpad and only 1 was this model.. or style.. so im going to be pretty blind but i should be alright. is there anywhere on the internet that shows a break down of how to take my model or a similar model apart.

[SeanM]

You'll need the HMM (Hardware Maintenance Manual), I think it's linked in the FAQ.

[dorronto]

Possibly. . . odds are, something is a little loose on the board. If that's the case, then I'd bet that when the machine is cold it might work for a minute or two, until it warms up.

Have you tried taking one or the other memory module out?

It's possible that taking the system board out & putting it back in might help, but I'd guess no.

If someone disassembled it who didn't know what they were doing, you'd probably have gotten 3 beeps when you first got the machine and turned it on. Reseating the cdrom would have fixed this. The front edge of the machine also wouldn't be snapped together (at the palmrest), this is hard to detect & fix unless you're familiar with it.

Do the built-in speakers work? I assume so, since you haven't mentioned it.

I realize this an old post, but I had all the screws out of my R31 and I just didn't want to snap the front(palmrest) apart. The Manual didn't help me. Only pictures. Have you done this?? I know there is probably a little trick to this. I have 2 R31's, and 1 has only 1 speaker working. I want to switch speaker assemblies.

Would you have any suggestions???? Appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.

Ron