<p>Hi everyone, students and parents - I have a bunch of questions. I talked to my son for 2 minutes last night, seems his new laptop computer died. This is under warranty so now he is waiting on HP to ship him a box to mail the computer to them to repair or replace. If anyone has had this happen, do you know if he can keep his data from the old one to put into a new one in case HP sends him back a new computer? He was in the middle of trying to work this out with HP so I didn't keep him on the phone.</p>
<p>My question is, since the one that died is newish, and will be replaced, it may take a month. Has anyone you know been without a computer at SC for a month and what did they do? He lives off campus so its not like he can jump out of the dorm and go to the library. Its in the middle of midterms - right? Or are they over? Thank you, everyone for any comments or suggestions</p>
<p>there are 24-hour computer labs on campus with pc, mac, and unix computers avaliable for free access, in the worst case, if he can't get a borrowed one or use his roommates.</p>
<p>If it were my kid, honestly what I'd do is have him get to Costco or Staples or an office supply store like Office Depot (have a friend drive or catch DART) & BUY a new cheap desktop to use while his laptop is being repaired/replaced. There are models that are pretty cheap (under $500), & he can use it even after he gets his laptop repaired/replaced. (Of course, I'd ask my kid whether he really needed the computer or could get by when it was being repaired & respect his opinion on it.)</p>
<p>Of course, if the library will really lend out computers, that's also great/better. Depending on how he studies, it's possible that the computers available on campus would suffice. My friend's D at Seattle U is having her laptop repaired as well & will likely be without it for 2 weeks. She's making do also, but not near midterms.</p>
<p>What happened to the laptop? There is always the risk that the computer will be lost in shipping or that HP won't save the data. I'd be sure to make backup copies before sending it off. Assuming the hard drive isn't dead, the data is still fine and can be recovered by any computer tech.</p>
<p>Yes, we're in the middle of midterms. There are many computer labs on campus which most students don't know about, including ones in WPH (basement), KOH (Cafe 84), SAL (primary) and others. They're excellent, but I can see it being inconvenient for students who live off-campus.</p>