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Netbook wont boot up! and Macbook advice


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I have an ASUS Eee pc netbook which has decided it doesn't want to boot up!

When i turn it on it tells me "boot booster doesn't work". It then goes comes up with options to either "launch startup repair" or 'start normally'.

If I launch the startup repair it says something like downloading/fixing files (can't remember what precisely) then it just shows a black screen and nothing changes.

If I start normally I again get a black screen but it will show the cursor on it which is moveable.

 

I'm currently in Pattaya, so if anyone knows where I can take it to get fixed I would be very grateful. If anyone says Tuk.com please be a little bit more precise as there are millions of stalls in there, I need one with at least a fair understanding of english!

 

I'm also considering getting a Macbook Air or Pro. The prices here (Central Festival) are about 300 quid cheaper than UK prices, even before taking any tax off at the airport. Any particular differences between the Thai version and the English/American version other than the keyboard and is the keyboard easily changed? Having said that, the keyboard isn't really a problem as the keys are English/Thai.

 

 

Thanks guys

 

 

 

KM

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Are you sure your looking at the same model macbook? When I have priced anything apple there it's quite a bit more expensive than the UK

 

 

Yep

I checked the item codes and they match except for the last part

MD761TH/A here at 41,900 baht

MD761B/A in UK 1129.00 - @ 58708 baht at 52 bahts to the pound

 

I take it the last part of the codes is TH/A - Thailand/American, B/A - British/American. Just a guess though! (Different keyboards?)

 

 

KM

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Are you sure your looking at the same model macbook? When I have priced anything apple there it's quite a bit more expensive than the UK

 

Many Apple products are a lot cheaper in LOS - even before your 7% VAT rebate, e.g. ... 400 quid or over 20k Baht isn't to be sneezed at ...

 

I-Mac

 

Thailand

 

27-inch: 3.2GHz

Specifications

· 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5

· Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz

· 8GB (two 4GB) memory

· 1TB hard drive1

· NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M with 1GB video memory

· Available to ship:

Within 24 hours

· Free Shipping

· ฿61,900.00 or £1,190.00 @ £1 = ฿52

·

 

United Kingdom

 

27-inch: 3.2GHz

Specifications

· 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5

· Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz

· 8GB (two 4GB) memory

· 1TB hard drive1

· NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M with 1GB video memory

· Dispatched:

Within 24 hours

· Free Delivery

· £1,599.00 or ฿83,148.00 @ £1 = ฿52

Edited by CheshireTom
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Yep

I checked the item codes and they match except for the last part

MD761TH/A here at 41,900 baht

MD761B/A in UK 1129.00 - @ 58708 baht at 52 bahts to the pound

 

I take it the last part of the codes is TH/A - Thailand/American, B/A - British/American. Just a guess though! (Different keyboards?)

 

 

KM

 

Buy through the Apple (Thailand) store and you can opt for an International English keyboard and documentation. Usually the same price as the iBeat shops and the language option is free.

 

 

Edited by CheshireTom
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Has anyone ever bought a Mac in Thailand and brought it back home? I would worry about the warranty coverage outside of Thailand.

Years ago when I was buying camera equipment there was a "gray market" product available in the US that was always cheaper then the US version. It was a legally manufactured product by the company , i.e. not "fake", but for a different region. If you had any problems with the item, the warranty was not valid in the US. The lack of a warranty could account for a difference in price and bite you on the ass if there are problems with the item.

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Has anyone ever bought a Mac in Thailand and brought it back home? I would worry about the warranty coverage outside of Thailand.

Years ago when I was buying camera equipment there was a "gray market" product available in the US that was always cheaper then the US version. It was a legally manufactured product by the company , i.e. not "fake", but for a different region. If you had any problems with the item, the warranty was not valid in the US. The lack of a warranty could account for a difference in price and bite you on the ass if there are problems with the item.

 

You get Apple's standard 1 year "Limited Warranty" for an iMac or MacBook I believe - just as you do in the UK. The same is not true for iPhones ... are they not set up for local carriers? I don't think that Apple's warranty is any worse than any other manufacturer - and it's a lot better than many. As it is, when you purchase from the online Apple shop in Thailand, the product is shipped from Singapore - it is not a grey-market product.

Edited by CheshireTom
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If you travel a lot and weight is a concern, the MacBook Air is the way to go. On the other hand, the new MacBook Pros aren't all that much heavier. For example, the 13 inch MacBook Air is about 1/2 pound lighter than the 13 inch MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro can have a Retina display. Not available on the MacBook Air.

 

Right now I have the Air, but I might buy a new MacBook Pro next time around, unless the Air somehow gets a retina display.

 

And don't forget to order the SSD drive. No moving parts to break.

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I've now bought the Macbook Pro with retina display as it's cheaper than the UK. However I'm still looking for advice for fixing my netbook or where to take it - any ideas guys?


Thanks



KM

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You get Apple's standard 1 year "Limited Warranty" for an iMac or MacBook I believe - just as you do in the UK. The same is not true for iPhones ... are they not set up for local carriers? I don't think that Apple's warranty is any worse than any other manufacturer - and it's a lot better than many. As it is, when you purchase from the online Apple shop in Thailand, the product is shipped from Singapore - it is not a grey-market product.

Limited Warranty with service where? Thailand or U.K. ? Like I said the "Gray Market" products are 100% legit. Just that they are sold in different regions. Sure would suck to buy a product in Thailand and find it is an "Asia Pacific" warranty that requires it to be returned to that region for warranty repair.

 

From applies own website, they sell MacBook Air products in 5 distinct Regions.

 

Choose Region

 

Also looking at US warranty information, you get this tidbit

 

"OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE

If you purchased the product in the U.S. and Canada, deliver the product, at your expense, to any Apple Authorized Service Provider located in U.S. and Canada. If you purchased the product in Latin America or the Caribbean, deliver the product to any Apple Authorized Service Provider in the country where you purchased the product."

Sure looks like service has to be in the region it was purchased…. Unless you are living in Thailand, it would be much harder to obtain service for a product purchased in Thailand. in the very unlikely event you would need it.

Edited by ttk
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Limited Warranty with service where? Thailand or U.K. ? Like I said the "Gray Market" products are 100% legit. Just that they are sold in different regions. Sure would suck to buy a product in Thailand and find it is an "Asia Pacific" warranty that requires it to be returned to that region for warranty repair.

 

 

Also looking at US warranty information, you get this tidbit

 

"OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE

If you purchased the product in the U.S. and Canada, deliver the product, at your expense, to any Apple Authorized Service Provider located in U.S. and Canada. If you purchased the product in Latin America or the Caribbean, deliver the product to any Apple Authorized Service Provider in the country where you purchased the product."

Sure looks like service has to be in the region it was purchased…. Unless you are living in Thailand, it would be much harder to obtain service for a product purchased in Thailand. in the very unlikely event you would need it.

 

We're talking about buying a product in Thailand and taking it back to UK. What goes on in the US is irrelevant as far as that discussion goes.

 

This is the excerpt from my English Language version of the warranty that I received when I bought my new iMac in Hat Yai last year. I've highlighted the part applicable to seeking service in a country other than where the Mac was purchased ... Whether I could have had it repaired in UK is anyone's guess ... you have to jump through several hoops beforehand. What I do know is that I am several hundred quid better off than if I had bought it in UK - that'll do for me! :thumbup

 

 

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We're talking about buying a product in Thailand and taking it back to UK. What goes on in the US is irrelevant as far as that discussion goes.

 

 

 

Actually, we're talking about how to fix my netbook, which seems to have slipped your mind as you have gone completely away from that idea. I only wish you had spent as much time into researching sorting that out, instead of showing how clever you are at proving someone else wrong and you right.

 

 

 

So - getting back to the original problem - how to fix my netbook or where to get it fixed? Thank you to GeeGee for answering the original question, although I haven't managed to get a resolution through that site yet, although it looks like it's my only option at the moment!

 

 

 

 

 

KM

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Actually, we're talking about how to fix my netbook, which seems to have slipped your mind as you have gone completely away from that idea. I only wish you had spent as much time into researching sorting that out, instead of showing how clever you are at proving someone else wrong and you right.

 

 

 

So - getting back to the original problem - how to fix my netbook or where to get it fixed? Thank you to GeeGee for answering the original question, although I haven't managed to get a resolution through that site yet, although it looks like it's my only option at the moment!

 

 

 

 

 

KM

 

Not likely to get much help with that attitude!

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Actually, we're talking about how to fix my netbook, which seems to have slipped your mind as you have gone completely away from that idea. I only wish you had spent as much time into researching sorting that out, instead of showing how clever you are at proving someone else wrong and you right.

 

You need to change the thread title then ... which seems to have slipped your mind ...

 

Netbook wont boot up! and Macbook advice

 

You asked about the differences when buying a Mac in Thailand ... other than the keyboard. Another BM suggested the warranty. Perhaps that also slipped your mind. Providing an example of the international warranty you get in Thailand isn't, as you suggest, anything to do with proving anyone wrong - it's about providing accurate information. I wish you'd stick to that, and take your own advice, rather than coming out with your personal crap. Give a guy a uniform, and all that ... :ninja:

 

As it is, I know fuck all about your netbook problem, that's why I haven't commented on it. However, if you ever need your jackboots repaired, drop me a line .... :thumbup

 

"I'm also considering getting a Macbook Air or Pro. The prices here (Central Festival) are about 300 quid cheaper than UK prices, even before taking any tax off at the airport. Any particular differences between the Thai version and the English/American version other than the keyboard and is the keyboard easily changed? Having said that, the keyboard isn't really a problem as the keys are English/Thai."

 

Edited by CheshireTom
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Give a guy a uniform? Polish my jackboots? What are you - 12?

 

I don't get a uniform for helping voluntarily mod a website. I never raised the issue of being a mod anywhere on this thread, so why have you? if you feel you can't answer because I'm a mod, then don't bother. It seems you like to give advice to everyone to the n'th degree to show how clever you are. Well, congratulations, you've very clever. Feel better now?

 

There's no point changing a thread title once the topic has begun just to prove your point, whatever that might be. Anyone who searches using those terms will be able to find this thread and it might answer the query they may have. As it is, it hasn't helped me in the way I had hoped.

I'll leave you to get your last word in - you usually do. It looks like I'll wait until I return to the UK to sort out my initial problem.

 

KM

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Wow lots of arguments for just pointing out something to be aware of when buying electronics. Since CheshireTom has actually bought a Mac in Thailand and was able to get service in the U.K. that is the definitive answer on my concern, although I would still buy mine in the region I live.

I did look at the Asia Pacific region version of the warranty on the Apple site and specifically the version that described how to get service….but it was in Thai so I could not determine what and where the coverage was. The only thing I could verify was that if the product was purchased in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico region or the Latin America and Caribbean regions it had to be returned to those regions for service. Nice to Know that the items purchased in Thailand do not have that restriction.

 

 

As for the original question on the fixing the ASUS, it might just be a corrupt hard drive. Any chance that you have the original installation CD's /DVD's?

You could try to boot from the installation disk and see if that works. There may even be a recovery option that could fix the hard drive….if you are lucky.

Edited by ttk
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As for the original question on the fixing the ASUS, it might just be a corrupt hard drive. Any chance that you have the original installation CD's /DVD's?

You could try to boot from the installation disk and see if that works. There may even be a recovery option that could fix the hard drive….if you are lucky.

 

Thanks ttk

I posted my problem on another website and they also told me it is likely to be a boot problem ( NOT jackboot! :bhappy ) and also I would need the disks. I'll have to check that out out when I get home.

 

 

KM

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Take this for what it's worth, which probably isn't much:

 

Sometimes, the hard drives on the netbooks are partitioned. If you press a certain sequence of keys during start up (check the ASUS help page), you may be able to boot the computer from the partition containing the repair files. Then, just follow the on-screen directions to repair the OS. Or, depending on whether you have anything important on the hard drive itself, you might just want to reformat the drive and re-install the OS to factory specs.

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if you feel you can't answer because I'm a mod, then don't bother. It seems you like to give advice to everyone to the n'th degree to show how clever you are. Well, congratulations, you've very clever. Feel better now?

 

I didn't give anyone advice, I answered your question and provided information. If you don't like that, then don't bother posting the question in the first place. And, if you aim personal comments in my direction, I'll respond in kind. If you prefer otherwise, don't make the comments in the first place. Simple. :thumbup

Edited by CheshireTom
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