Hardware: laptops and faxes

[redbird]

After some hunting around and a bit of testing, I've concluded that we have a 386 laptop to give rysmiel and papersky. We also have a 486, but not if I fly up there, because the battery is completely incapable of holding a charge, so the machine might not pass airport security. (Amtrak doesn't care about such things.) Also, a machine that has to be reminded of the existence of its hard drive, and that it's not January 1990, every time it's unplugged, is suboptimal.)

Today, we replaced the old printer/scanner/fax machine with a just plain scanner ($30 after rebate). We thus discovered that we'd flubbed the testing a few weeks ago, and do not have a dial tone on the data line.

Verizon support did some kind of test from their end, agreed that there might be a problem with the line, and started quoting me charges for a technician's visit. Now, right here on my phone bill, which I'd pulled out to find their number, it says that I'm paying $3.50/month for wire maintenance, precisely so I shouldn't be charged if this happens. Best guess on that aspect is that they somehow didn't record that this applies to both lines (which are billed as a single account).

However, cattitude doesn't think a problem with our inside lines is likely, because that's the line the DSL is on, and the DSL is working just fine. More likely, there's something wrong in their records such that they aren't providing a dial tone on the data line.

Either of these hypotheses leads to me calling customer service, which isn't open on weekends. The repair department takes calls 24 hours a day, every day; customer service and billing don't. This is reasonable, especially as they start at 8 a.m.

We dealt with the immediate problem--that I had faxes to send--by plugging the fax machine into our main phone number long enough to use it, then swapped the lines back to their usual configuration. I'm not sorry to have replaced the old fax machine with one that will allow me to receive and print faxes, not just send them. Not at that price, anyhow.

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I did not understand your concern with the battery when we discussed this last night. You can use the battery from my old ThinkPad, if you think it would help. But computers don't need to be able to start up at the airport if they are in checked baggage, so you should be ok even if that doesn't work.

[redbird]

The one that might take your battery has a working battery; it's the non-Thinkpad that doesn't, and the batteries almost certainly aren't cross-compatible. I'll see what rysmiel thinks about checking it through.

(There's also the value of being able to unplug a machine when not in use, if outlets are a finite resource or one is worried about tripping over cables.)

[papersky.livejournal.com]

None of our existing laptops have batteries such that you can unplug them in use. I take Caliban on planes quite often, well, every summer. I've been made to plug it in in Dorval several times, but they always let me use a plug. But it comes up when you plug it in, which I take it that one wouldn't?

Ours all remember the date. And the time.

I wonder if the batteries in any of our sub-working ones (Ariel's especially) might go into that?

[redbird]

It comes up when plugged in, for values of "comes up" that include "hello, I don't know what time it is, please help me." So it sounds like I could bring it. cattitude doubts that the batteries are cross-compatible from one brand/manufacturer to another.

My thought is that the 386 comes first, in part because it's lighter; the 486 with battery problems if we're both there at Easter, or on a future trip if not.

[janetmk.livejournal.com]

When I set up my Verizon DSL a couple of weeks ago, I had to put a filter thing (supplied with the package) on my regular phone connection. (I have only one line so the DSL and phone happily share it now.) Did you use such a filter at the fax connection to the data line? If not, perhaps there's a chance the DSL signal (or whatever it might be called) confused the fax machine enough that it didn't detect a dialtone.

[redbird]

We've had the DSL, with filter, for a few years, and we even tried swapping in a new filter. (We've got lots of random bits and bobs of hardware.) The previous, beat-up fax machine had successfully handled finding a dialtone in those conditions until quite recently.

[janetmk.livejournal.com]

You're way ahead of me. Good luck in dealing with Verizon and getting the problem solved.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

My laptop has no functional battery either (it has to be plugged in to work), but I haven't had any problem flying with it. However, I haven't done so in some time, though I'm pretty sure I've done so since 9/11.

I'm not sure if putting a laptop in checked baggage is a good idea. They use more powerful scanners, and it might fry something. I know one shouldn't put unexposed film in checked baggage.

[jcbemis.livejournal.com]

I fly frequently, and haven't been asked to turn on the laptop in a _long_ while. They do require it to be pulled out of the briefcase and scanned separately, and occasionally they wipe it for chemical testing. I do always carry it on (the bagage handlers can be pretty rough).

[n6tqs.livejournal.com]

I haven't had to turn on a laptop for security in a number of years, and with much traveling many places.

I'd not worry about a non-functioning battery.

And somewhere I've been in the past year didn't even require pulling it out (heathrow?).