41 Comments »

1. I really like this laptop, the only thing is that it has quite a short battery life- the reason I bought it was that they told me in pcworld that it would last at least 3 hours. It lasts about 1h 15mins when using word. i’ve tried getting a new battery so that i can have a spare but they are not available yet. if anyone can help me find a spare i’d appreciate it.

   Comment by welshy p — January 17, 2008 @ 6:36 pm

2. Is there any way to use the camera on the laptop as just an ordinary camera and not a webcam because I’m having difficulties finding out hoe to do that??

   Comment by Nadine — January 17, 2008 @ 11:54 pm

3. There was no manual with my computer (9112). Should this have been the case?

   Neither was there any download information for a manual.

   Confuysed about a few things esp. the camera.

   How do I get a manual?

   Comment by R.Whayman — February 8, 2008 @ 11:42 am

4. I too didn’t get a manual for the laptop which I find very frustrating.

   Can’t find a download - I don’t even know what some of the buttons do.

   Can someone provide me with a link to download a manual for my laptop.

   Comment by S Williams — February 10, 2008 @ 9:35 am

5. We ARE not the first, S. Williams. It seems likely to me that no actual manual exists or disc. Amazing you always get a manual nowadays, even when you buy a toothbrush. Perhaps they (Advent)intend putting a download on the net soon. The one I did locate was for an older version.

   I am very keen to know about internet roaming on this thing as I go to Singapore to work soon and am a bit ignorant about WiFi.

   If you get lucky, inform me at ROY.WHAYMAN@sky.com

   Cheers

   Comment by R.Whayman — February 10, 2008 @ 2:26 pm

6. No manual with my laptop either, how are we supposed to find out how it works?
   Can anyone tell me how to get my webcam working? I cant find it anywhere on my laptop!

   Comment by Mia — February 10, 2008 @ 8:59 pm

7. I called support about this, and they said that all manuals etc., were held on the drivers CDROM that came with the laptop.

   I did however, find support for my laptop (1115c) at:

   LINK

   Others can be found at:

   LINK

   Comment by S Williams — February 11, 2008 @ 10:14 am

8. This seems to be a cynical disregard for the consumer by Advent. P.C. World should shoulder some of the resposibility. They have profitte too. I intend taking my machine back to the store in order to complain and maybe, reluctantly demand a refund. Is it possible that Advent and P.C. World did not complete their contractual obligations to the buyer by not providing a manual? None of us posters are able to get full benefits from our purchase because of this.

   I buy Computeractive magazine. They have a correspondence page for consumer complaints. Maybe we should all enlist their help.

   R. Whayman

   Comment by R.Whayman — February 11, 2008 @ 10:23 am

9. But there was no CDROM with my laptop.

   I will try your links.

   Thanks

   Comment by R.Whayman — February 11, 2008 @ 11:08 am

10. how do i make my camera work? for my new advent 9112?

    Comment by anthony — February 17, 2008 @ 12:39 pm

11. From TheTechGuys Website:-

    Summary
    You may find that the webcam is not detected by your notebook.

    Cause
    The webcam needs to be turned on for the computer to detect it’s presence.

    Solution(s)
    To use the USB webcam you first need to enable it. This is done by pressing Fn+F10 whilst in Windows. The first time this happens Windows may attempt to install a driver so there will be a delay before the webcam is available to use.

    Hope that helps.

    Comment by Chris R — February 19, 2008 @ 3:49 pm

12. To get the webcam working press Fn & F10 this turns it on it will install a driver and after a couple of mins it will be working

    Comment by Tim — February 19, 2008 @ 5:12 pm

13. No manual with the laptop. How can we know how the keys operate.? I don`t even know the name of each slot. How to use cd rom-2?

    Comment by srinivas — February 25, 2008 @ 2:48 pm

14. i tried turning the webcam on and the green light came on but nothin happened what should i do?

    Comment by FJD — February 29, 2008 @ 1:55 pm

15. How did you get green light to come on? Please tell me. Nothing happens when I press F10/Fn.

    Do you now have to utilise Skype or Messenger? I am clueless and will remain so without a manual.

    I went back to PC World today and they couldn’t help … but there was no technician there at the time.

    Good Luck,

    R.W.

    Comment by R.Whayman — February 29, 2008 @ 3:36 pm

16. The Advent 9112 is a rebranded ECS/Uniwill model S20II1:

    http://www.ecsusa.com
    http://www.uniwill.com

    (come’on, you didn’t think PC World could get it together long enough to build a computer themselves did you?

    The ECS website has a hardware manual available to download: Click here

    There are also software/device update links. I do not recommend downloading or installing these UNLESS you know what you are doing.

    Wayne

    p.s. some guys have downgraded a 9112 to XP succesfully:

    http://www.w00tw00t.co.uk/support/viewtopic.php?p=10330

    p.p.s some other guys have been playing with a 9112 and Linux:

    http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-676189.html

    Comment by wayne — March 1, 2008 @ 11:13 am

17. p.p.p.s having looked at the manual linked above (I should have done this before posting…), I note that the physical computer and the website photos do not match the pictures in the manual (for instance, the manual shows the power socket on the right, not the left). I would guess that this manual is for a different layout of the same model. Its content may be deemed by the (slightly lazy) manufacturer to be good enough to guide one around the S20II1 incarnation. Therefore with regard its efficacy: YMMV - your mileage my vary.

    p.p.p.p.s this may explain why PC World/Tech Guys don’t have it or don’t want to release it - customers could be confused.

    Comment by wayne — March 1, 2008 @ 11:27 am

18. Have finally got the web cam to work. Hold down Fn while pressing F10. After a few seconds the green light on the camera comes on. Go to control panel - device manager - imaging devices - usb 2.0 camera- disable driver - ok. Switch off the machine then restart and go through the same procedure again but enable driver - ok. Turn on Skype or whatever video messaging system you have and click on enable video.The green light turns to red and is recording. Well it worked for me. Hope this helps.

    Comment by eric — March 6, 2008 @ 12:05 pm

19. Thanks for all the comments above. I see that PCWorld say the Advent they are selling has dvd dual layer, but none of the reviews in the PC magazine mention this. Has anyone tried to write a dual-layer dvd with the drive that’s on the machine?

    Comment by F.S. — March 23, 2008 @ 2:31 am

20. Thanks to all those above for all your comments. I see that PC World say the machine includes a dvd dual-layer rewriter. None of the magazine reviews mention this. Has anyone tried theirs out, and is it a dual-layer?

    Comment by F.S. — March 23, 2008 @ 2:33 am

21. Yes it has Dual-layer,

    Comment by anton — May 19, 2008 @ 12:10 pm

22. i bought a laptop just 2 weeks ago and i tried already to surf the net and unfortunately, i was attack by viruses and spywares for an early time. My computer now was freezing, very slow and i really feel frustrating. i went to PC world and ask about my problem and they advice me to better re-format my laptop but i don’t have the recovery disk. When i bought my laptop there was no recovery disk and manual included, only the power cable and safety document. They said that they are not giving anymore the Recovery disk and you have to buy for that for £35 plus £30 service. So it’s like i lost instantly £65. Please! can anybody help me who can share me the recovery disk of this Advent laptop 9112. And please and how to reformat also..i am willing to give consolation. please! i need your kind help… Please don’t hesitate to contact me at wirwir2004@yahoo.com … thank you and more power.

    Comment by Danica — July 26, 2008 @ 6:27 pm

23. Danica - There isn’t a recovery disk. Nor is there a manual.

    -You need to surf sites for information about the Advent, there are several computer forums with references to this model though you need to plough thru’ the google & alta-vista search engine references. The Advent is basically a copy of another firm’s computer.

    -You should have run the TechGuys rescue disk creation at the beginning. There should have been a short-cut on your desk top with the TechGuys logo and following the instructions through on day 1 would have copied the system information for the machine onto a ‘rescue disk’, ie, a dvd which you would have had to have placed in the machine. The system data should still be on the first partition of the disk. I’m surprised that PC World are charging 30 plus 30 service fee, it would cost them (a) no more than the cost of a dvd disk and (b) the time involved copying it.

    If you get onto the Tech guys site (http://support.thetechguys.com//recoverymedia/) & chase up the references, they sell the disk at 35 pounds including VAT. The web reference for the specific recovery disk you want is : http://recoverymedia.thetechguys.com/Product.aspx?productID=1027

    Comment by F.S. — August 4, 2008 @ 10:26 am

24. Danica:

    Recovery information can be found at: http://support.pcworld.co.uk/layout.aspx?ID={4ecfc688-9e8a-4bf0-b511-8ca7f6df2eba}&CatID={5a238235-a706-4046-a220-a7df87581fe2} and you can read the manual on the above links also.

    I doubt if anyone will lend you their Vista disks, unfortunately.

    Comment by S.Williams — August 4, 2008 @ 3:09 pm

25. There isn’t a recovery disk. Nor is there a manual.
    -You need to surf sites for information about the Advent, there are several computer forums with references to this model though you need to plough thru’ the google & alta-vista search engine references. The Advent is basically a copy of another firm’s computer.
    -You should have run the TechGuys rescue disk creation at the beginning. There should have been a short-cut on your desk top with the TechGuys logo and following the instructions through on day 1 would have copied the system information for the machine onto a ‘rescue disk’, ie, a dvd which you would have had to have placed in the machine. The system data should still be on the first partition of the disk. I’m surprised that PC World are charging 30 plus 30 service fee, it would cost them (a) no more than the cost of a dvd disk and (b) the time involved copying it.
    If you get onto the Tech guys site (http://support.thetechguys.com//recoverymedia/) & chase up the references, they sell the disk at 35 pounds including VAT. The web reference for the specific recovery disk you want is : http://recoverymedia.thetechguys.com/Product.aspx?productID=1027

    Comment by F.S. — August 5, 2008 @ 2:04 pm

26. Where can I get a new battery for my Advent 9112????

    Comment by Bernadette — August 6, 2008 @ 6:27 am

27. S.Williams. I was surprised to see you say there was a manual for the Advent 9112. 1) I was unable to follow through your link, but copying the first part into the search line I managed to access it. 2) no success in finding the manual or a free start-up disk.
    Bernadette. I was told by TechGuys at PCWorld that I would be unlikely to find a replacement battery, they didn’t think one existed. There is however a reference to one on http://www.partmaster.co.uk/cgi-bin/search.pl?query=Advent%209112&brand=Advent&model=9112&path=137908&model_pre=9112&model_ref=399316&brand_ref=225&shop=advent , but at nearly 62 pounds it’s not cheap.

    Comment by F.S. — August 6, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

28. hi! i have created one recovery disk for advent 9315 model. if anyone need one its only £9.99 including P&P. Please email me pavel5552002@yahoo.com

    thank you

    Comment by pavel — August 19, 2008 @ 4:35 pm

29. Hi, i have brought a Advent 9112 and the WebCam isn’t working. I’m pressing FN + F10 but it wont work. I read on the internet that i needed a driver for it. If anyone finds one or so. Could you please email it to me on Hansn@live.se ?

    // Thx Niklas Hansen.

    Comment by Niklas — August 29, 2008 @ 1:53 pm

30. i got my advent 9112 and it works fine, when i first powered it up it asked me to create a recovery disk, so i did and have never had to use it, i got the webcam to work immediately by pressing fn+f10 i think is is. it works fine and gives a really good picture too.

    dont know how you are having so many problems with it

    hahaha

    Comment by jessica — September 30, 2008 @ 1:36 pm

31. I got a new advent and got no CD nor manual but the webcam turned on and worked alright. however, i am trying to use the tablet pc but there is no pen that came with it. Does anyone know about this and how I can get the tablet pen in order to use it

    Comment by uche — January 26, 2009 @ 11:36 pm

32. to get your webcam working on advent 9112 u just need to press the fn button while pressing f10 which has a picture of a camera on it.this basically just turns the camera on and off. i had the same trouble when i first brought my advent 9112.

    Comment by karis — March 12, 2009 @ 12:29 pm

33. my laptop doesnt hold its charge,i took it back to pc world within the warranty period and they said its accidental damage and would not repair or exchange it,stating that i should purchase a new one. it now wont charge at all. apparently a few people have experienced the same problem with their laptop.where do i stand?

    Comment by g morris — April 5, 2009 @ 3:53 pm

34. Mine has been back 2 times.

    Firstly, the mains input socket got loose and I could only run on battery.

    Secondly, it would not recognize CDs

    Now the touch pad has stopped working. Without a manual I don’t seem to be able to correct this.

    I regret buying this horrible little machine.

    However, my local PC World have been good about it all.

    I would haave another try there. How can that be accidental damage?

    Be more insistent g morris. You might succeed.

    Roy

    Comment by R. Whayman — April 6, 2009 @ 9:01 am

35. By the way. Did they tell you how to get a new battery?

    Roy

    Comment by R. Whayman — April 6, 2009 @ 9:02 am

36. i turned the webcame off on my advent laptop by accident and i cant find a button to turn it back on. how do i turn my webcame back on ???? please help

    Comment by shannon — April 7, 2009 @ 1:50 pm

37. Hold down Fn, press F10

    Comment by R. Whayman — April 14, 2009 @ 7:50 pm

38. I used to have shutdown problems with this machine, when am using it, it just goes off for no reason, i contacted pc world and they advised me to download from a site but shortly afterward the battery stopped working completely, i can only use it now when it is directly connected to the mains and the touch pad has stopped working, i was told the battery life was 3hrs when i bought from pc world, this is obviously a lie. please can anyone tell me where to get a new battery. thanks.

    Comment by jome — April 20, 2009 @ 12:30 pm

39. I was having shutdown problems with this machine, when using it, it just goes off for no reason, i contacted pc world and they advised me to download from a site but shortly afterwards the battery stopped working completely, i can only use it now when it is directly connected to the mains and the touch pad has stopped working, i was told the battery life was 3hrs when i bought from pc world, this is obviously a lie. please can anyone tell me where to get a new battery. thanks.

    Comment by jome — April 20, 2009 @ 12:31 pm

40. I am having the same problem I have had my laptop for just over a year now and for the last few months I have not been able to use my laptop without having it plugged in. If I don’t it just switches itself off even though it has “100% battery!” it’s so frustrating and I have tried to get it fixed and got quoted £120 for a new battery as a student I CANNOT afford that lol any ideas where I can get a cheaper replacement battery from?

    Comment by Kim — May 29, 2009 @ 1:02 pm

41. Hi Kim, funnily enough I bought the above laptop, and it was stolen. I signed up to this forum ages back and still get updated comments (which doesnt bother me). I took time to read yours and I managed to buy a battery for the laptop brand new for £100, which is cheaper. I still have it, its not that old. Where are you in the world. I will accept a decent offer for it, but I wont ask £120 off you Is there a way you could contact me maybe? I am in London!

    Comment by Bernadette — June 1, 2009 @ 9:08 am

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