Advent 8112 laptop with 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor only £449.99
Category: ADVENT, Laptop Brands | September 28th, 2007
The advent 8112 laptop will cost you only £449.99, we say this laptop is very cheap considering you are getting pretty good specs including a 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor plus 48 x CD-ROM Speed enabling access to CD ROM data, the higher the number the faster the speed, 24 x CD-RW Speed enabling you to access and store data on CD-RW disks, 8 x DVD-ROM Speed enabling you access to data on DVD and 4 x DVD-RW Speed enabling you to store data on DVD.
Advent 8112 laptop Main Specifications -
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250
• 1.5GHz
• 667MHz FSB
• 2MB Cache
• 1GB Memory
• DVD ReWriter
• 12.1″ Widescreen Display
• Genuine Widows Vista (R) Home Premium
• 120GB Hard Drive
• DX10 Shared UMA Graphics
• Wireless Enabled
• 1.83kg
• VIEW CURRY’S LINK BELOW
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Advent laptops in general are of very poor quality, with even the plastics of the casing being flimsy at best.
As a proportion of units sold, there are a large number being sold for parts on eBay.
I recommend….ANYTHING else.
Comment by James Dawson — October 2, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
Its almost A4 sized and really light and currently doing all I ask of it. I wouldn’t call it flimsy.
Its working well on my netgear wifi, so at last I can sit in the lounge and play.
Built in speakers are a bit of a joke but sound through my foldable Sennheisers is excellent.
Comment by Barry Saunders — October 6, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
had my laptop for a week now, its not the highest spec, although i upgraded the ram to 2gb but its great for taking about especially to university. Not had a problem with it at all. Very reasonably priced for a small lightweight and multi functioning laptop. Take the vista off and it would run alot better.
recommend to anyone
Comment by andrew — October 8, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
Bought one earlier this evening, my old Toshiba Portege 4010 finally died this afternoon
The Advent seems very well made. Unfortunately, the fan is louder than a Concorde engine at full throttle, but there’s a button with a picture of a fan on it to press when the noise gets too irritating. £449 from PC World which seemed a fair price for the spec and portable size - never quite understood the need for a 10 kilo 22 inch laptop when you sit about 15 inches from the screen, unless you’re very bad sighted or a designer? I’m very happy with it so far, though widescreen is a dumb idea for viewing portrait docs…
Oh, the fan’s stopped - peace! Drat, it’s on again. Wonder if I’ll get used to it or if I can swap it out for a quieter substitute…
Comment by andy — October 9, 2007 @ 12:26 am
i think the laptop is very sexy looking just like me
and great for taking to uni. It does get a bit hot but the fan seems to work fine 
Comment by Vinnie — October 9, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
It was advertised as having TV out. Mine even has a sticker on it saying ‘TV Out’(S-Video)’ - but there is no TV out. Not that I can find anyway. Can anyone shed some light on this?
Comment by Andy — October 13, 2007 @ 11:16 pm
“It was advertised as having TV out. Mine even has a sticker on it saying ‘TV Out’(S-Video)’ - but there is no TV out. Not that I can find anyway. Can anyone shed some light on this?”
Ihave the same problem. Can anyone help us?
Comment by Immi — October 16, 2007 @ 6:21 pm
Im thinking of getting a laptop for christmas. Would you recommend getting this one?
Comment by Nicola — October 18, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
I was looking for a small, light, cheap notebook to take on my travels, and the Advent 2112 fits the bill!
I also have a HP notebook, the build quality/performance is excellent, but I wanted something smaller, lighter, more portable. That’s why I bought the Advent.
Sure, the quality of the Advent isn’t up to the standard of the HP, but the spec is excellent.
When travelling, I can watch DVD’s, surf the internet wirelessly, 120GB for storing loads of photos, music, etc.
I like the Windows Vista Premium OS installed, with the Media Center.
Compare the price of this to, say, an Archos wifi with 7″ screen - the Advent 2112 is IMHO a far better purchase.
As I say, if you want a small, light, portable notebook for your travels, you won’t go wrong with this.
If you want a hi-spec hi-quality notebook with gaming facilities, look elsewhere.
Comment by Fred S — October 18, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
Sorry, I meant 8112 - not 2112!
Comment by Fred S — October 18, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
i have also purchased an Advent 8112 laptop. I had never checked the advertised ’s-video’ feature, but i work in IT, and i can confirm that there is no s-video connection on this laptop. The only tv out that could possibly be used is the vga connection, just next to where the charger plugs in.
I would point out however after reading some of the above posts, that the plastics are not really that bad on these laptops. They are not the best quality by any means but i wouldn’t let this put you off. You have to remember that the hard drive, memory, processor, and maybe most other components are not made by advent at all, they are the same components you would find in most laptops. The plastics in this case are only housing.
I have to ask though, has anyone experienced any problems with the wireless lan facility?
Comment by tim k — October 19, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
I bought one of these 19 september 2007 it keeps turning off with no warning. I have read of another thats doing this too. That said its good value made by ecs in Taiwan see link for almost identical model here.
Comment by paul — October 26, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Hi, can any body advice on scratchy noice from CD drive when reeding on low speed?
Comment by oxygen — October 28, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
had mine for around a month. im happy with it, but i have the same problem as paul. without warning it will fully power off. it seems to be when you use the touchpad for scrolling. paul, does this happen on yours??
Comment by lancred — November 1, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
Hi Lancred Im not really sure yet as like you say it happens without warning and the only thing so far I notice when it does it is I have been looking at the ionetrenet and I would be scrolling doing this at some point. I will try and see next time it does it if I may have been doing this. Sometimes it goes days being fine other times it can go off 2-3 times in an hour???????? I read there was no cure on some other forum and it was similar to another model made by advent folk the only cure was to replace the whole thing.
Comment by paul — November 2, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
Mine has done the instant power off thing about three times since I had it (3 weeks) - disconcerting. If it happens too many more times I’ll return it for a swap. Mine is also a bit erratic when trying to switch it on, it takes a few presses of the on/off button to get it to power up sometimes. Great spec and price, not such great quality.
Comment by Andy — November 3, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
I’ve also noticed this switch on thing, if I’m running it on battery power only, sometimes it needs 2 or 3 or a long press of the on button before it powers up. If running on mains power I do not seem to have this problem. I always watch the indicator lights on the front edge to see if it’s powering up OK. I’ve not had this power off problem (yet!), I use mostly a usb mouse and not the touchpad. As tim k says, the quality not the greatest but the spec is very good. As I bought this laptop for occasional use, and not as my main machine, I consider this to be good value. I could not live with the build quality (and the small screen for old eyes!) of this for a main machine.
Comment by Fred S — November 4, 2007 @ 11:34 am
Hi guys…
This switch on thing… you need to keep the power button held in for a while, basically until you see the lights flash (where the wlan/hdd lights are) once you have seen these flash you can then release the power button. From what i have noticed, the power button does not need to be held in for very long when the laptop is plugged into the mains. Strange.
My laptop has also switched itself off, only on one occasion so far, all i can remember about it was it was idle when it happened, it was being used on a hard surface too so the vents were not being blocked.
Has anyone else noticed the wireless lan disconnects itself quite frequently when using the laptop on ‘power saver’ mode?
Comment by tim k — November 4, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
tim k,
Not sure if this works the same/similar in Vista, but this for XP may help:
Control Panel –> Network Connections –> Right click on your LAN connection and click properties. Click “Configure” button near the top –> Power Management tab. (un)check boxes so power doesn’t turn device off.
Comment by Fred S — November 4, 2007 @ 10:28 pm
Thanks for that - my laptop is Vista, but i did put xp on it and messed with the power management but was unable to get it to stay connected. Maybe this is some sort of compatibility problem between my netgear router and my wireless nic? I have several other wireless devices though and these work fine. I also have a linksys wireless access point, and it stays connected to that for much longer without disconnections.
oh well… lets just hope it doesn’t switch itself off again! maybe we have a case for returning the laptops as they dont come with the advertised s-video connections.
Comment by tim k — November 5, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
A lot of people seem bothered about this missing s-video connection, I’ve never had or anticipate I would use it.
tim k, looks like you’ve been messing about quite a lot with the laptop, hope the shop will take it back!
I won’t say anything, honest!
Comment by Fred S — November 5, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
hmm,
well hopefully yes if thats what i choose to do. I work in IT so its not too bad - good old recovery dvd’s, its back the way it was when i bought it.
Comment by tim k — November 5, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
hey, im planning on buying this model (8112) and was wondering about battry time, how long dose it last, and is it very flimsy or could it survive generail wear and tear?
Comment by steve — November 6, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Hey, tim k, I didn’t get any recovery DVDs, can you tell me how to create some? I was told Vista would do that, but it appears I have to pay £145 for Vista Ultimate before I can get that functionality…!
Comment by phil — November 7, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Hi Phil
Providing you got your laptop from PC World, then there should be an option in the start menu under a folder called ‘TheTechGuys’ if i remember rightly, the option to create the dvd should be in there. If you are still struggling let me know and ill boot up my laptop and have a look.
Comment by tim k — November 8, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
I’ve had 2 of these machines and both have intermittently switched themselves off on a few occasions. Anyone have any idea how to stop this happening…?
Comment by fingers — November 9, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
ye mines been switching off too, only had it bout 4 weeks, rng them up and thy will b pickin it up to have a look at it, hop they can sort it, my first laptop and its really annoying when you expect it to be workin properly!!! took it to pc world who said that this shouldnt be a common problem on these laptops (8112) ye rite!! looked at other forums where theres ppl with the exact same problem !! i shall not be happy if they cant sort as this is laptop that i quit like!
Comment by yus — November 11, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Yus,
Who is picking it up? is this some local repair shop or actually pc world? if i can get pc world to pick mine up and have a look it would be handy.
I would suggest to anyone having this problem to print out this page and comments and produce to pc world, clearly there are lots of people having this problem - imagine how many have bought this laptop and have never seen this page? i suspect it would be full of people who have similar complaints!
Comment by tim k — November 11, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
This may help the switching off problem, taken from PC Advisor - Jan 2008 issue:
In Windows Vista -
Click the Start button.
Type “SystemPropertiesAdvanced” - without the quotes!
Press Enter.
Click Continue if the “User Account Control” prompts you.
Click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section near the bottom of the dialog box.
Untick the “Automatically restart” option.
Click OK twice.
Next time the problem occurs, rather than an automatic reboot, you should see a text screen reporting a system error.
Jot down any information it contains, and type the details into Google, etc.
This MAY help!
Comment by Fred S — November 11, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
Thanks for this Fred, well spotted! will give it a go! quite curious to see if this will fix it, as it doesn’t appear to be a software issue as it doesn’t automatically reboot, it powers itself off completely!
will report back here as soon as it happens again!
tim k
Comment by tim k — November 11, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Problem solved - My Advent 8112 kept turning itself off too - this was solved by going into the power management settings in Vista and setting the maximum CPU speed to 75% instead of 100%. It works fine now.
Comment by phil — November 11, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
Hi phil, thanks for that update. If this really is the solution this is completely bananas. I cant see the point in intentionally reducing the laptops performance to enable it to function correctly.
Can i just ask phil, did your problem affect your laptop when it was plugged in or running on battery or both?
Comment by tim k — November 11, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Hi all well I got my 8212 from PC world after I paid for the 8112 in the business centre so cant complain too much, apart from the damn thing switching itself off. It just goes off without warning and it has done it about 5 times now in about as many weeks. I would take it back but I think I will end up with the 8112, so I am hoping it won’t get worse.
Has anyone had any explination as to why it does this
Cheers all
Steve
Comment by Steve James — November 12, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
Hey guys,
I was seriously considering buying this laptop until I read your comments!
This is switching off problem seems to be wide spread so that making me reconsider plus a couple of people have mentioned the fan…my current laptop is too laid to take out of the house thus the reason for buying a new one. Are many people encountering noisey fan syndrome?
Cheers,
Stu
Comment by Stuart — November 13, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
Stu
the fan really isnt that bad to be honest, especially since it has a ‘fan button’ which if you press it, it quietens the fan down. don’t let that put you off. i’m still waiting for people to update on what phil has advised…. change the power management settings (not that you should have to do this of course)
it really is a nice little laptop - i wish these niggly things were easily sorted!
I tell you something else i have noticed, if you are fast at typing, the keyboard doesn’t seem to be able to keep up, it’s almost as though you have to press each button considerably harder than you would most other laptops. keeps missing letters out! i have had to go over this text now and correct things! maybe this is just me pressing the keys in a lazy mannor…
tim k
Comment by tim k — November 13, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Thanks Tim…there does sound like there a few annoying little problems that would shoudn’t be getting from a new laptop.
I do type fast so if other people are having this problem I’m staying well clear!!!
Comment by Stuart — November 14, 2007 @ 10:11 am
As a reminder to everyone, don’t forget the title of this page!
Don’t expect a Rolls Royce for the price of a Kia, and you won’t be disappointed!
Don’t book a £5 flight with easy-jet, then complain when you’re not treated like royalty!
For the price and it’s specification, etc., it’s perfectly acceptable.
If you want a high-quality laptop that NEVER goes wrong, I recommend . . .
. . . No, sorry, I can’t think of one!
You pays your money etc . . .
Comment by Fred S — November 14, 2007 @ 7:30 pm
ep, it misses out a few letters when I’m typing fast too. (only one letter in that sentence - the first one!) I’ve ripped of the over-sized CAPS LOCK button on mine as I’ve pressed it a few times in error (right above the shift button) and is annoying. I would say the laptop gets a 6/10, but considering the price I’d up that to a 7. Put it this way - it’s considerably better than Vista which is a half-baked OS, which looks good but has less intuitive functionality than XP. Anyone tried the 75% CPU speed fix yet?
Comment by Andy — November 14, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
I quite like this page. Is it run by PCW? and if so will it disappear if someone in the marketing dept thinks it’s too negative?
Comment by Andy — November 14, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
oh dear
fred, you are right, but what is the point in selling something that doesn’t work properly? in this day and age and IT moving forwards, new laptops should be faultless, no matter the price (albeit for only the 12monthwarranty period for cheapies- oh dear i missed a space) it doesn’t seem to be good business practise to issue a bunch of laptops that do not function as people would expect, especially from a store that promotes its own laptops.
for some strange reason i still like it though. i write commentslike this as people ask, but it still is a charming and lightweight item with a decent screen and good features.
Comment by tim k — November 14, 2007 @ 10:10 pm
guess what, pc world have come back and said theres no problems with it, not gone off yet on its own, but its at the back of my mind all the time, does anyone know how to untick the option for it to restart auto, so i can jot down the error problem??? nice laptop plus i’v edited the cpu power option for now and see if it makes a difference !
Comment by yus — November 17, 2007 @ 12:46 pm
Yus
I don’t think you need to untick the box for an auto restart, as the laptop is not restarting - it powers itself off, therefore if it is a software error causing this, windows will not have a chance to make any sort of log of the problem due to it powering off.
Comment by tim k — November 17, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
thanks but if u luk at point 29 0n this page, do u know wot i mean now??
Comment by yus — November 17, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
Yus,
The instructions that fred s have provided are accurate, and they work fine for me. Are you using Vista? I did know what you meant before - but i can’t really see the point in trying this for this problem as the laptop is not rebooting. It is switching off during use, this is something very different. How can something display an error message when it has switched itself off?
Comment by tim k — November 17, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
ok, yes i am using vista, (not keen on it), its been ok today after the cpu change, its on 75%, but still not sure if thats going to make all the difference
Comment by yus — November 17, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
Hi, I bought my advent 8112 a month ago and have not been able to get longer than 56minutes worth out of a dvd even when fully charged overnight. Does anyone have any comments on the battery life of this laptop? I cant believe this is normal!
Comment by Abi — November 18, 2007 @ 8:00 pm
Hi Abi
The battery life is quite poor, but not as bad as some i know of. Some only last for half an hour! When im trying to conserve battery, change power setting to ‘power saver’ and turn the brightness on the screen down, this should help a bit. Also, try configuring a power saving hardware profile, whereby all un-needed devices are disabled, unless you boot into your normal high performance profile again.
Comment by tim k — November 19, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Have had the 8212 6 weeks now powered off about 6 times, Also work in IT Tim K is right their is no software errors in the event viewer its a hardware problem, dosnt matter if its on battary or not and even on flat surfaces. The keyboard is not very good and casuses you to retype some words. The power buton is pretty naff as well. I have had no more problems than usual with wireless disconnects.
The solution of limiting the CPU power to 75% could work as it limits the heat I will try this and let you know.
The good news thouh is that its got loads of power and a great spec for a price that no-one else seems to touch and its really portable. To be honest if you want loads of bang for your buck a great spec and a small machine you will live with some of its “Features!”
Comment by Silversurfer — November 20, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
i agree its a good spec machine, hope this cpu thing works, im not the best with IT but hopefully it works, did u not take it back silversurfer?? i did do but they said they couldnt fine any problems??
Comment by yus — November 20, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
I havent got the laptop yet i am having it for a christmas present so i dont no how it works yet. for other peoples comment the advent 8112 is very good. it nice and small and i quite light!i cant wait to get it!It has a 120gb harddive and 80 gb of ram! if you want to bye a laptop i would recommend the advent 8112!
Comment by matt — November 25, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
hello i am matt i have made a comment not long ago but i made some mistakes! if you want to buy a laptop then i would recommend the advent 8112 i has a 120 gb hardrive
80 gb of ram it weighs 1.85 kg that light for a laptop!
its wireless! its really good i am having it for a christmas presnt so i havent used it yet!if your moving it around a lot then i would recommend it. Its BRILLANT!!!!!!!
Comment by matt — November 25, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Hello all. I have had the 8212 for nearly two weeks now and have also suffered with the random switch off problem (5 times). I tried silversurfer’s suggestion of turning down the CPU speed, but it has happened a couple of times since doing this. I looked at the “Reliability Monitor” in the Microsoft Management Console (type “mmc” in the start box), which gives a measure of system stability and shows system events. After restarting following an unexpected shutdown, you will see that a “Disruptive Shutdown” event gets logged in the “Miscellaneous Events”. I found that 3 out of 5 of my events also coincided with a “software uninstall” informational message. It occured to me that this could be caused by an auto update procedure, either generated by Norton security, or by Windows update. This may explain why it appears to happen randomly. I have disabled automatic updates for both of these and haven’t experienced the problem now for over 24 hours. Yesterday I also installed an updated Realtek PCI Express NIC driver, for which I could not find any documentation regarding the issues that it is supposed to fix, so maybe this will make a difference. I hope the problem is fixed because I do not want to have to go through the hassle of taking my laptop back, transfer data and install applications to a replacement! I will keep you posted.
Comment by Rich — November 30, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
Mine switched off some 15 times wthin three weeks. I told the tech guys about it and they took it away and returned it saying they found no fault with it. It has done it once more since I got it back (yesterday). I think I will return it and get another one for some more money. Moreover, the keys are not good; I have had to really press hard to spell missed letters.
It it is painful to return it as it is a very nice looking and the lightet machine I have ever had.
Comment by Eddie — December 1, 2007 @ 9:25 am
yea i had the random shuttingdown problem too.But for me, this only happens when i have the battery connected with the power cable. So i just remove the battery when i dont need it.
Comment by Nas — December 1, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
I’ve had my 8112 since 22nd September, that’s over 2 months now, and have not had this reported power-off problem yet (touchwood, says Fred tapping his bonce!)
I’m not running Norton and my Windows Update is not on automatic, perhaps that’s why?
Hope this problem doesn’t put too many people off the 8112.
Comment by Fred S — December 1, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
i bought my laptop back in septmber been running really well now, although i must admit i did have the same problem with it switching off randomly but i found that it was because of the windows updates turning it off - changed its setting and had no problem since!
it is a great little laptop - initially bought just for taking to uni, but know i use it as my main laptop!
i upgraded the ram to 2GB and its running so smoothly!
the only thing is does anyone know where i would get a spare battery??
Comment by nicice — December 1, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
nicice,
For a battery, have a look at this link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_ce?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=Mexxtronics+advent&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
If this link doesn’t work, it’s amazon.co.uk, do a search for:
“mexxtronics advent”
It doesn’t specifically mention the 8112, but assume one of the batteries shown would be compatible.
Comment by Fred S — December 2, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
Anyone looking to upgrade the RAM to 2GB?
First I looked at the Crucial web site, but it didn’t show the Advent 8112 on their Memory Advisor Tool.
I then found exactly what I wanted at the Orca Logic web site:
http://www.orcalogic.co.uk
I ordered the 1GB RAM, and it arrived within 2 days.
I easily installed the module, it’s made a real difference, everything works much faster!
This makes the Advent 8112, IMHO, more of a bargain!
Comment by Fred S — December 12, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
Well guess what took my 8112 back to pc world and they have never heard of this problem (yeah right) si I printed off about 20 pages off the net but they didn’t want to look at it. Its been in for repair once and the usual NFF (no fault found) its 3 months old now and was reported to the TECH guys one day after I had it. They said they have no record of it. Its now on its second repair attempt and im sure they will say NFF again so then it will go back a third time and I will ask for a refund. If they took care of this quickly I might use them again but plain denial is just too stupid of them.
Has anypone here actually had the tech guys fix this??
Comment by paul — December 13, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Paul, do you have Norton installed with auto update turned on? I haven’t yet proved this conclusively, but I have not yet experienced the problem whilst the auto update has been switched off. Has anyone else with the switch off problem tried this yet?
Comment by Rich — December 13, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
Hi No I dont have norton at all I use AVG had no problems has updated ok before with no switch off.
Comment by paul — December 13, 2007 @ 6:24 pm
Is Windows update turned on?
Comment by Rich — December 14, 2007 @ 11:03 am
Yes windows update is turned on but not to download without asking my permission first.
Comment by paul — December 14, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Guys
This is not a software issue. Software WILL NOT make ANY pc/laptop switch off like that unless it is virus/malware related. This is a hardware issue. Why would software be written to make something power off like that? Most software vendors write software how Microsoft would want them written so that no harm could come to hardware or software through bad programming.
Windows update WILL NOT make a pc switch off, neither would Norton have anything to do with it.
My laptop sometimes switches itself off, most of the time it is sat on the table not doing anything. There is no pattern to it. Windows update was not running, anti virus was not updating, no programs were running (laptop was idle, apart from the usual services in the background), laptop was not too hot (as this laptop can get quite hot) but it can still happen.
There is no point searching for a solution that is software related with this laptop. If software was causing problems then it would bsod, or shut itself down properly.
Hope this helps.
Comment by tim k — December 14, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
I should have added on the end there that if Windows did detect an error and shut itself down, chances are that event viewer would reflect this.
I like my laptop even with this happening (You get what you pay for). Although it is obviously annoying, either take it back to pc world and complain, or put up with it and regularly save work!
Comment by tim k — December 14, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
This is what I am doing (taken back) but they are being evasive I even printed off this website with all the messages and another with the same problem and said look at this but they said they didnt want to!! Now they say 3 repairs and they will refund tech guys saying 6 weeks after first reporting fault they will write it off. It happened 2 days after I bought it and I phoned tech guys who told me to do sytem reovery so as far as Im concerned my 6 week period started Sept 16th but they have no record of this ha ha ha so it went for its first failed repair December 5th and 2nd December 12th. Oh and of course they have not heard of this problem before probably as they dont read all the stuff customers bring in. I am sure they know only too well about it. LIARS.
Comment by paul — December 14, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
Disagree you get what you pay for. If you pay £499 you should get something that works even if you pay £199 it should still work or they should not be selling them.
Comment by paul — December 14, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
fair point well made - but look at the price of the sony equivalent or hp or dell at the time?
i do agree though - in an environment where laptops are built, you would have thought hundreds of them would have been tested for thousands of hours. Obviously not in this case - this forum speaks for itself.
Comment by tim k — December 14, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
sorry paul, have only just read your other post as well.
If pc world dont believe you, then ask them to explain the eventlogs saying ‘unexpected shutdown’
Comment by tim k — December 14, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
I’ve had the 8112 for about a month now, not had any ’shutdowns’ yet although I do agree that you have to press the keys firmly when typing otherwise letters do get missed out. On the whole I think it’s a brilliant little laptop, yes, the battery life is a bit short, but hey, guess you can’t have everything. Unless you part with big bucks.
Comment by Pat T — December 15, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
Same thing has happened to me. Working on the laptop doing some excel spreadsheets and the laptop just shutdown. I have had 2 of these so far from PC world. First one the synaptics pointing device just failed and so i took it bak to P world and received a replacement. The replacement just seems to do this quite regularly now and it has become suh an inconvenience espeially as I rely on the laptop for my business. I only got the laptop mid november and wthin 2 weeks this started happening. I sent t for repair with the tech guys and they re=seated the processor mybe assuming it was a heat issue. However, more often than not, system shutdowns unexpectedly usually are due to faults with the motherboard. Got the laptop back and still does the same thing (shutting down). I took it back today with an exchange or refund in mind but they told me that you an only replace in the first 28 days of purchase (doesnt seem to say this in the T’s and C’s) and that they will attempt another repair and after 3 repairs if the problem persists then they will replace it. Now i know why the price was too good to e true. A “Cheap” motherboard.
Comment by JP — December 17, 2007 @ 1:07 am
Hi Tim a pc world tech guy did a system recovery, would this remove any event logs or couild I still view them after this and how do I do it? I really need some proof its shutting down as they are still saying no fault found.
Thanks
Comment by paul — December 24, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
For information: I bought an Advent 8212 from PC World on 25 October 2007 and took it on an overseas work assignment starting on 1 November. I have just returned to UK.
Almost immediately I started my work assignment, my laptop started shutting down randomly exactly as described here.
I have had quite a struggle with PC World by email, but today, following a visit in person to the store where I bought the machine, they have finally agreed to a replacement of my choice.
More background on my own case can be found here:
http://www.w00tw00t.co.uk/support/viewtopic.php?t=3209
(See my 17 December and subsequent posts).
I find it is quite astonishing that the problem is so widespread. It has to be a design/manufacture fault.
I would advise anyone who experiences random shutdowns to seek a full refund.
Incidentally, I am also amazed to read here about the difficulties with the start button, and the problems with the keyboard which others have reported above. These are faults I have also experienced on my problem machine too!
I would not recommend this model to anyone!
Comment by David S — December 24, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
Update: I’ve had my 8112 since 22nd September, that’s over 3 months now, and have NOT had this reported power-off problem yet (touchwood, says Fred, tapping his bonce yet again!)
It seems to be the (bad) luck of the draw, you can either get a duff machine or a good one!
Comment by Fred S — December 25, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
I have an Advent 8112. It does have a TV Out / S Video connection on the right hand side ( yellow socket ).
I have not had any problem with it at all in the past 3 months. In fact, it is one of the best buys I have ever got and I am well impressed with it.
I cannot understand how so many people are dissing it - it has to be good to impress me, for value I would definately recommend it.
PS - I do not have any affiliation with the company - or any computer company to be exact…
Comment by NickHead — December 27, 2007 @ 11:43 pm
Hi Paul,
(Hi Tim a pc world tech guy did a system recovery, would this remove any event logs or couild I still view them after this and how do I do it? I really need some proof its shutting down as they are still saying no fault found.
Thanks)
Yes, you can do this by pressing your windows key and r (or in start menu > programs > accessories > run)to bring up the run box, and type in there: eventvwr and press enter.
In the event logs should be an entry that would say something like “the system shut down unexectedly”.
Hope this helps
Comment by tim k — December 29, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Hi Tim Thanks. Nick why you cant understand why most people have ha d a problem I dont understand? you are in a very small minority here. Worse s till is PC Worlds attitude.
Trading standards have now told me I have a stron g case and if they dont budge to go to small claims court which I will.
Comment by paul — December 29, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Tim K - I have occasional shutdowns (one every week or two) but no message in event viewer anything like what you suggest. Thank goodness Firefox remembers all the tabs I have open!
I would love to swap this, but I wouldn’t let a PCWorld tech alone with my laptop’s hard drive for 5 minutes, let alone keep it - I understand all my private files, passwords etc could be vulnerable even after deleting/re-formatting the drive. I also can’t face the few days of re-loading software…
I might just turn up with an HD-less laptop and a print-out of this forum and see what they say. After that, onto small claims court.
Comment by Andy — December 31, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
I had two shutdowns in one night. After this I made sure that the laptop was always running at optimum performance, Having Norton 360 installed is great. I also began to use a Integral 4GB pen drive and used the ready-boost option to use memory from this to aid the laptops performance. I have had no problems since I started doing this.
Hope this helps someone.
Regards
Pat
Comment by Pat T — December 31, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
I wrote a letter sent recorded delivery to the MD. I got a phone call 4 days later with a full refund. End of case but shpuld have been sorted sooner , staff lack training, managers useless.
Comment by paul — January 6, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
Thanks for the info paul!
I can understand if not, but could you post the address on here? i think it may be of use to quite a few people.
Regards
Tim
Comment by tim k — January 7, 2008 @ 6:23 pm
THE RESULT:
Thank you for your letter, addressed to the Managing Director of PC World.
As a member of his Executive Correspondence team, i have been investigating your
complaint. First and foremost i would like to apologise for the service that you have received
and to reassure you of our commitment towards customer service. After reviewing your correspondence
and your technical file, we would like to send you £470.00 of gift vouchers, so that you can purchase a
replacement laptop of your choice.
I understand that time is of the essence, therefore i will raise the gift vouchers immediately, the vouchers
will arrive within the next seven working days , to your home address.
A good positive response from them, pity the store managers arent trained to do this!
Comment by paul — January 7, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
Write to
J O H N N A Y L O R
D S G I GROUP INTERNATIONAL
M A Y L A N D S A V E N U E
H E M E L H E M P S T E A D
H P 2 7 T G
Comment by paul — January 7, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
Excellent thanks for that Paul!
im sure this will very useful to quite a few people who have been posting on here who have had no joy from pc world.
Congratulations on getting somewhere with this!
Tim
Comment by tim k — January 8, 2008 @ 7:05 am
i bought the Advent 9112 less than a wek ago and it has turned off on its own about five times already. should i take it back and swap it for another one the same or avoid advent alltogether? any help would be greatly appreiciated
Comment by ellie — January 12, 2008 @ 2:31 am
Ellie,
If you had this problem and only owned the 9112 for only a week, I suggest you take it back ASAP.
As you’ve probably read here, some people are having problems, some aren’t.
You’ve obviously got a duff machine, that’s bad luck, don’t perservere with it.
Comment by Fred S — January 12, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
Thanks for the advice. I’ve just been and taken it back and swapped it for another one the same, the sales advisor at PC World said he could ‘almost guarantee’ that my replacement wouldn’t have the same problem…hmmm. We’ll see!
Comment by ellie — January 12, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
For gods sake take it back and buy any other brand!!!!! You are well within your rights to either replace or refund. YES REFUND accept no excuses or offers of “repair” YOU HAVE TIME DO IT NOW!!
Comment by paul — January 12, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
Hey there, I’ve had my 8112 for about 4-5 months now and I don’t think I’ve actually had it randomly turn off on me once and its been used daily for long periods since I purchased it (used along with my main machine), I guess I just got lucky with mine :P, I’d say its a really good laptop for the price, the spec is good, however I would recommend install Windows XP onto it if you can as its performance is much higher when running XP than it is with Vista (the drivers disc actually has XP drivers too so its easy to “downgrade”.
The only complaint I would have with the unit is the small shift keys being hard to hit when typing quickly and wanting to capitalize words without using caps lock but other than that the keyboard seems to work well enough.
Overall I’d say its a great laptop especially for the price, all my class mates in uni couldn’t get over how small it was when I first got it and brought it to lectures (they all have bigger 15/17″ laptops). But like I say, I would recommend this laptop to anyone it works great, looks quite stylish imo and has ran everything I’ve needed it to without any problems (It’s even ran some of the newer games out quite well albeit with a few driver updates from intel to enable all the shaders built into the gfx card but once done it plays games rather well for a non gaming laptop)
verdict: 10/10
Comment by Ghandi — January 14, 2008 @ 12:19 am
Last night I thought I had come away from PC World with a cracking bargin, an Advent 9112 ultra mobile laptop for £449 (Due Core; 2GB Ram; 160Gb HDD; 12.1in screen, lots of interfaces, etc.)
Today. Loading the advent with the new software and porting data across from one of my two office PCs, I first noticed that the battery runs down quickly, then, that the on-off key does not always work and, most alarmingly, without notice, it lost all power, leading to an improper shut-down. I fired off some questions on both these issues to the so-called ‘Tech-Guys’ online support service this morning and nothing (at 18.55 has come back). A bit of searching on the internet however has revealed this site.
It seems that this shut-down problem first dogged the 8112 and now it is doing it to the 9112 (point 85). The long and the short of it is that I have wasted nearly a day trying to set up this new notebook and resolving unexpected issues when I now know that this weekend I will be asking for my money back (To spend at least £150 more) on a proper branded alternative. Trying to buy cheap will probably have cost me a total of two days by the time everything is resolved.
In the past, I have owned many laptops including an NEC Versa (the best, most robust laptop, wonder if they are still as good today) Acer (Uninspiring but a workhorse) HP (Good- but battery issues) Sony Vaio 1 (Great for 1 year then the Hard Disk crashed and all data was lost) Sony Vaio 2 (Brilliant screen but within a fortnight of ownership - by which time I was too busy on an assignment and dependent upon it to send it off for repair) it stopped reading CDs, although it still reads DVDs (Sony support said their collect and return warranty meand I would lose if for 30 working days and they would send the hard drive back to year zero - so it never got done and I will never buy Sony again). Moral of the story - beware either end of the price spectrum!
Comment by steve — January 17, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
I bought an Advent 9112 november, i agree with the power on button playing up, but as people have said u get what you pay for.
I like most people had the problem of it turning off randomly, did a bit of investigation and even with the laptop running idle had core temps of over 55′c. I bought a cooling matt for it, (really cheap one like 9.99) sorted all my problems out, has dropped the core temp down to 35′c, and hey presto, no more unexpected shut downs.
Comment by Phillip — January 25, 2008 @ 1:43 am
Wow thats so amazingly ridiculous!!! I find it incredible people are happy to accept this fault I bet PC World are laughing their socks off. I bet its great when travelling to carry your cooling mat too.
You get what you pay for????? so would you buy a square ball too?? Never heard such tosh in all my life thank goodness there is the trading standards and sale of goods act to give these companies a good seeing too.
PS I have some glass hammers for sale if you’re interested can do you a good deal????
Comment by paul — January 25, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
Fair comments Paul, although i agree with everything you just said, i also agree that you get what you pay for - hence you can get cheap and nasty televisions or good expensive ones, and same for cars etc.
Dont forget, that the use of laptops (according to ALL manufacturers of them) should not be used on a bed for example, as vents get covered, you should also not put them on your legs for the same reason - all makers advise they should be used on tables etc to avoid overheating. If this is adhered to i dont think as many people will have a problem with these laptops.
Comment by tim k — January 25, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
I expect that even if cheap and nasty it should have a life of 12 months I dont expect longer. I always use my laptop on either a book or box. I dont expect faults like this and pc worlds vague “we have had no other problems with this model” type replies. So now we have the Ert 250 model the 8112 the 8212 the 9112 all shutting down. No problem eh P.C.WORLD??????
You know I have bought 2 dell xps 1330’s fantastic service next business day on site and a very capable laptop. 2.2ghz. 4mb, led screen 2kg, 3yrs on site service £695
Comment by paul — January 25, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
yep - once again agreed.
Dell are going to better than advent though aren’t they, Otherwise heads would roll somewhere!
We all know pc world are rubbish for after sales care, but everyone still goes there! its our own fault!
Comment by tim k — January 25, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
Paul,
What relevance have the Trading Standards and Sale of Goods act got to do with it, as a practicing solicitor i am aware of my rights, i am also aware that if i wanted to get the problems repaired i could, and then lose my laptop for a month.
I am however recognising that there are faults, and whilst you say what a load of tosh to the concept of you get what you pay for, you continue to say, i bought a very capable laptop for 695, which is considrably more than an Advent 9112, i am sure too i could have got a better laptop spending that type of money, but advent are the bottom end of the laptop range with a decent spec.
Comment by Phillip — January 25, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
Even more hilarious then that you are prepared to accept this fault so easily, glad you dont solicit for me!!
What I am saying is that DELL is a company I can reccomend for their excellent service price is irrelevant I also have a £299 laptop from DEll which has been fine.
So lets be clear here you bought a “new” laptop that shuts down and it’s just a fe w months old and you dont mind having to buy something else (not even getting pc world to supply it free) to make it work properly?
Even seting aside the ert 250 8112 8212 9112 its nuts!!!
Hang on maybe you are PC WORLDS solicitor??????
Comment by paul — January 25, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
I could go back, and have them mess up my data of course, and go through the whole process of having to get a new laptop sorted, easy choice there.
Maybe you work for dell as clearly your trying to claim that a dell laptop for 299 is of equal spec, interesting
Comment by Phillip — January 25, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
are u seriously claiming that the Dell £299 laptop is of similar spec?
I have better things to do than arguing with pc world to prove to me that the data on my hard disk is securley deleted for the sake of a £9.99 cooling pad
Comment by Phillip — January 25, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
No you as a solicitor could go back and get a refund or replacement but then you’d know that wouldnt you????????
90% of the problem here is PC WORLDS lack of service I am suggesting from my experience that DELL will do more to help you rather than a pc world staff member who was probably serving hamburgers last week! Sadly I dont work for them as they clearly have got customer service down to a fine art.
However you can have your “bargain” shutdown and lose all your data instead. Have you tried the other dumb method of fixing this by turning off half the processor? How about only using it in a fridge? Moving to Alaska? Or by taking it back telling them its useless and getting a refund? nahhhhhhhh thought not!! I’ll leave you to post here as I’m sure you will want the last word. Thankfully I am out of the PC WORLD endless loop.
ps e bay has xps 1330’s for £500 now and the advent is about £450ish.
Comment by paul — January 25, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
I thought this was a site for helpful comments? we have a helpful comment earlier advising of a successful refund and an address that can be used to hopefully acheive this. anyone with a problem this bad will then use it? correct? there! problem solved!
thankfully, my laptop hasnt turned off for a long time.
Comment by tim k — January 25, 2008 @ 9:03 pm
I bought a 9112 in December and have sadly fallen foul of the powering off problem as well. On taking it back to the tech chimps at PC World and explaining the problem, after being looked at like some creature that had just mastered involuntary breathing, they agreed to take a look at it. Naturally, no fault found. I found their service so poor that I asked for the name of the store manager, which bizarrely, the tech chimp denied knowing.
Looking at the numerous instances of this happening, isn’t it fair to say these laptops are faulty, and shouldn’t be sold ?
Comment by Advent User — January 25, 2008 @ 10:07 pm
Sounds like you need a “solicitor” on your case.
Just get your money back write and send recorded delivery to JOHN NAYLOR address above.
These things are junk.
Comment by paul — January 25, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
Postings for the last few days have been very entertaining!
Update: I’ve had my 8112 since 22nd September, that’s over 4 months now, and have NOT had this reported power-off problem yet (Déjà Vu, says Fred, tapping his bonce yet again!)
As I posted previously, I upgraded the RAM to 2GB, and it’s flying, but not out of the window!
Comment by Fred S — January 26, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
I’m glad I am not the only one that thinks the 8112 is great Fred. I use a 4GB readyboost usb, use one anyway so it’s no big deal. I also use Norton 360 which keeps the laptop running at optimum performance. I am very HAPPY with the 8112.
Comment by Pat T — January 26, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
Hi Fred, although i work in IT, i have only ever dismantled one laptop before and i couldn’t get the million parts back together again! where abouts is the ram in this laptop? is it hard to get to to perform the upgrade to 2gb?
Thanks
Comment by tim k — January 26, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
Hi Tim, see my Post No.58 about where I bought the RAM module.
It’s very easy to upgrade the RAM, just a few minutes with a small screwdriver.
On the underneath of the laptop, there are a couple of panels with little screws holding them in.
The biggest panel, on my 8112, has some vents on the cover and a yellow WARNING! sticker on.
The RAM module is situated underneath this cover.
Unscrew the 6 little screws and carefully prise off the cover, you’ll then see the existing RAM module in situ, the additional RAM module just slots/clicks in to place (immediately above it, I think!).
I’ve you’ve not done this before, it’s dead easy, just google if you want more info.
Comment by Fred S — January 26, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
Tim, I did post instructions on how to upgrade the RAM yesterday, but it appears this morning that the posting had been removed!
Comment by Fred S — January 27, 2008 @ 8:51 am
And suddenly there it is back again??
Comment by Fred S — January 27, 2008 @ 8:52 am
Hi Fred,
It is definately not there! strange! never mind, i will undo a few screws and see where i end up. Hopefully not with parts left after i reassemble it haha! i know most laptops have the ram under the keyboard.
Comment by tim k — January 27, 2008 @ 9:31 am
Hi Tim,
I’ll try again, underneath the laptop there are 2 covers, the largest one (on my 8112) has vents and a yellow CAUTION! sticker on it, the RAM Module is underneath here!
The addtional module just clicks into place above the existing module.
Comment by Fred S — January 27, 2008 @ 11:09 am
Hi all,
I recently bought the advent 9112. I had it about an hour and windows downloaded a shed load of updates. Before the updates were installed the dvd drive worked perfectly. After the updates were installed the dvd drive is no where to be found, in system bios or device manager. I have system restored and reformatted the computer but still no dvd drive appears. Has any one had a similar problem? or a solution?
Thanks
Comment by Dave — January 28, 2008 @ 12:36 am
Hi Dave
If the dvd drive is not showing in the bios - it is dead. this nothing to do with the updates you have installed. Just curious about one thing though - how did you reinstall windows after it was formatted?
Comment by tim k — January 28, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Personally the Advent 8112 is pretty cool and does the job if you can get over the random shutdown…
I have noticed when I run a programme that seems to take up more memory and make the computer ‘work harder’ as it were (in this case BitLord and a game) the computer tends to shutdown more often… think I might try updating the RAM.
It’s not that bad for the price really. Just have to save my stuff every ten or twenty minutes just in case haha.
But I do have a problem when the computer goes on standby, the wireless goes off even when the switch is set to ‘on’. Even if you reset the wireless and all that jazz, it won’t connect to the internet unless you restart the computer. Anyone know what all that’s about?
Comment by Goat — January 28, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
“If the dvd drive is not showing in the bios - it is dead. this nothing to do with the updates you have installed. Just curious about one thing though - how did you reinstall windows after it was formatted?”
Unless you delete the partition with windows vista on manually then you can reinstall windows without using a dvd:P
Comment by Ghandi — January 28, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
“does the job if you can get over the random shutdown” - it’s not doing the job then is it?!!
“It’s not that bad for the price really.” - it is if it crashes randomly! Honestly…
The fact is these pieces of junk are not fit for purpose, for a lot of unfortunate owners (I am one).
“I have noticed when I run a programme that seems to take up more memory and make the computer ‘work harder’ as it were (in this case BitLord and a game) the computer tends to shutdown more often… think I might try updating the RAM.” - I have noticed (last night) that running just Firefox caused it to crash. On a dual core 2Gb machine. Nothing too demanding there. I very much doubt RAM will fix it.
Saving regularly isn’t a solution. It’s a workaround.
Comment by rancohn — January 29, 2008 @ 11:45 am
Hey Tim,
thanks for replying. Maybe reformatted is the wrong term. If you hit F8 during a restart there is an option to restore the computer back to it factory settings. It was called some thing like a “destructive reformat”
I’ve taken the laptop back and gotten a refund.
Thanks again!
Comment by Dave — February 1, 2008 @ 10:06 pm
For the record, I have this problem too.
Happened within the first hour.
Haven’t taken it back yet, as it was a techguys replacement for…wait for it..an advent 7072 which had begun to shut down without warning. That saga lasted several months due to the fact the technicians never hang around long enough to diagnose a problem. A letter to head office changed everything, but here I am again…Can’t bear it.
Their head office is not gonna believe it when I tell them the saga hasn’t ended, just coincidentally transferred to my new laptop.
They should have learnt from the feedback re: 8112. It’s even more pathetic The Techguys just ‘delay with denial’.
Comment by Damian — February 4, 2008 @ 8:38 am
My 20th (count ‘em) crash at the weekend, and this after a full DVD restore with no software installed. Just reading an IE page and *poof* - it just quit. 4 hours in. Who at PC World is going to test (USE) a laptop for 4 hours in the hope that it *might* go down?
Comment by rancohn — February 5, 2008 @ 6:11 pm
Write to the MD address above John Naylor is his name
Comment by paul — February 5, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
Already have done Paul. They won’t budge as their engineers cannot reproduce the problem. Trading Standards can’t help either because it’s my word against theirs, without proof or evidence. No diagnostic software finds anything apparently, but using it by reading a simple web site will cause it to quit.
I am pretty much stuck.
If you are still here Damian, how did you get a refund? How did you *prove* the fault?
Such regret with this machine!!
Comment by rancohn — February 5, 2008 @ 9:48 pm
How old is this machine? Go to the small claims court use this page as evidence Sale of goods act says the goods wil be presumed faulty from new.
Comment by paul — February 5, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
I got the machine last November. I made the mistake of not getting it all sorted within the 28 days, despite it occurring a couple of days after geting it.
Not sure if I would get anywhere with the SCC. The “faulty from new” thing does not stand as according to PC W they have proved, by not “being able” to reproduce the fault in their store, that the fault was *not* faulty from new. It’s now down to me to provide that is is *still faulty*. As said though, you have to use the damn thing for hours sometimes before it quits. No store will do this for you.
If I lose at the SCC I will be even more out of pocket.
As for this number of others having the same problem (and I have pointed this forum out to trading stds) they dismiss it saying that PCW could regard them all as separate unrelated faults. Seems I am not getting anything like as much success as you had!
Comment by Rancohn — February 6, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Hi again,
To update my situation briefly mentioned.
I’ve spoken to the Techguys lady who’s been dealing with me. She’s fairly understanding as I’ve been honest with her from the start. Even though I’m now off to replace my 9112 (still within 28 days), I have made them aware that I expect the same problem on the new 9112. After I’ve proven the point to them, hopefully I can choose another brand.
I told her all about this problem - the lack of error message leading to tension between the customer and the technicians. She rang her head technician to pass on my comments and the message came back that they are now aware of the crash claims, the forums and hundreds of customers who cannot prove it due to a lack of ’stop’ errors. The technician still wants to see my current 9112, so they are having it taken away when I swap. I warned that the whole exercise is pointless because it would need to be on for a good two or three days to see the problem. I informed them if they don’t do that, they will never find the problem, leading to hundreds of unsatisfied, but truthful, customers becoming permanently disillusioned. That’s alot of customers to disrespect and basically accuse of lying! When they’re not. Someone at the Techguys has to make the effort, even if with my laptop alone, to do a proper test…well that was my message to them anyway.
Anyway, the point is…they seem to be coming round to this issue. I hope they do leave my screwed computer on. I hope it delivers the crash as quickly as possible. I hope they realise a few innocent people are owed a small apology.
We’ll see.
Does anyone think I might get a 9112 that works? or are they all inflicted with this? Are there people who haven’t suffered this?
Comment by Damian — February 7, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
To me a proper test is **using** the device in an everyday setting. I have used diagnostic utilities on my 8212 and it has found nothing, even after leaving it on running for 17 hours.
And yet when I use it - even stuff as simple as browsing using IE and nothing else - it can bomb out. It’s THIS that PCW need to try. Not some RAM/CPU/hard drive stress test, but actually taking the damn thing home and using it as a home PC. I guarantee, in my case at least, that within a day of using it they would have it bomb on them.
It’s getting them to do **that** type of testing - using it - that is the problem here. If it passes their memtests, that’s it. They don’t want to know.
Having read around on this issue (the 7xxx, 8xxx and 9xxx series all having this problem) I am surprised there is not a nationwide recall. Not sure what numbers there needs to be to force a recall. Perhaps an online poll could be set up and everyone here who has this particular crashing problem (and actually wants to do something about it, not spout the “does the job if you can put up with it crashing” nonsense) could submit an entry.
Comment by rancohn — February 8, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
Had the same problem with a 9112 bought just before Xmas - it would bomb out through normal use. I had one replacement that did the same thing so I got a refund. PCW made it difficult though, even though it was 2 weeks old.
Mine used to leave a record in the event log so at the very least it’s proof that it happens. Obviously it doesn’t tell you why though.
Comment by Sam — February 8, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
Right, I’m going to get organised. Could anyone who’s had the problem with the 9112, 8112, 8212, 7112 etc advent models, where they just suddenly shutdown please email me at adventsucks at hotmail dot co dot uk, with details and dates of the problem and the PC world shop and I’ll try and compile a list of them and send them on to Watchdog.
This is getting stupid and PCW has peed me off. It may not come to anything but you never know.
Cheers.
Comment by Sam — February 8, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Further Update:
My second (replacement) 9112 has just crashed.
This is the day after getting it. An approximate usage of 15 hours or more. I’d just finished re-installing everything, so I’m pretty grumpy about it. All my efforts for nothing. Two four-mile walks to PC world and back, in a fortnight. Keep losing much of my work.
I shall report it to the senior technician as instructed, so he knows just how widespread it is. But I doubt they’re in over the weekend.
Everyone must report this, or the Techguys cannot initiate action on it. They need to know how prevalent this problem is. Those who put up with it are letting the others down.
The problem seems to be an outsourced part of the hardware, so the Techguys themselves would appreciate one of their affiliates letting them down too.
It’s just unfortunate the first people to notice it, will always have to wait the longest for something to be done, and suffer the most.
Comment by Damian — February 8, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
I am also having the same problem with my Advent 9112. PC world gave me a new laptop (same make and model) and its still swtiching off for no reason.
Comment by meesha — February 17, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
I have an Advent laptop. Few times now it has shut off by itself does anyone know why or how to prevent this from happening ?
Thanks
xx
Comment by Laura — February 19, 2008 @ 11:52 pm
The only way to prevent it happening Laura is to get it back to the store you bought it from, explain that there are many other users (myself included) who have this exact problem, and request a refund or a non Advent replacement.
Oh, and while you are at it, email adventsucks at hotmail dot co dot uk and add youself to the list.
Comment by Rancohn — February 20, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
Bought a 9112 on saturday and it shut down 3 times without. Took it back on monday and was handed a straight replacement new in box. Waited in pc world one hour for the startup to ensure it didn’t turn off. Brought it home but its shut down. Phoned them up, was told not to use it on my lap as it was probably overheating and shutting down ….. what is a lap top for?
After reading this post I think my only option is to take it back again and perhaps get a full refund? wish me luck
Comment by Jean — February 21, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
I’m an owner of Advent 8312PL bought in electroworld market in Poland. It shut down about 5 times in the first week of using. I’ve run all kinds of tests (linux’s memtest, prime95 etc.) and the results was 100% ok. Then I’ve run onto this forum. The technical service said that they haven’t heard of this kind of problem but I can exchange the laptop. I’ve decided to wait and test it a little more. I’ve noticed that it never shut down while not used, even if the stress tests were run all night. It shut down only when the touchpad was used. So I bought a usb mouse and since then (it will be about a week now) it did not shut down even once. So in my opinion it’s 90% chance that the shutdown problem is related to the touchpad (or something on the mainboard that’s somehow connected with the use of touchpad).
In every other matter (except maybe battery life) it’s a great laptop. You won’t buy anything close to this one in that price. And I could say, that it was a sell out price becouse of the faulty touchpad - I can live with that:)
Cheers mates!
Comment by Kuba — February 27, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
see http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/pcworld/116859-advent-8112-faulty-laptop.html
final post
Comment by Jim — March 2, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
Having returned one 9112 due to the shutdown issue, it’s replacement does too. Even when left on a table doing nothing!
Spoke to the manager @PCW who we’ve been dealing with and he’ll give us a full refund. Apparently ’some work, some don’t!!’
Had a nice Lenovo delivered from Dabs yesterday. Did like the 12″ screen though.
Comment by Martin Moore — March 4, 2008 @ 9:20 am
see also
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/YS-SUPERCENTER/About-the-HASEE.html
This apparently is where the Advent 8*12 originates
Comment by Jim — March 6, 2008 @ 7:44 pm
Clearly these machines are not soak tested any more. I bought my first laptop in 1991. A Mitac (386SX processor, 1Mb RAM, 20Mb HD, 10″ monochrome LCD screen - £899). Amongst the documentation was an individual bench test report revealing that the machine had been run continuously for 24 hours prior to leaving the factory. Several laptops later, it is obvious that today’s machines are much more powerful and sophisticated (and also much cheaper - think what £899 of 1991 money would buy today…the very high end of laptops and not the low end as I bought). I guess that costs have to be cut to achieve all of this and extensively testing the machines before dispatch from the factory is a cost cutting area.
Comment by Jim — March 13, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
like many of you i purchased a 9112 from PCW in january, within days it started shuttin down, i took it back and they said they would run a 24hr test on it, i went back 28hrs later and suprise suprise!! they hadn’t even looked at it,
i wasn’t happy! so after a few stern words with the manager i’m on my 2nd 9112, 2 months on and so far so good, iv’e pushed it as hard and as far as i can, i run it on full cpu power, i took it on holiday and ran it for days on end playin music in 30c heat and still no problems,
the only thing i did notice is my first 9112 got really hot and the replacement runs much cooler, even when pushed,
i’m happy with the laptop, its gained my trust (for now)
my advice! buy from dell!!!
Comment by mark — March 15, 2008 @ 12:06 pm
I purchased a 9112 in February 08 and the problem I am having is overheating. It is measuring nearly 40C from the lefthand palm rest area. This heat is irritating my skin and my daughter won’t use it. Is this a fault on my particular laptop or are others experiencing this.
I shall be returning it to PC world, but I want to know if this is a design fault.
Comments please…..
Comment by Bigmor — March 17, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
I got a refurbished 8112 a few days ago and so far havent had any problems with it.
After reading these posts however i am concerned about these frequent power off’s people are having and wondered how long after their purchase people started to have this problem.
Also i am thinking about upgrading the RAM to 2GB and wondered if anybody had and recomendations as to what memory unit to buy?
Comment by Chaz96 — March 19, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Chaz96: I too have a refurbished 8112. I note that the price of these at PCW is now £309…and there is a 9212 model with a Celeron processor for £249. I soak tested my purchase…left it running a routine for 24 hours…it seemed to cope with that ok. I’ve put an extra 1GB of RAM in…all seems fine. I assume that these were some of the 8112 initially returned too PCW that have now had the BIOS upgrade
Comment by Jim — March 20, 2008 @ 10:24 am
Jim: how much faster does the laptop run with the extra 1GB? What freq/voltage did you use as i want another RAM module but dont know what type to buy.
cheers
Comment by Chaz96 — March 20, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
Chaz96: Followed the advice left by Fred S (post 58 above). Bought from the people he recommended. Their website seems to ensure that you get the correct module. Ocra delivered promptly and the module was easy to install.
Difficult for me to compare the speed this delivers…my previous laptop had a Pentium III processor running at 600mhz and 256MB RAM and my desktop has a Pentium D processor 2GB RAM and a lot of software on it. The Advent is considerably faster than both of these but for obvious reasons.
Comment by Jim — March 21, 2008 @ 9:52 am
Mine has been absolutely fine, the only time i got instant power off was when I tried to jam a usb connector in the wrong way up. It might be a connection thing.
Comment by jony — April 13, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
seriously, mine has never done a ‘random shutdown’ in its entire 6-months of heavy usage in my house. I have managed to kill it though, as I re-formatted the hard-drive to put xp on in place of vista, and it doesnt know what’s going on, and wont read the drivers now. Lol. I’ll keep plugging away, but I dont know if i’ll ever be able to use it in the same way.
Comment by jony — April 13, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
I have an 8112 and it started shutting down randomly 4-5 weeks after purchase in october ‘07. It seemed ok after a few more weeks and i didnt have any problems. It has started doing it again now, along with the laptop crashing for no reason. Crashing creates an error message, random powering down does not. Has anone returned one after such a long period? I pay £8.99 a month for PC worlds insurance thing too-did anyone who bought the 8112 do the same and is it an advantage for repairs or replacement.?
Comment by sakura — April 23, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
Bought my 8112 4 days back, ran it non-stop for 3 days. The fan kept coming off & on, but Lappy did not shut down on it’s own at all. The speed isn’t bad either for the price.
Got this one from Curry’s refurb..£282 all incl.
Not a bad deal and honestly even the build quality isn’t poor. I am happy and it does all that a £650 12″ HP does, all internal components nearly being the same - who minds??
Comment by TJ — May 2, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
I too am having problems with my Advent laptop, i bought it just over a year ago and dealt with the problem - assuming it was Vista teething problems.
I’ve sent it back 3 times, each time having motherboard and heatsink replacements.
Was told today to leave it on safe mode for 2 hours to see if it powers off - it already has 3 times. It’s the same deal as everyone else, random powers off with a click - no subtlety about it at all.
I’m at the end of the line with this machine, had my tech support colleagues at HP look over the machine and there is no software issue.
What should i do? considering i’ve had it for over my warranty…
Comment by Gordon — June 3, 2008 @ 9:49 am
Bought this laptop over 2 months ago now and aside from the overheating in the palm rest area which doesnt bother me too much (and minor faults like this should be expected from cheaper brands as you generally get what you pay for). Lack of power cuts (which are probly due to processor overheating) maybe due to the fact that i drilled multiple air holes in the meltal/plastic cover directly below the cooling fan as this model has vastly fewer air intake holes than other laptops. Great laptop for the price if you are willing to mod it a bit in order to cool the system better, if your not willing to play around with it though its probly not worth getting.
Comment by Chaz96 — June 3, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
I bought an 8212 last Setember. It works great & is te (the)ideal size for portability. It apears I have ben havng random shudown issues althoug t’s often leftruningunattended, so I don’t think I’ve really noticed, just maybe thought I’d turned it off myself… However, as you c n se, I am hvin major problems with the kyboard… I type quickly (as I used to take 999 calls!) an often t achine misses out letters as I a typing. (I HAVE NOT CORRECTED ANY F HE (of the) TEXT - THIS IS AS IT TYPED - although I have made corrections in brackets if the meaning is no clear). Ths fault is driving me mad!!! It als means I have problems logging on with paswrds, as characters ar omtted, bt I dn’t notice or see which ones are missing. I use my laptop for business to, and do my acounts on it (all backed up to a emory stick AND a stad-alone hrd-drive, just in case). Even more annoying is that whn I’m in exel, and using the CTRL key to multi-select cells, the CTRL ey gets stuck dwn somehow an won’t release… ha this happened to anyone ese, or do I ave my n (own unique fl (fault) as wel as what everyone else has got?? (btw, I am a proof-reader too, and it pains me to leave my post like ths, bu it’s a good illustation f te eyboard problem… I have noticed even the back-space has often to be pressed several times.
Comment by Helen — August 12, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
Further to my last post. I have sent it away once, where they replaced the keyboard (which had no effect… now I know why, having read these posts). I took it back to the store I bought it from, & the supercilious berk on the help(?) desk looked knowingly at me and said: 1. I had downloaded quite a lot of software onto it; 2. There were quite a few things running in the background… Which therefore means that the computer may be working hard elsewhere and therefore not keeping up with the keyboard commands!! My last laptop was crammed to the gills an used to take ages to boot up, but it never did this with the keyboard… sounds like a load of bunkum to me. He offered to “restore” it - meaning everything on it would get wiped off (& I would therefore have to put it all back on again afterward) and that it couldn’t be done there and then, I had to make an appointment… and also pay nearly £30 for the privilege of having my computer wiped… I am going to ring them and they can take it away & put another keyboard in it again & again, until they finally get bored & look into this properly, or give me a refund (it’s still under initial warranty, and any fault reported is covered for an extra 3 months from the repair, according to their small print).
I agree in principal to the “you get what you pay for” comments, however, it doesn’t matter how little you spend - what you buy should be “fit for the purpose”.
Comment by Helen — August 12, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
Well I had the last laugh with the pc world idiots, I got a full refund via head office but still having my receipt for the laptop which was in being “tested” again i trotted down there where they told me it was fine ahahhaha however I handed them the receipt and got the laptop back. So I got a full refund and due to their stupidity got the laptop back!!!!!!!! So now almost 12 months later I got a totally free 8112. Strangely it hasnt shutdown for months???
Pc world make dumb and dumber look bright!!!!!!
Up yours pc world look forwards to you closing down and all your dsg buddies!
Comment by Paul — August 20, 2008 @ 3:59 pm