For three days we have been planning to roll on from Porto Pino in southern Sardinia, and for as many days we have given up the idea and simply stopped. Why? It's too hot to move!!! We have 36 plus degrees today and are parked in a relentlessly sunny spot where the air is completely still.
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ShareEvery time we try to pack up the car, the sweat begins to flow so violently that we simply give up... and go swimming! The only thing that relieves the heat is taking a dip in the sea or sitting in the campsite's small bar, which is shaded by the sea breeze.
Computer problems
Unfortunately, I also have problems with my computer. I have an Acer Aspire laptop, and for some time now it has had battery problems. When the battery is fully charged, it only lasts a short time (maybe half an hour), but even worse, sometimes the computer won't charge at all! Even when I plug it in, it won't accept a charge and sometimes it dies completely (even though the cord is plugged in).
Now the question is whether it is possible to get a new battery? I'm really not interested in getting a new computer, which is both expensive and complicated. We will try to check in computer shops in Cagliaribut if anyone has had similar problems, please let us know!
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BP says:
I realise that you don't want to touch a thing in these temperatures. You're in no hurry either. It is not so fun to drive a car when it is soooooo hot. See that Peter is wearing my favourite swimming trunks and that he smokes the same brand as me;-)
My husband sometimes has similar problems to yours, but his laptop is 5 years old, and then the batteries usually take their last breath. I myself almost never drive with just a battery but am always "connected" to the mains. So an ordinary electrical box with a good old-fashioned hole in the wall.
19 July 2015 - 17:23
admin says:
BP, my computer may also have a few years on it, although probably not as many. Anyway, the problem is that the computer dies DESPITE me plugging it in with a normal cord into a normal socket. It won't accept the power... And there's no easy way to remove the battery either - you have to disassemble the computer, I think.
19 July 2015 - 17:31
Ama de casa says:
What a pain both with heat and computer problems! Hope it works out with the computer and that the heat decreases somewhat in any case. Here we have a little over 30 now, it is enough and will be over for me. Thrives best when it is around 25 🙂
19 July 2015 - 17:39
Ditte says:
Might as well stay, but the heat is likely to continue. The whole of southern Europe is very hot now. I'm glad to be home for a while in Stockholm.
It's good that you can find some coolness in the campsite's restaurant anyway. As for your computer problems, unfortunately I can't help you at all.
But I keep my fingers crossed that it will work out.
19 July 2015 - 19:01
Mr Steve says:
"It's too hot to move!!!" We don't have that problem. I will now put on my fleece and we will finish the evening in the greenhouse. Hope your computer problems are resolved. Take care!
19 July 2015 - 19:14
Matts Torebring says:
What a horror! Battery failure led to hard drive replacement for me. Without my camera and computer, I would consider going home. That's why I carry two system cameras and two Macbooks (the last one in reserve) as well as Birgitta's iPad and our two iPhones on every trip we take.
I hope you will find a solution.
19 July 2015 - 19:24
Henny says:
I've spoken to my married IT expert who thinks your computer has simply overheated. It can't be the battery with the symptoms you describe," he says.
You can try a "dirty trick" that the technicians at my work sometimes tried. You put the battery in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge - or better yet, the freezer. It worked sometimes but not always. But you probably have nothing to lose either.
Here in the north we have had a nice summer day and now at 19.00 we had +20.
19 July 2015 - 19:46
Åsa says:
Yes, it can actually be too much of heat too almost! It is difficult to get something sensible done when it is over 30 degrees! You may well stay there until the summer is over! Good luck with the computer! Isn't there a battery you can remove and replace? I have one, and should replace it but I'm stuck with the cord instead.
19 July 2015 - 20:08
admin says:
Ama de casa, 30 degrees sounds better! When it rises above 30, it starts to get annoying...
Ditte, yes, we heard that it will be 40 degrees in Sicily, and that's where we're heading... There's not much to do about the weather, just find shade where you can sit and breathe!
Steve, it is unbelievable that it is so cold in Sweden this year! Last summer it was so hot!!! Maybe it will be better in August?
Matts, I also find it a horror to be without a computer! We each have a laptop, a system camera and an iPhone. But I can't do without my computer!!!
Henny, how nice of you to ask!!! I'm wondering if it's actually two problems... The computer says I should change the battery, so that should be one problem? But maybe the overheating is affecting the charge? Thanks for the tips! I don't know how to take the battery out though... I have a thin laptop and there is nothing that opens. You have to unscrew the whole back in that case... If you get the chance: Ask if you can put the WHOLE computer in the fridge!
Åsa, the battery cannot be removed easily. You have to unscrew the whole back cover to maybe get at it. And having the cord in often doesn't help: it loses charge anyway and dies even though the cord is in!!!?
19 July 2015 - 20:13
Role o Carina says:
In that heat, the computer has probably got heatstroke!
Would probably be good with a cooling plate with AC 🙂 .
Have fun and enjoy.......:-)
19 July 2015 - 22:11
Maggan and Ingemar says:
On my old computer, that happened with the battery too. It got shorter and shorter with each charge and eventually I had to keep the cable in at all times. I've heard something about it depending on whether you have a converter. First it converts 12v to 230v and then the computer converts it again. You should apparently have a converter with a sine wave I think it was. These converters are much more expensive than the usual ones found in motorhomes (or added to them). Now I'm not very knowledgeable about electricity, but from what I understand, it's when we use converters that the computer's batteries take a beating and there can be problems like this. Surely you can get help if you seek out a computer company. Usually they also know English, otherwise you have to use the phone's translation 🙂.
Good luck ...... I am now after 5 years on my 4th computer 🙂 .
20 July 2015 - 0:56
admin says:
Rolle and Carina, I understand that the computer doesn't like heat. Let's see how to keep it cool...
Maggan and Ingemar, thank you very much for your answers! We actually have a better converter with a sine wave, so it shouldn't be. Peter has said the same thing, that the technology can be destroyed if you have an inferior converter without a sine wave. And as I said, in my case having the cable in doesn't always help - it sometimes dies anyway... Sounds like a hassle having to change computers so often!
20 July 2015 - 8:10
Henny says:
Try putting the whole computer in the fridge, not the freezer, it can hardly be damaged by that. But put it in plastic, moisture is not good. The fact that it might smell like melon or something is a bonus 😉.
20 July 2015 - 8:26
solan says:
Hello again...Lasse's MacBook also had a similar problem. It turned out to be a tiny break at the cord attachment. A new expensive cord was the solution. Splash on in the blue wave!
20 July 2015 - 9:30
Monica says:
It's actually awful to be so locked in by intense and prolonged heat. We ourselves were stuck on a campervan near home for over a week before we dared to cross from Provence to the Atlantic coast. And then it was still 41(!!!!) degrees in Bordeaux when we arrived in the afternoon. I get almost unconscious from such things. The days before we drove, a portable AC was acquired, a rather large thing and with hoses for water drainage but the saviour in need anyway. That, plus a fan at the sleeping area (and also outdoors at the seating area) made us stand out. Lots of water, feet in bath tubs and wet towel around the neck. And a lot of rinsing with a water hose meant that the days only went to keep us from heat stroke. With a dog you can't get to the beach and swimming and it's not possible to leave in the campervan hood either so we were really stuck.
Now we have finally reached the cool and dewy Brittany with normal Swedish summer temperatures and just need to be able to breathe and move as usual. This is an unpleasant development, almost all of France and also the rest of southern Europe is affected by this and at the "wrong" time too. We had to rethink completely and were even prepared to drive back again to the cold Swedish summer but Brittany works well! Hope it works out for you, hope the heat eases and the computer repairs itself in the fridge!
20 July 2015 - 10:31
snort says:
When it's so hot, I can understand why you choose to lie still in the same place.
20 July 2015 - 12:16
Elisabeth says:
I understand if you are not moving and are in the shade. The computer can't handle that much heat. The suggestion to cool down, sounds like a real measure. Love Elisabeth
20 July 2015 - 12:53
admin says:
Henny, I will try it! Thank you very much!
Solan, well who knows? The cord's light is on so I know there is electricity in it, but maybe it could be a break at the end? Should be cheaper than a new computer anyway 😉.
Monica, yes, you've really had horrible heat! And now we seem to get our fair share... We also have a fan in the bed that has been running around the clock now. However, we don't have AC. It sounds like you are having a good time in Brittany!
Znogge, it has been nice to lie still, but now we are moving anyway! 😉
Elisabeth, I think I'll try to cool down my little computer 😉.
20 July 2015 - 13:56
Peter says:
I am a big consumer of older laptops as we reuse these for simple control and monitoring purposes at work. The battery can actually get so bad that the computer won't work with the power cord in when the battery is in. Compare this with a fully discharged battery. Then it takes a while after inserting the power cord before it can be started. If it's the heat, the computer should switch off when the temperature gets too high during use. The heat may still be what broke the battery in the first place. If you can, remove the battery and try running on mains voltage without the battery. I have a computer that is just like that now. It does not work with the defective battery installed even if the charger is plugged in, but if I remove the battery, it works on the mains connection. Good luck!
20 July 2015 - 14:45
admin says:
Peter, thank you very much for your comment and tips! I can't actually remove the battery... At least not easily (I think you have to disassemble the computer to get it out). Could it be an idea to ask in a shop perhaps? It is quite ok for me to pay for a new battery if it is possible...
20 July 2015 - 17:28
Discovering The Planet says:
I hope you run an external backup on your computer. Because once it starts to struggle :/ it can easily go downhill. Hope it works out. Hugs to you!
20 July 2015 - 20:29
admin says:
Discovering the planet, I have an external hard drive that I save on sometimes, if that's what you mean?
20 July 2015 - 21:45