Laptop 'Repair'

[Cursitor Doom]

Gentlemen,

I have unfortunately just destroyed my laptop whilst trying to fix it. I just wondered if anyone else here has had a similar experience?

-CD

[John Rumm]

I have had a few that have resisted repair attempts - so "failed to resurrect" rather than actually killed in you prefer!

What have you done to yours that puts it into the "destroyed" category?

[Cursitor Doom]

It was a power loss issue of some sort. I needed to get access to the power input socket which was at one corner of the case, but despite strenuous efforts on my part with a pry bar, that corner would absolutely not release. So I smashed the whole thing to bits and threw it in the dustbin, thinking, "Fuck it, I'll just go out and buy a new one." Then I remembered the shops are all shut for the foreseeable future. :(

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

That depends on what you destroyed. Screens are vulnerable and so are motherboards when you try to fix sockets. in fact I have a feeling they are designed to self destruct. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

That was extremely stupid of you.

You could have encased the bits in transparent plastic and flogged it to Tate Modern for a fortune. Brian

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

that is what I did recently will never try to open another one....

[Jeff Layman]

I tried to get into my laptop a couple of months ago to clean the fan and air flow path. I succeeded in making a small crack on one edge before realised there was a final screw hidden under one of the labels. Grrr.

Anyway, Currys and Novatech say they are still taking and despatching online orders. No doubt others are as well.

[Fredxx]

There are enough youtube videos on how to dismantle most laptops.

Its usually straightforward, if not a little time consuming.

[Pamela]

Wrong time of the month?

[newshound]

Not a second hand business model then. They are usually a doddle since they are designed to be fixed by an IT tech under time pressure.

[alan_m]

It's usually that final screw underneath the rubber feet or underneath the identification label.

Often there is a youtube video on dis-assembly.

[John Rumm]

Ah, yup if its one I have not opened before, then hunting youtube for a disassembly video can be a good idea - good for spotting the hidden screws under feet or hiding behind the wifi card and other traps waiting to bite you.

:-)

Still, laptops seem to be coming back into stock now, so should not be too hard to order.

(drop me an email if you are having difficulty - I can still get them shipped direct)

[John Rumm]

While often the case, now and then they will bite you. I had two cases which were notable. One was a Dell Inspiron that needed a SSD upgrade - that seemed to have been built with the HDD at its core and required almost complete disassembly of everything to get at it. It all went back together - but took about 40 mins to get apart and put back together.

The other was a new HP Probook, where I needed to replace the screen, hinges, and keyboard. The screen and hinges were not too bad, but the keyboard was retained by a tray that was spot welded in about 60 places to the top cover (almost as bad as a macbook!) I had to break it free from all the staked welds, change the keyboard, and then epoxy it back together!

[Cursitor Doom]

Yes, I'm 'hidden screw aware' but there was no such lurker. I did try evertything suggested in this thread before losing it, but to no avail. Smashing it to smitherenes was incredibly satisfying, though and I can heartily recommend the practice.

Thanks, John, but there are no deliveries possible to my part of the world for the time being I'm afraid. It's not all coconuts and cocktails despite what Dave Plowman says.

[Richard]

It's not stopped you being able to post. Very tragic indeed.

[Cursitor Doom]

Eh??

[T i m]

<snip>

Lovely ...

Probably a screw though the screen hinge from the top.

Ah, like throwing your toys out of the pram, a temper tantrum.

So, even if you had damaged the top or bottom plastics (that you could have easily replaced on eBay), you probably wouldn't have had what it takes to fix the power socket as they often need a little bit of skill and patience.

Even with broken plastics, you could have sold the components (RAM, HDD, keyboard, COA, LCD, trackpad, PSU or given them to someone who does have the skills and patience to do such things. Or at least made sure they went in the right bin in the recycling centre.

Cheers, T i m

[AnthonyL]

One nice feature of my old Lenovo, the one I'm typing on now, is that there is a separate 'hatch' for the fan, and the fan itself comes out very readily, so every two or three years I give the spindle a clean and a dab of grease as well as clear out all the crud, dust etc that accumulates in any airway.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

A sensible person would have Googled on how to strip down the laptop first. Assuming a super rich tax exile like yourself can afford more than one device that can use Google.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Quite.