Are laptops irreparable ?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Hi,
this is a general question:
a friend of mine had a problem with a laptop
(from a well-know brand), the processor burned...
After that, he was told that nothing could be done
to repair his laptop...

Is that true, generally ?

With a standard tower-PC, one can easily change a defect piece.

Is that possible with a laptop too ?

Laptops are expensive, so if they don t offer this security...

Any hints/tips ?

Thanks
Vincent

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

No, that is not true.

Depending on the brand and age of the laptop, the processer could
possibly be replaced the same way you would with a desktop. Well maybe
not the same way. The parts are more compact and harder to get to.

If the processor is integrated into the motherboard, as I have seen
before, then your friend's best bet is to try and find the same model
of laptop on ebay that has some other malfunction, like a damaged LCD.

How old is the laptop? Is it still under warranty? If it is still under
warranty, I would play hardball with the vendor until they did
something about it. If its not under warranty, then I would crack it
open and take a look at the processor and motherboard.

I have totally rebuilt my laptop after the screen hinges (of all
things) failed using the ebay method I described above. I had it in
about 20+ pieces at one point. It is now back together and works great.
This one was a Toshiba.

If you want more detail as how I went about this, let me know.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Vincent M <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:
>(from a well-know brand), the processor burned...
>After that, he was told that nothing could be done
>to repair his laptop...

Well, obviously anything can be repaired, even if the repair is to buy
a new laptop, but they may have been trying to tell him that it wasn't
worthwhile. In the example above, if the CPU is soldered in, you're
going to need a new motherboard, and the motherboard cost plus labor
to swap it out may well exceed the value of the notebook.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Vincent M wrote:

> Hi,
> this is a general question:
> a friend of mine had a problem with a laptop
> (from a well-know brand), the processor burned...
> After that, he was told that nothing could be done
> to repair his laptop...

If the processor literally burned then it's likely that it would cost more
to fix the thing than to replace it--that would do a lot of damage on a
laptop. Further, whatever failed in the cooling system may have involved
physical breakage of mounting points which might mean a new case even if
the processor didn't burn a hole in it. After replacing the case and the
motherboard and probably the keyboard, there's not a whole lot left.

> Is that true, generally ?
>
> With a standard tower-PC, one can easily change a defect piece.
>
> Is that possible with a laptop too ?
>
> Laptops are expensive, so if they don t offer this security...
>
> Any hints/tips ?

Parts are proprietary--they can be changed out if you can get them, but if
enough damage has occurred then it's not cost-effective to do this.

And what is cost-effective for a hobbyist is not necessarily cost effective
for a commercial repair service that has to pay labor charges for work that
a hobbyist does for free. Takes longer to tear down a laptop too--things
usually have to be done in a certain sequence and if it's one that you
don't work on every day then you have to go slowly as the cables are often
latched, fragile, and cut to the minimum length that allows assembly, so
pulling too hard in the wrong direction can break either the cable or the
connector.



> Thanks
> Vincent

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[BigJim]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

what model laptop top is it?
"Vincent M" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote in message
newsan.2005.03.31.12.22.29.682941@nowhere.com...
> Hi,
> this is a general question:
> a friend of mine had a problem with a laptop
> (from a well-know brand), the processor burned...
> After that, he was told that nothing could be done
> to repair his laptop...
>
> Is that true, generally ?
>
> With a standard tower-PC, one can easily change a defect piece.
>
> Is that possible with a laptop too ?
>
> Laptops are expensive, so if they don t offer this security...
>
> Any hints/tips ?
>
> Thanks
> Vincent

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Depends. My Toshiba had the modem go out in it after an electrical surge in
the phone line. Cost was $500 (labor and parts). I opted out for a newer
model with a built in DVD burner.

Mack

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Hi Mack... Was it just the internal modem being affected? Did you ever
consider purchasing a PC Card modem that you just plug in? Just curious.


Cheers!


______________________________________________
Bill (using a Toshiba 2595XDVD & Windows 2000)
-- written and edited within Word 2000




"M. MacDonald" <mmacdon@bc.cc.ca.us> wrote in message news:gxW2e.694$ia4.471862@okeanos.csu.net...
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 09:35:08 -0800

> Depends. My Toshiba had the modem go out in it after an electrical surge in
> the phone line. Cost was $500 (labor and parts). I opted out for a newer
> model with a built in DVD burner.
>
> Mack

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

This all depends whether the CPU is in a socket or soldered into the board.
The pins are so fine that unsoldering will usually wreck the board before
the replacement. If it is socketed a skilled repair guy can swap a surplus
one and try it beofre spending big bucks.

If it is a few years old you may be able to buy a similiar one for a few
hundred dollars and forgot the repair.

best of luck

"Vincent M" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote in message
newsan.2005.03.31.12.22.29.682941@nowhere.com...
> Hi,
> this is a general question:
> a friend of mine had a problem with a laptop
> (from a well-know brand), the processor burned...
> After that, he was told that nothing could be done
> to repair his laptop...
>
> Is that true, generally ?
>
> With a standard tower-PC, one can easily change a defect piece.
>
> Is that possible with a laptop too ?
>
> Laptops are expensive, so if they don t offer this security...
>
> Any hints/tips ?
>
> Thanks
> Vincent

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

<EuntyJerk@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:1112327490.f6e039dd357289f092fbc0809fc1c82e@teranews...
> This all depends whether the CPU is in a socket or soldered into the
> board.
> The pins are so fine that unsoldering will usually wreck the board before
> the replacement. If it is socketed a skilled repair guy can swap a surplus
> one and try it beofre spending big bucks.
>
> If it is a few years old you may be able to buy a similiar one for a few
> hundred dollars and forgot the repair.
>
> best of luck
>

I swapped out the CPU on a socketed Dell laptop and replaced with one from
ebay with no problems, it really is just a case of taking it apart really
carefully so you can remember where everything came from

(Oh I'm not a skilled repair guy, just a home user with a screwdriver who
couldn't say bye to his laptop just yet! Still working fine, I even upgraded
in teh process :] )

MM

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Majuran Manohasandra" <majuran@replace.co.uk> wrote:
>I swapped out the CPU on a socketed Dell laptop

Oh, sure, _if_ it's socketed, and _if_ the root cause is determined
and repaired (CPUs don't 'burn' on their own), and _if_ there's no
additional damage from the overheated part (melted plastic bits, etc),
and _if_ the OP is comfortable doing his own repairs, this is a cheap
repair. Any of the additional conditions above will raise the cost,
potentially to the point where it's economically unfeasable to repair
it.