Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (
More info?)
Well, a couple of more comments (I was someone who suggested that you
probably would not be able to make repairs yourself).
Availability of both parts and service information varies widely by make
and model. For most laptops, neither is readily available, but there
are exceptions. You can always look for a complete laptop on E-Bay with
a problem different than you have as a source of parts, but that's
hit-or-miss, and can still be expensive.
The parts in laptops are very specialized, and people routinely destroy
comptuers because they don't know about even the simplest things. A
very good example is the destruction of flex cables (the flat ribbon
cables widely used in laptops) because people don't know about, or how
to work, the ZIF connectors that they plug into.
Finally, if you don't have a warranty, repairs are VERY expensive. You
can replace a failed hard drive, or PLUG-IN memory, but that's about it.
Most other repairs end up involving the LCD or motherboard, and in
either case, you are looking at more than $500 (and "more than" $500 can
be closer to $1,000).
All extended warranties are not created equal. Where offered, the best
ones are usually the ones from the mfgr., not the stores. Find out
about LCD coverage for BREAKAGE as well as "failure", and also about
battery coverage. Most warranties do not cover either, but the Toshiba
SYSTEMGUARD warranty does covery LCD breakage (Toshiba sells others as
well that don't cover this), and Best Buy's warranty does cover
batteries. Verify that the written warranty agrees with what you are
told by the salesman.
Jeff wrote:
> I am looking to buy a laptop and am wondering about the warranty. I
> am very good with computers and can crack a desktop open and replace
> cards etc with no problem. I can't say I've ever opened up a laptop,
> though. Are they difficult to work on and should I get a big warranty
> so I dont have to mess with it, or is it just basically smaller with
> no big reason to worry? Thanks