[SOLVED] Fried something in my laptop. Is it worth fixing?

[butters49]

I have an older Alienware laptop that I "fried" a couple years ago. I took an external DVD drive, plugged it into the USB port of the laptop. Then I put the wrong AC adapter into the DVD drive. BOOM! instantly killed the laptop. Is it a cheap hardware replacement, or would it be a whole motherboard situation?

I have another Alienware laptop already, so it's not like I'm willing to spend an arm and a leg to get it fixed, I just need an extra laptop for my business, and am exploring if it would be cheaper just to buy a cheap laptop as opposed to getting this one fixed. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[mitch074]

I have an older Alienware laptop that I "fried" a couple years ago. I took an external DVD drive, plugged it into the USB port of the laptop. Then I put the wrong AC adapter into the DVD drive. BOOM! instantly killed the laptop. Is it a cheap hardware replacement, or would it be a whole motherboard situation?

I have another Alienware laptop already, so it's not like I'm willing to spend an arm and a leg to get it fixed, I just need an extra laptop for my business, and am exploring if it would be cheaper just to buy a cheap laptop as opposed to getting this one fixed. Any suggestions are appreciated!

You should check the motherboard for blown fuses or capacitors. It could be a matter of replacing said component (a few cents + some dexterity with a soldering iron) in which case you really should try the repair. I did a couple such repairs myself, sometimes it didn't work (I wasted a few hours taking the system apart) and sometimes I got myself a working system (a laptop for $0.30 and a couple hours work is a big win AFAIC).

 

[hang-the-9]

If it's worth fixing would be up to you, the age and specs of the laptop, how much a new motherboard costs, what specs you need a replacemement to have, etc...

A basic use used laptop can be found for under $200, many with an SSD in it. ThinkPads are probably the best quality ones to get, T430/440/450 should be in the 150-200 range in good shape.