Hardware repair guide suggestion/comment thread

[frozenlead]

This thread is here for anyone who reads the hardware repair sticky at the top of the forum - if you've a question, comment, or suggestion on a procedure or how the sticky can be improved, please put them right here!

The sticky is located here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/53660-35-notebook-disassembly-hardware-repair-guide

 

[suvarna_rohit]

Hi frozenlead, thanks for the toshiba a100 disassembly guide. I own the exact same laptop. The problem is that there is no power comin in to the laptop from the adapter. So now am confused if its the adapter thats screwed or the laptop power jack? i checked the power supply cable n thts working. can u pls shed any light on this. thanks.

Rohit

 

[gabrieltiron]

The LCD does house the backlight, you're correct.

LCD assembly troubleshooting is difficult because the LCD and inverter go together. The only real way to determine if one is bad is to replace one or the other. On rare occasions you'll get symptoms that tell you which is bad. You can test the inverter with a multimeter also, but depending on how the inverter is wired, this isn't always reliable as a test. If you can get your hands on a spare backlight (known to be good), you should be able to plug it into your inverter - if it lights up, the inverter is good. If not, the inverter is bad.

What do you mean by extremely dim?

Hy guys!

I have the same problem with the monitor of my toshiba A100-788. When I turn on the laptop for some seconds works normally but then becomes black and everything is in shadow. i can see what's on the desktop only if i put a strong light in front of my monitor. before that the monitor worked if i restarted suddenly the laptop but now doesn't work anymore. i replaced already the inverter but i have the same problem. I am a bit desperate because I need the documents on my laptop.

please help!

Thanks!

 

[frozenlead]

You probably need a new backlight, which generally comes with the LCD panel.
If you just need your documents, you can always plug an external monitor in or take out your hard disk and plug it into another computer.

 

[9manuals]

Hey guys,
I’ve created laptop underside / bottom pictures database. I’ve been using these pictures for years to identify similarities between laptop models. I wonder if anybody else needs them. Check it out: http://www.9manuals.com/pics-home.htm

 

[qawsed]

Hi, I had purchased a sony VAIO, Model #VGNNW23G/B about 4 months ago. I accidently spilled the orange juice on the key board, tried to clean it as much, a.s.a.p I could, but it did not work. I have one year full warranty on it so I sent it to sony, but they are asking a ridiculous amount of money to fix it, $475. I could not afford it, so they sent it back. I plugged it one day and to my surprise, window 7 opened up and I was able to go online but for a short time, windows get ajmmed after a while. Key board has got sort of corrupted and it does not work properly. Any suggestions to fix it? How can I change the key board? How does the keyboard come off? Any help will be appreciated.

 

[tariq65]

hi to all i have a problem with acer laptop aspire 3680 m/n ZRI do't power up
wehn i press the power button onlly few secend green light on and then of no start the laptop but charging is good ani body help me thanks.

 

[tariq65]

hi all,
my lcd mov totly ded ani solution thanks

 

[frozenlead]

I don't know what you mean by mov, but if you mean the LCD died you can just replace it.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Plug the external video connector (VGA, DVI, SVideo, whatever) in and see what happens.

But if the HDD isn't spinning up, it's more than just a video issue, your mainboard could be fried, and if it's not sending out death knell beeps to let you know what's up, then it's going to need professional help or else the scrap heap.

Either way it's not going to be fixed remotely unless you get some deeper details and find someone who can communicate them in English.

 

[buwish]

This topic has been sticky in top of the forum by Buwish

Made it a sticky to allow for more access/less new threads about LCD issues.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Huh?

This thread has a specific role and is already accessible from the other sticky.

 

[buwish]

Is it? Whoops...I didn't see it. My bad. 😗 I'll un-sticky it like goo-gone un-sticks a sticker from a window.

 

[buwish]

This topic has been desticky in top of the forum by Buwish

 

[foreone]

hi,
i have a satellite a100-003 which has a broken graphics card. (geforce go 7600).

they want about 400$ just to repair the card here in turkiye. i wonder if i can replace the card with a recent and more powerful one. i use it as a desktop so i can cut the case to open room incase the new card is compatible but just don't fits.

thanks

 

[frozenlead]

Generally you can't replace notebook GPUs, and even if you can, upgraded cards are hard to come by. What's wrong with yours?

 

[foreone]

ok thanks.

images on screen are all mixed up. for example some of the toshiba boot logo is up right some of it is in the bottom and rest of it is eveywhere on the screen . and its like looking on a broken 90's arcade system. white, gray points everywhere also a lot of vibration and blinking. same thing happens when connecting an external monitor.

do you know a place where i can buy this card online then?

thank you again.

 

[frozenlead]

http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/
is the only place I know if, but it will only help you if your GPU is in an MXM slot.

You need to find out if your GPU is integrated into your motherboard (which it likely is). In that case, you'll have to replace the board.

 

[aneblanc]

I have an Toshiba Satellite A100. The fan was working almost all the time recently. I thought the fan or the heat sink were dirty. I vacuumed the slits on the fan and on the heat sink. The fan now doesn't start anymore.

My questions are:
what happens if I run the machine without the fan?
How do I replace the fan if necessary?
Where do I get a replacement fan for this machine?
Is it worthwhile fixing or should I get a new laptop?
The laptop is 4 years old I think.
They cost about 500$, same as 4 years ago.

Thanks

 

[aneblanc]

Hi again,

The laptop had been working for half an hour and the CPU was really getting hot.
I just put a vacuum cleaner on the heat sink outlet and kickstarted the fan.
Now it seems to work again! It goes on and off on its own. I hope that will last...

 

[frozenlead]

The fan should turn on and off during use. It doesn't need to cool the machine all the time.

Instead of using a vacuum, next time consider using an air compressor. Vacuums can make lots of static which can KO computer parts.

 

[krvjn]

First of all, thanks heaps for the awesome guide! Proved to be very helpful, i.e. this time I didn't have to guess if I was doing the right thing, I was able to look it up and proceed with caution if some parts didn't come off that easily.

Here's my tiny problem: I am working on a laptop just like the one shown on the pics. I need to replace the CMOS battery. Found it, no problem. I just don't know how to make it come out of that "metal thingy" gripping it. It seems so fragile and carefully pulling it doesn't work for me. I noticed you can lift it upwards a bit (kinda like the RAM) but that's it.

Can you help? Thanks in advance, very much appreciated! 😍

 

[Nocturnal Lunacy]

The repair sticky is totally awesome. wish I would've seen that the first time I tore apart a laptop lol. Now I'm pretty much a pro at tearing laptops apart because I fix em. Well at least try, most are unfixable once you have to tear em apart. I still have a few mishaps with cracks and breaks but laptops are made very poorly anyway.
But I have a question, on the number 4 pic it shows the vga harness cable. I need to know what wires are for what that was on a Sony Vaio PCG 9L1L LCD monitor. Not the whole harness, the white connector that connects to the motherboard. The pinout for that connector would be awesome.
Thank you and good job on this sticky.

 

[frozenlead]

But I have a question, on the number 4 pic it shows the vga harness cable. I need to know what wires are for what that was on a Sony Vaio PCG 9L1L LCD monitor. Not the whole harness, the white connector that connects to the motherboard. The pinout for that connector would be awesome.
Thank you and good job on this sticky.

That picture doesn't show any VGA cable. The white cable is for the touchpad. As for an individual pinout, I have no idea. They're all different. You'd have to talk to an engineer or someone high up to get access to that kind of data.

 

[deli10]

not sure if i am posting in the right section but i have an issue with my laptop
Toshiba p205d-s7806. water spills and the user kept it plugged and tried to boot it up a couple of times.. i am not sure what is dead now but after a week of keeping it to dry, it powers up when connected and i hear it boot but no screen, not even when connected to external screen... any advice???

 

[varzeas]

Hello everyone,

I am brand new to this forum and to forums in general so please excuse any gaffes of etiquette etc. and correct any thing I may say or do that goes astray of the general do's and don'ts.

I have an HP dv7-3165dx that the integrated graphics went out on. The rest is fine. I would like to know if I can replace the motherboard with one where I can use a discrete graphics card or do I have to stick with a replacement of the exact kind. I am willing to buy a new laptop but am a strong believer in fixing it if it makes sense.....ie. financially.

Thanks,

Tim