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You mat be Able to Repair Your Broken Laptop by Yourself?

Guest post by: Graham Kelly

Article Overview: Most laptop users do not realise that many minor laptop faults can be repaired by themselves. Professional laptop repair agents are usually quite expensive and can be slow to repair a broken laptop. Obviously, you must be careful and take your time when undertaking a repair but provided you obtain the correct parts and fit them correctly. It should not be beyond your abilities.

You mat be Able to Repair Your Broken Laptop by Yourself?

Most laptop users do not realise that many minor laptop faults can be repaired by themselves. Professional laptop repair agents are usually quite expensive and can be slow to repair a broken laptop. Obviously, you must be careful and take your time when undertaking a repair but provided you obtain the correct parts and fit them correctly. It should not be beyond your abilities.

If the fault is caused by faulty software or a virus, etc., then you should be able to fix it yourself. You will probably require an antivirus disk or operating system installation disk depending upon the fault. If, however, the fault is caused by broken hardware, then you may or may not be able to fix it yourself. In this article, I consider the most common hardware issues and their repair difficulty.

The following lists some of the simplest to hardest repairs that you may consider undertaking. You should not require anything more complex than a small screwdriver set and a lot of patience.

A broken mains power supply can simply be replaced with a new unit. Be careful to match up the power tip size, current rating and voltage with the original. Sometimes you may wrongly blame the power supply where the internal jack socket has failed; replacing the jack is not a job for the amateur though.

A faulty laptop battery can easily be replaced. Make sure you buy exactly the same model and capacity battery as the original. Just remove and reinsert the new battery. It will need fully charging and perhaps calibrating before you can use your laptop on battery power.

RAM can easily be changed or upgraded. You should find a small door held in place by one or more small screws. Be careful to replace it with exactly the correct type and specification of chips. You should observe static electricity precautions so that the new chip is not damaged.

Hard drives frequent fail or need upgrading. They can generally be accessed by removing an inspection door on the base or side of the laptop; however, there are exceptions where the whole back of the laptop must be removed. Once replaced Windows will need to be reinstalled along with drivers and your data.

CD and DVD drives often fail and are relatively easy for the novice to replace. Usually, one or two screws must be removed so that the old drive slides out of the case. A few makes of laptop require keyboard removal to reveal a topside screw that must be removed first. Generally, a new DVD drive will need the front fascia transferred from the old to the new drive. Care should be taken not to damage it in the process.

Many users manage to spill fluids on their keyboards or damage a key top. You will need to replace the keyboard to restore functionality. There are generally several small screws in the laptop base to remove; additionally there may be part of the top fascia to remove and/or some slide tabs. Be careful to locate all tabs and screws, especially when removing the cable from the motherboard as it can easily be broken.

Laptop screen hinges are easily broken and are often quite easy to replace; however, many brands of laptop require the whole casing to be deconstructed to replace a single hinge. Therefore, this job may or may not be suitable for a novice.

The laptop touch pad frequently fails or the mouse buttons become unreliable. At first sight, this looks like an easy repair, but it usually is not as the complete palm rest (front of the laptop) must be removed to get to it. It is very easy to damage the motherboard mouse connector during the deconstruction. Only attempt this repair if you understand the potential problems that may occur.

Only attempt laptop hardware repairs if you are fully confident that you complete it without further damaging the laptop. Be especially careful when replacing the securing screws as a long screw inserted in the wrong hole may damage the case or motherboard. For further information on how to undertake the repair, look on the Internet. If you are unable to complete the repair, you can still take it to a laptop repair agent.

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Article Tags: laptop repair, netbook repair, notebook repair



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Home-based Business - signed my first 200 customers while I worked from home. You can make it work. Many small businesses do, i.e. interior designers, AC/Heating Companies, moving companies, Plumbing companies, painters, landscapers, web designers, Mobile car mechanics, Computer Techs, online retail businesses, Pool cleaners, Home Repair, Telemarketers, electricians, Artists, etc
Re: Who are the key players in your life? - I'd have to say my family, who supported me when I first started out in business for myself... especially my sister, who bought me my Laptop! A supportive family can make anyone a success. A non-supportive family - would make it very tough, I would think. All the more reason to only allow positive-thinking people in to your life and ditch anyone who brings you down with nagging or slighting jokes, et al!
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