DIY laptop repair

In detail: do-it-yourself laptop repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Of course, do-it-yourself laptop repair takes place. You just need to take into account the factor that all components are in a limited space, including near the connecting latches. Therefore, in addition to loosening the bolts, extreme care must be taken when separating the plastic holders using a screwdriver or other flat object. Excessive immersion inside the device is fraught with damage, first of all, carried out closer to the upper edge of the Wi-Fi module. In the immediate vicinity of the latter, there is a card reader and a touchpad cable. Today you can take courses in technical professions - to get a specialty and make money on it will not be difficult.

Self-repair is conditionally divided into three groups that do not require significant skills and professional tools:

  • External and internal elements of the case;
  • Information input / output means;
  • Charging and battery life accessories.

More serious malfunctions, such as a lack of response to the power button or constant reboot at the time of BIOS initialization, are often associated with overheating of the south and north bridges. Only a specialist who has:

  • special hair dryer;
  • soldering iron;
  • stencil made for the features and shape of the chip on the bridge;
  • contact replacement (special tin balls).

DIY laptop battery repair

  • soldering iron up to 40W;
  • multimeter;
  • car bulbs with wires (most often used in the dashboard);
  • marker knife;
  • cyan-acrylic glue.
Video (click to play).

DIY laptop battery repair: sequence of actions

  • Dismantling the battery (instead of screw connection, latches from 2 to 6 pieces are used).
  • Dividing the lithium-ion battery into two parts along the longitudinal gluing seam (use a marker knife).
  • Connecting a light bulb to the first battery group to check the voltage range with a multimeter (the light bulb, in this case, acts only as a current consumer).
  • Fixing voltage (optimal 3.6-4.1 V. The value below is a reason to continue the repair).
  • Controller check.
  • Search for a faulty link with subsequent replacement with a new one.
  • Discharge of working and new battery cells up to 3.2 V (due to the light bulb).
  • Assembling the battery chain with glue.
  • Installing the above into the case.
  • Complete charging cycle in a laptop.

DIY laptop power supply repair

  • disassembly of the block;
  • visual inspection for burning or melting;
  • checking capacitors with a tester.

Most often, there are charger malfunctions, which are associated with swelling with the subsequent loss of tightness by one or more capacitors.

Recovery of information input / output devices

DIY laptop keyboard repair

Starts by identifying the fault. If it concerns the keys themselves: breakage of the pressing and fixing mechanism, sticking or normal replacement, then it can be done without removing the module from the laptop.

All you need is a large needle. Sliding it under the plane of the button, the case with the letter or symbol inscribed is removed with a slight movement. Most often, you can encounter an elevator-type mechanism, which consists of two parts and connecting grooves. It is the latter that are susceptible to jams due to excessive pressing or spontaneous disconnection of the mechanism. You just need:

  • try to restore the shape of the holes with a needle (the plastic is very soft);
  • connect the mechanism;
  • fix its edges on the metal base of the board.

A complete malfunction and its elimination begins with:

  • dismantling the module (latches between the front panel and the top / bottom row of buttons);
  • disconnecting and inspecting for damage to the loop.

DIY laptop matrix repair

A damaged matrix, regardless of the nature of the origin of the breakdown, (natural - broken pixels, mechanical - cracks and damage) must be replaced with a new one. This will require:

  • peel off the rubber plugs on the upper part of the case;
  • unscrew the bolts;
  • separate the two parts of the cover;
  • dismantle the matrix by removing the standard stiffener (four screws) and disconnecting the power cable, data cable.

Do-it-yourself laptop cable repair, as well as do-it-yourself laptop loop repair, follow the same instructions as above. Exceptions are some models that require complete disassembly.

DIY laptop hard drive repair

In general, you do not need to completely disassemble the device to remove the hard drive. It is enough to unscrew the back panel (it can be located longitudinally from the bottom or to the left, provided that the hot air is discharged back) and gain access to the drive and RAM.

Among the software methods for recovering HDDs that precede the hardware ones, it is worth trying the following utilities:

  • defragmentation;
  • Victoria - testing and replacing broken sectors with spare ones.

Such breakdowns as: a wedge of a motor, mechanical damage to the storage magnetic plates or immobility of the read / write plug can only be corrected by replacing the same mechanics with a new or another one that is known to be in good working order.

Note! All work related to the leakage of the drive is recommended to be carried out in a special “clean room” that complies with the international standard ISO14644-1.

Thus, it becomes quite clear that do-it-yourself laptop repair video is divided into two groups: those implemented at home and those that, in addition to self-disassembly, require the intervention of specialists.

You can fix most common laptop problems yourself. A collection of articles-guides on electronics repair will help to eliminate various breakdowns and solve a number of problems without contacting a service center.

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Without exception, all laptops are equipped with a touch panel, which is a pointing input device and allows you not only to control the cursor, but also to perform other actions. With the help of modern high-precision touchpads that support multitouch gestures, users can perform such manipulations as scrolling, zooming, highlighting, calling the context menu with light touches with the tips of one, two or three fingers. But what if, having [...]

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Power supplies, or in other words, adapters, not only for laptops, but for other devices in most cases do not have special fasteners (screw connections) for multiple collection / disassembly. Instead, they have a glued case, as manufacturers expect users to treat such items as consumables and simply buy new ones in the event of a breakdown. But it is not […]

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Previously, having a laptop at home, in addition to an ordinary stationary PC, was considered almost a luxury. Today this is a common thing, but lately one can observe a slight decline in interest in laptops in favor of tablets and smartphones ...

However, contrary to all forecasts, it is still too early to “write off” portable computers, but it’s not a pity to repair them, but sometimes you have to ...

Any technique tends to become outdated and break down. And the more complex it is, the more often it will demand attention to itself. Unfortunately, laptops are no exception ...

  • clogging of the cooling system with household waste and (as a result) overheating of the processor;
  • mechanical damage to the motherboards and LCD matrices of the monitor as a result of drops or sudden changes in voltage in the network (if the laptop is used as a stationary working PC powered from an outlet);
  • chafing or burnout of loops of the keyboard, touchpad and monitor;
  • the ingress of liquids into the laptop (as a result of a short circuit, anything can burn out);
  • failure of any components (hard drive, RAM, WiFi module, etc.).

As you can see, there can be quite a few reasons for repair. In addition, the need to open a laptop may also be caused by the desire to make a planned upgrade with the addition of, for example, a new RAM strip or a more powerful processor.

To disassemble a laptop at home, we need at least two screwdrivers: a small Phillips screwdriver for unscrewing the screws securing the case and parts, and a thin flat one for neatly opening the case.

Step 1. It is worth starting disassembling any laptop by disconnecting it from the network, turning it over and disconnecting the battery. So, firstly, we will completely de-energize the device (accordingly, we will avoid a short circuit), and secondly, we will open access to the case locks (in some models, a pair of case screws may be hidden under the battery). To remove the battery, you usually need to simultaneously pull the floating clips in different directions and pull the battery towards you.

Step 2. Next, we carefully study the location of the screws that hold the case and keyboard. Usually the latter are marked with the inscription "kbd" and there are from three to seven of them. The rest of the screws (which are not marked in any way) will be body screws and they will need to be unscrewed in order to disassemble the laptop.

At this stage, the main thing is to remember which screw and where it was, since they come in different lengths and with different thread runs! For this, a special plastic sorter with several compartments would be ideal. However, the cogs can be easily arranged in groups and on an ordinary white sheet of A4 paper. The main thing is that you remember where each of them comes from!

Step 3. When everything is unscrewed, we take a flat screwdriver with a thin sting in our hands and find a place where you can insert it into the gap between the bottom and top covers of the laptop case. We do this carefully so as not to gouge the plastic. When the place is found, push the screwdriver slightly up and down alternately to create a lever. As a rule, after pressing in the right direction, the plastic clips inside are released and the case will begin to open.

In the same way, we go through the entire perimeter of the case with a screwdriver. As a result, we should get a neatly removed undamaged bottom cover and access to the motherboard and laptop parts.

In order not to damage the cover, you need to remember one single rule: "DO NOT USE HIGH FORCE when pushing the screwdriver."

Step 4. After removing all large parts, carefully inspect the motherboard and unscrew the screws that remained unscrewed. At the same time, you do not need to unscrew the screws of the heatsink that cools the processor (unless you are going to change it or lubricate it with new thermal paste).

Step 5. When everything is unscrewed, the last step remains - disconnect the loops.

In our experimental netbook, after unscrewing all the screws that held the motherboard, the only "fasteners" were the cables:

  • monitor cable;
  • sound loop;
  • touchpad loop;
  • keyboard loop.

The easiest way is to turn off the audio and video loops. They are simply pulled out of the socket with a flat screwdriver (pulling by the wires is undesirable). Gently pry on alternately on both sides and slowly pull it out.

The situation with the touchpad loop is a little more complicated. It is pressed by a plug that needs to be pulled out. However, this plug has two small tendrils on the sides that hold it in position. So as not to break these antennae, first slightly drown them, and only then pull them out.

The last step is to disable the keyboard. In principle, this can be done without disassembling the entire laptop. It is enough just to unscrew the screws marked "kbd" and the keyboard can already be pulled out. First, you need to pry it off with a thin screwdriver from above. Then, when the top edge is free, slightly pull the keyboard upward until the bottom edge pops out of the tabs. Now, everything is held only by the cable, which must be disconnected from the motherboard:

The fastening of the keyboard cable may be different on different laptops. These can be plugs (as described in the case of the touchpad), pressure plates or simple plugs.In order to properly disconnect and not break, always use a search query such as "how to remove the keyboard on a laptop (your model)".

In the case of the Samsung N145 netbook, we are dealing with a tricky clamping mechanism that is very similar to a regular plug. To open this mechanism, you just need to pull it up, after which the cable will be released and we can pull it out 🙂

When the cover is safely removed, you can take a closer look at the internal structure of the laptop:

Inside, the following components will definitely be present:

  • motherboard, to which all parts are attached;
  • hard drive (usually 2.5-inch SATA or SSD);
  • one or several strips of RAM (in modern systems, most often DDR3 of a reduced form factor);
  • a processor with (most often) an air cooling system under a copper radiator;
  • speakers.

Optionally may also be present:

  • video card (usually in laptops of middle and higher price categories);
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and / or infrared module for wireless connection of peripherals and devices;
  • various expansion cards, such as card readers, additional USB 3.0 or FireWire ports, etc.

Already at this stage of disassembly, we have access to almost all components that can be replaced, so we can no longer disassemble. Just change the part that requires it and you can collect everything as it was.

Before disassembling the laptop completely, please note that in some models, special revision holes may be provided on the back of the case to access components such as RAM, hard drive, expansion ports, etc. These openings are usually covered with a small cover that attaches to the case with just one screw and allows easy access to the part without having to open the entire case.

The memory card itself can be held in laptops either using a special clamping bar (which needs to be pushed aside), or (as in our case) due to two clamping metal plates on the sides. The latter are rigidly fixed, but can slightly bend away from the memory bar. Accordingly, to release it, you must simultaneously squeeze out both pressure plates. The board is inserted back with light pressure until the latches click.

The BIOS battery may be of interest if you begin to notice that your laptop does not turn on the first time or even stops loading beyond the startup black screen. In this case, it may well be that the problem is in a dead battery that needs to be replaced.

Alas, replacing the BIOS battery in a laptop is much more troublesome than in a regular PC, since it is not connected directly to a special socket, but through an adapter. The easiest, but also the most expensive way is to buy a similar fully assembled battery with an adapter and an adhesive part to fix it on the motherboard. But there is also a more budgetary solution.

If there is no ready-made battery or it is indecently expensive, you can make it yourself.To do this, remove the old one and free it from the black insulation to gain access to the wiring. Next, take a new battery of the same type and attach the removed wiring to it (red is usually a plus, and black is a minus).

To keep the wires and to insulate the battery itself, it is best to place the resulting structure in a heat-shrink tube of a suitable diameter. So we get an almost perfect adhesion of contacts without soldering and an appearance, almost as in the original. It is easiest to glue the resulting structure to its rightful place on thin double-sided tape.

We take a close look at our motherboard for the screws that still hold it in place. Two of them are found on the hard drive brackets. We unscrew them and carefully take out the hard drive itself:

In laptops, hard drives are usually attached to the motherboard using a special "basket", which is fixed to the case with four screws, and connected to the motherboard using a special ribbon cable. To, for example, replace the hard drive with a new one (more productive or capacious), you just need to disconnect (again carefully) the cable plug from the old one, after which, when the old hard drive is already in our hands, remove it from the "basket" and replace on new.

Another screw that might prevent the motherboard from being removed can be located on the WiFi wireless module. Even if the retaining screw is not there, then this module will still have to be disconnected, since two wires go from it to the antenna, which is located in the display case.

When assembling, we repeat all our actions in reverse order. This is where the photos that you took during disassembly (if you took them) and correctly sorted screws can come in handy. When you put on the case cover, do not rush to immediately screw it on. Tighten only the screws holding the keyboard and try to start the laptop.

If the operating system boots, then try turning on the regular Notepad and test the keyboard's operation by typing all the letters on it one by one. And only if everything works as it should, you can turn off the laptop and tighten the rest of the screws. Congratulations on your successful build!

As you can see, everyone can disassemble, replace the part and reassemble their laptop!
If you work carefully and thoughtfully, then everything will work out for you!

A failed laptop does not always need to be taken to a workshop. Some minor faults can be repaired by yourself, and the professionals will advise what you should pay attention to.

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Laptops are increasingly outperforming conventional PCs. They are so popular due to the fact that the whole computer with all the peripherals and the battery is housed in a compact case. However, the laptop's high degree of integration makes it more prone to crashes and makes repairs difficult.

The situation is aggravated by the trend of creating thinner and lighter laptops: instead of standard elements, special or soldered to the motherboard components are used, the screws loved by repairmen are replaced with glue, and the lightest design is rarely durable. That is why many laptop owners do not dare to repair their devices on their own. Considering the significant costs and significant repair time performed by the manufacturer's service department, you will often think about purchasing a new device.

In this case, many faults can be eliminated independently or contact one of the many workshops that can be found in any city via the Internet. If a workshop has few negative reviews, it might be worth checking out its website. If the conditions suit you, then it makes sense to call the foreman or come to the office yourself: it is easier to explain the essence of the malfunction in personal communication, when you have the opportunity to see the interlocutor.

The loyalty of the workshop to the customer is evidenced by free diagnostics or provision of preliminary cost estimates. If the workshop takes payment for them, then at least it should be taken into account in the subsequent calculation of repair work. We visited the Zeklink workshop in Munich, looked at the work of the professionals and now reveal the best tips for home repairs.

Typical faults, diagnostic methods and chances of repair are listed in the table above. If, for example, your device does not work at all - there is no image, the cooler does not make noise, and the LEDs do not light up, the reason may be a faulty power button or problems with the power supply system (battery / connector). Whether the problem can be solved at home or whether you have to carry the laptop to the workshop depends on the cause of the problem.

The tasks facing the workshop are very diverse, from refurbishing a five-year-old retailer-branded laptop that a user has customized and still wants to use, to a near-new MacBook Pro that has been treated to a latte. and which the owner needs in the shortest possible time.

The manufacturer's service department is often slow to act, and the warranty may not work. “The most common failures are hard drives, displays and hinges,” says Padrek McGrath, owner of the Zeklink workshop. Nevertheless, some people come to the workshops, for example, because of a faulty battery, which is very easy to replace yourself.

Finding the right service workshop

The advantage of a workshop located in your area is that you get an immediate picture of it, and the technician can directly inspect the device in a personal conversation and determine the malfunction. In addition, you do not have to pay for shipping and the repair time is reduced.

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If the conditions are attractive, the consultation was carried out at the right level and there are few negative reviews on the Internet (treat them with caution, such reviews can be left by competitors), then why not place an order. If your hard drive contains sensitive or important data, talk with a workshop technician whether you should back up yourself or remove and save the drive if the problem is not with the drive.

Michael Tucempski, Chief Technology Officer at Zeklink, explains that there is a huge difference between the propensity of laptops to malfunction and their repairability: “Business devices such as Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude and HP EliteBook, as well as Apple MacBook Pro released before 2015 years, are durable, maintainable and have established channels for the supply of spare parts. "

On the other hand, there are problems with a whole series of devices: for example, the Asus UX31, which has excellent performance, is very thin and prone to various malfunctions. Also, Lenovo laptops with new flat connectors (as opposed to standard round connectors) and Samsung X900, which often fail display hinges, often come to workshops.

Any laptop that ends up in Zeklink is logged with a precise description of the problem. Let's consider a typical problem of a four-year-old laptop: the cooler is constantly working, but the system "slows down" and hangs and reboots when performing resource-intensive tasks. It is likely that the cooler is clogged. Cleaning it is similar to a cardiac surgery, as it requires completely disassembling and reassembling the internal mechanisms.

When a computer lands on the desk of Chief Technical Officer Michael Tucempski, he starts in much the same way as a layman. However, he has fifteen years of rich experience behind him and thousands of refurbished laptops. In addition, he has a large arsenal of tools and measuring devices on his "workbench". The workplace is the first thing to pay attention to when carrying out repairs at home: the surface must be free of dust (no cloth tablecloths) and well lit.

It is recommended that you touch the radiator, window handles or similar objects several times before and during repairs to avoid damaging the electronics from static electricity. Along with the appropriate set of tools (Phillips screwdrivers of various sizes, guitar pick or flat plastic spatula), a small amount of thermal paste is also required.

Determining the method and sequence of dismantling, a professional relies on his own experience, which you, as an amateur, do not have. Therefore, before starting the repair, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible.There are video tutorials available on YouTube on how to repair a wide variety of laptop types, which can be found for model name and disassembly. If there are no instructions, approach the repair with special care: to dismantle the case, remove the bottom cover and the battery, remove all visible screws that hold them in place.

Locate the screws under the rubber pads (eg support feet). Padrek McGrath recommends that you remove all parts, together with the screws that secure them, and place them on the work surface separately from each other, and also record the removal sequence.

Michael Tucempski is forced to correct again and again such amateurish mistakes as a result of an unsuccessful attempt to open the device, such as deformed screws: even if the screwdriver is only slightly larger than the slot, it easily twists and destroys the screw head.

In such a case, the professional tries several methods in sequence: a special tool for unscrewing the screws, soldering the second head, and finally drilling out the screw. Since the screws in laptops are tiny, this is just a piece of jewelry. To prevent this from happening, Tuchempsky advises: use a suitable screwdriver and never a screwdriver. Also, do not press hard: rotation requires a gentle dose of force.

Often, along with the screws, the housing elements are additionally held by latches. An experienced specialist will quickly figure out which of them he should squeeze out first, and what kind of effort they can withstand without collapsing, while the amateur is left to act very slowly and carefully. It often requires inserting, for example, a credit card between the latches that have already been squeezed out in order to prevent them from snapping into place during further dismantling of the case.

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Damage caused by liquids leaves traces of corrosion that can be removed by workshop technicians in some cases (depending on material)

Depending on the laptop model, you need to remove either the bottom or the keyboard together with the surrounding panel. When removing the keyboard, there is the following danger: after unscrewing the screws and unscrewing the latches fixed with the screws, some customers of the Zeklink workshop remove the keyboard too quickly and damage the ribbon connecting it to the motherboard.

So, after the keyboard fasteners are released, it must be carefully lifted, then the position of the cable is determined and properly removed from the connector. It has either a latch that must be pushed upward from the cable, or a connector along the cable. In this case, remove the ribbon cable from the socket using flat tweezers. Similar actions should be performed with respect to the touchpad cable.

In order to gain access to a clogged fan, it must be removed from the motherboard. In some laptops, it is located on the inaccessible side of the motherboard, as a result of which it must first be removed. After that, the heatsink can be easily (and carefully!) Unscrewed and removed from the CPU and GPU. To remove old thermal paste, the professional also turns to the usual home remedies: cotton pads, moistened with pure alcohol, if necessary. If the heatsink is really dirty, you can see a fringe of dust that lays between the fan and the cooling fins.

In most cases, they can be accessed after opening the heatsink housing. It is good if the case is connected with screws; it is bad if rivets or glue are used: in this case, you will have to make a little effort to remove it for subsequent cleaning of the dust "plug" with tweezers and blowing the plate using a can of compressed air or a hand-held vacuum cleaner. Then the fan housing must be glued back, depending on the material, using instant or two-component glue.

Anyone who was able to overcome all the steps described will easily cope with the assembly. In this case, one part is again attached to the other in the reverse order.
After each step, non-professionals must make sure that there are no screws or loose ends of the cables, otherwise they will face unpleasant surprises after the repair is completed. When installing the heatsink, apply a small amount of thermal paste to the CPU and GPU (if necessary). It will be evenly distributed when pressed during installation.

Cleaning a clogged fan is indeed important and costly, but it is not the only problem. The most common "real" defects in the practice of the Zeklink workshop include malfunctions of hard drives - from a few bad sectors to complete unusability as a result of the so-called "head crash". Michael Tucempski primarily captures an image from a still working hard drive. This practice before doing any home repair work is also a good idea; it is implemented using a program to create an image.

For standard devices and business notebooks, replacing the hard drive is a breeze, as in most cases the storage medium is located under a removable cover. But in ultra- and chromebooks with a specially fitted SSD-drive or a soldered eMMC-drive, you need to install either an original spare part from the manufacturer, or even replace the entire motherboard.

Repairing mechanical damage is a difficult task. Most often, professionals are faced with broken displays or broken display hinges. Defective panels can be replaced with replacement parts that professional repairmen purchase from eBay, other online retailers, or directly from Chinese manufacturers. The biggest challenge, however, is finding a panel that is exactly the right fit for a given model.

In general, the work carried out on the laptop display is rather difficult, since many elements are located in the extremely small space of the thin cover - for example, fasteners, cables, backlighting elements and wireless transmitters. First of all, if the display is located behind a glass plate, dust should not get between them, as otherwise it will cause damage in the future. If this breaks the flat display cable to the motherboard, in most cases no help is possible as it is extremely rare to find a replacement cable.

Bottom line: Working with the display is best done in a workshop. The same goes for a common and misdiagnosed problem: faulty display hinges. The hinges are made of metal and will not break, however they often break from the soft plastic base plate to which they are attached with multiple screws. The specialists of the Zeklink workshop re-glue the screw threads to the plastic using a high-strength two-component adhesive, then install the hinge and, after tightening the screws, fix them with glue.

After each repair, Michael Tucempski turns on the computer and checks all the hardware. If, for example, the sound / headphones, USB ports, or hardware buttons are not working, they are probably not properly connected. It happened in a workshop or at home - it doesn't matter, everything should start over. For this, there is one last piece of advice from a professional: if you can't get ahead in your work, you need to postpone it and continue the next day with a fresh mind.

PHOTO: Juliane Weber / CHIP Studios; CHIP (2); Juliane Weber / CHIP Studios (2); Zeklink

Many now have laptops or netbooks. At the first breakdown, many are accustomed to immediately call service centers. Smarter people will start looking for a solution to the problem on the Internet or ask friends. Moreover, most breakdowns can be repaired at home using available tools.

In theory, absolutely any breakdown can be repaired. However, not everyone can fix a laptop. And here it is not a matter of skill (there is a lot of information on the Internet), but of the fear of making the situation worse. That is why children master the computer better than adults, since they (children) are not afraid to press all the buttons in a row and poke around in the technique with a screwdriver.

If you are afraid to worsen the situation, then it is better to turn to professionals. It is enough to drive in the search engine the phrase laptop repair with the indication of your city, and you will immediately find hundreds of laptop repair companies. The only thing I want to draw your attention to is the professionalism of such services. So read this article first.

Not all breakdowns can be fixed at home, and therefore your laptop can be picked up for a week or even months. In large cool firms, you will be given another laptop for the time of repair (but you can count such firms on one hand).

And read this article about operating a laptop first:

What's broken?

Obviously, before you fix something, you need to understand what is broken. In this case, the cause of the breakdown is not always clear. For example, your keyboard does not work, and the reason will be in the motherboard. Or worse: the laptop simply won't turn on. In most cases, the system generates some kind of error. This is exactly what you need to focus on.

Always use search engines! Even professional repairmen do not know everything about everything, and on the Internet you can find the answer to almost any question.

There are two types of breakdowns: software and hardware problems. Software programs are treated by rolling back the system, checking for viruses or installing / removing drivers, etc. This article focuses on hardware problems.

Blue screen of death

A blue screen (BSOD) tells us about a problem with the hardware and sometimes with the drivers. To understand what the blue screen means, you either need to google your error number (like 0x00000087), or use the BlueScreenView program (download, .exe file, 60 KB.).

This program will find log files on your laptop and show you a list of all BSODs that have ever happened. There you will see the name of the file or library that crashed highlighted in red. Googling the error and the file name - you will find the answer to the problem. In my case, the video card was overheating.

Laptop overheating is a fairly common cause. This happens either due to dust and wear of the thermal paste, or due to microcracks in the radiator. Overheating can be detected either by touching the keyboard and touchpad area, or using special programs such as HWMonitor or AIDA64.
Details about the programs:
Cooling details:

There are several problematic cases with keyboards.

1) The keyboard makes unpleasant sounds, clicks when pressed, squeezes slightly, but it works.
In this case, you need to remove the keyboard. Removing keyboards from laptops is difficult. Sometimes the keyboard will not come off completely. For example, you can remove only the buttons, but to remove the board itself, you need to completely disassemble the laptop. But usually the keyboard can be removed by opening special clips or picking up with a screwdriver.

The keyboard clicks either because of crumbs and debris that got under them, or because of a defect in the keyboard itself. It is better not to blow the crumbs, as you can drive them even deeper into the body. Better to remove the keyboard and clean it. You can use a vacuum cleaner, just hold it carefully so as not to accidentally damage the equipment.

Some keys click because they rub against unpolished parts of the laptop case. This is especially true for cheap aluminum laptops. Then you simply take out the key (you can pick it up with a screwdriver) and remove the protruding pieces of plastic or aluminum with a knife.

2) You spilled something on the keyboard.
Act quickly! Turn off the laptop and remove the battery. Take off the keyboard and dry quickly with a hair dryer. Let it stand for a day or two. Result: the keyboard will either work, or the laptop will never turn on again 🙁
It all depends on what and how much you spilled on the keyboard. If there is a little water, then it is not scary. And if a cup of coffee, then write wasted. The coffee will clog the aluminum contacts.

Although even such a case can be repaired. Special conductive adhesives are sold in stores. You remove the keyboard and you see that some of the aluminum contacts are either black or badly worn. Then stick adhesive paper along the contour. It is possible and scotch tape, but the scotch tape tends to peel off the excess when peeling off. In other words, your task is to isolate other conductive lines from yours. Those. you make a stencil on which you then apply glue.

3) Some keys do not work
Sometimes the rubber or silicone pads under the buttons break or fly off, then you need to remove the key and put the pad back. Usually, if the cover flies off, then the key is completely pressed through and is not pressed.

Battery

The main problem is the capacity drop. Is your battery holding less and less charge or not charging at all? Then it's time to dump your battery and buy a new one. Fortunately, they are inexpensive.

Some craftsmen offer to repair the battery. But this requires very advanced skills. So don't torture your brain - buy a new one.

By the way, there are programs that can show you the capacity and percentage of battery wear. For example, the same HWMonitor.

The laptop clicks suspiciously

This applies not only to laptops, but also to computers in general. There are two options.

1) The cooler (fan) clicks. It can play, then you just need to tighten the screws. Or you need to replace it - it is inexpensive.

2) The hard drive clicks. But this is already a serious problem. Most likely, you will have to change the hard drive.

How to determine what exactly is making clicks? You need to listen! Disassemble the laptop and see where the hard drive is and where the cooler is. Now put your laptop back and turn it on. And then put your ear to the places where the culprit is believed to be. Where the sound is louder, there is a problem.

True, there is also a barbaric method that I sometimes like to use - but it only works with computers. You need to shake or knock on the case, then if it is a cooler, then it will click even harder. And if it is a hard drive, then it will break 🙂

Monitor problems

Then the problem is either in the monitor itself or in the video card.

1) Some or even one pixel does not change color. They can be always black or always the same color. I had one pixel always green. This means that the monitor is damaged. Or rather, the pixel is damaged (small diodes in it).
Solution: You can buy a new monitor. But this is not necessary, since such a breakdown will not interfere with the operation of the laptop (except aesthetically).

2) The screen is dim. Those. there is an image, but there is no brightness. Sometimes the monitor seems completely black, then shine a flashlight or lamp directly on it. Then you will see that it works - the image is there.
The reason for such a breakdown is the failure of the backlight lamp or the screen matrix. This is fixed in services. Sometimes you can fix it right at home. But you yourself are unlikely to be able to fix it manually. If you can't fix it, then buy a new laptop monitor.

3) The screen flickers or shows an incorrect color gamut. In this case, it is difficult to determine what exactly broke. This may be a buggy video card or the monitor itself is broken, or rather the matrix controller.
Again, this is difficult to fix at home.

Connectors do not work

There may be several reasons. We do not consider software reasons (install drivers).

1) The wires are gone. It happens. We disassemble the laptop and re-solder the wires. If a lot of wires have gone, then we are looking for a diagram of your connector on the Internet. The wires are all colored, and therefore you can understand what's what.

2) Clogged with dust. We take a cotton swab and clean. For small gaps, I use an unbent paperclip with cotton wool wrapped around the tip.

3) I read somewhere that someone managed to insert a USB mouse into the HDMI (.) Connector.As a result, his laptop completely broke down. I don't know how true this story is, but look what you put in where. You can not only break the connector, but also short-circuit something. Although I'm not sure about the closure.

Broken video card or RAM

Everything is relatively simple here, just like on a computer. The boards are inserted into special connectors. We take out the non-working board and insert a new one. However, everything is arranged differently on each laptop. Therefore, look in search engines for a diagram of your laptop model (especially for laptops assembled in the basement on your knee).

Afterword

This article contains all the essential basics for beginners and insecure middles. If you want details on specific malfunctions, then look for more detailed articles on our website or look for answers to questions on the Internet.

You can also ask your questions to me personally.
Or in our group

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Comment added: Alexander Vladimirsky
Date: 17.01.2016

I prefer to pay 50 € to the company, and if there is a long "history" of repairs, then I keep for such a case NZ 1000 € and the whole movie!

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