The Pleasure in Fixing Your Own Computer

Yep... I just finished fixing my laptop. The power connector was broken, so I ordered a replacement part and fixed it myself. I called around and people were quoting more than $100.00 to fix it for me. But I managed to do it myself. It was a bit complicated, but once I found an online source of information, it went quite well. I love it when I managed to solve a problem myself and save money at the same time.

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How many screws and other parts did you have left over?
If the answer is "none" I can guarantee you've done it wrong.

 

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Congratulations, Bowser.

My computer repair skills are pretty much limited to unplug everything and reboot, lol.....

However, last year when we were experiencing weird connectivity issues, I did manage to diagnose using the three computers in the house, all of which pointed to a modem issue, which the remote tech assured me was not the case.

After several such linguistically challenged conversations, they finally sent a tech to the house to pacify me.

Funny thing. It took him exactly 5 minutes to diagnose it as a modem problem and change out the unit.

I know exactly how good you feel.

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Funny.

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Actually, I didn't have any extra screws. It's the first time I've done something like this without extra parts.

 

Those tech guys can be a big help though. I've talked with the kids at Best Buy a couple of times. They were a huge help, saving me both time and money.

I have an old IBM Thinkpad that has issues. If I had a clue what is causing the problem, I would try to fix it.

 

Bowser - I work in IT as a profession and am currently going to school for it - if you want, i can try to help you out. Would be easier if you happen to be in the eastern PA area, but if you describe what's going on I'll take a crack at it

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Duh!
It's an IBM Thinkpad. And it has issues.
What more information do you need?

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Well, when I power it up, it will stay on for a short time and then shuts itself down. That's all I can say. I did check the fan for filth but didn't find anything, so I don't believe it's overheating. I checked the power adapter and know that it is supplying power.

It's a really old machine. A friend who cleans repo's gave it to us several years back. We got about two years of use out of it before it started acting up. It was simply an internet machine that we kept on the kitchen table. I have Linux Mint loaded on it. It was nice having it around, and I do miss it. It is still sitting on our kitchen table.

Thanks for offering your assistance. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears.

 

I once had a brain tumor but went online and found the surgical way to remove it myself, which I did, and now am back to my abnormal life!

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Watch for yourself and save big $$$$$$$$$$ by doing it alone and without anesthesia.

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Computers are like lego. I built my own when I read the costs of somebody else doing it. You have to be careful to get the right parts though.

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...4ZyvAQ&usg=AFQjCNH_qezoIXK_m7GQ1_4ysANuWyxNiA

 

Nicely done, I get the same thrill when I fix something mechanical with google (I am NOT handy).

 

you need to be more like me.
i can fix ANYTHING with super glue, duct tape, and a hammer.

 

I built several many years ago, but haven't tied for a long time. They have changed so much from what I remember, I'm not sure how they go together anymore.

 

Wait until next year when more of them will have SSHD's in them , that should simplify them and keep them cooler. I was only kidding with my post about self brain surgery.

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I ran into a problem with the cable on the keyboard--couldn't figure out how to detach it from the motherboard. Fortunately for me, I found a webpage that showed me exactly what to do. I'm thankful because I was stuck and about to give up before finding that website. After that it went pretty smooth. It turns out that the brackets on the power connector had broken, so I replaced the power connector which I purchased on Amazon. Everything works correctly.

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Maps.....they make maps for building computers, I am reasonably sure, though they probably call them by another term. One does have to select components of the appropriate specifications and dimensions if one is going to get creative.

I watched a computer being built on my kitchen table, from a respectable distance, so as not to introduce any dust or static build up into the area of sensitivity, where the technician was tethered by a grounding wire to an electrical circuit.

 

Solid State Hard Drives? Yeah, computers have gone a long way since I first started playing with them.

 

When I built them, I would purchase a case, motherboard, cpu, hard drive, video card, sound card, and modem. Everything simply plugged together, you loaded the OS and drivers, and every thing worked. I would be interested in learning how it's done now. I will check it out online.

 

You likely know all this stuff, but this is may be a good starting point for others who may be contemplating building a computer from scratch.

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http://www.kitchentablecomputers.com/assemble1.php