My laptop fell off my desk today and the lcd busted. What are my options at this point as far as saving the computer? Can I have the screen replaced for cheaper than a new laptop? If so, where are some good shops in the area that do this?

8/29/2010 7:09:21 PM

It is cheaper than a new laptop, about $100 for a new screen...

...but if it's an old laptop it may not be worth it, it may be a better idea to buy a new laptop and an enclosure for the old hard drive and then pull off your valuable porn stash documents.

8/29/2010 7:18:48 PM

Its about 2 years old. Plus, all the effort of moving my porn stash...i mean...."files" suck.

So $100 huh? Any good shops in the area?

8/29/2010 7:24:29 PM

I've had good luck getting screens off eBay and replacing it myself. I think I payed around 50-60 each. But it depends on your model. Another option would be to find one with that's busted but has a good screen and part it.

8/29/2010 7:39:15 PM

^

replacing a lcd screen yourself is kinda tricky though if you've never done it yourself.

8/29/2010 10:38:39 PM

It really isn't terribly difficult, and a quick search might produce a "how-to" video for replacing the screen of your particular model. It's honestly how I taught/convinced my non-technical sister to replace her own screen (12.1" Dell) when she busted it while living on the opposite coast from me. YMMV.

8/29/2010 10:51:17 PM

I have found screens for around $70. If this is something I can do myself I may just buy a new screen instead of a new computer. I didnt plan on spending $400 this week lol.

8/30/2010 8:40:56 PM

I'd replace it for you in exchange for a detail if I still lived in Raleigh.

8/30/2010 8:59:31 PM

^Damn lol. You gave me an idea...

8/30/2010 9:06:42 PM

what laptop do you have? Most of the bigger name manufacturer are easy to replace the lcd panel if you know how to take screws out and know where the snap points on the chassis are (if they designed it like that). A quick search on google will help you with finding out instructions. Usually it only involves with taking the front plastic bezel (usually a handful of screws hidden by rubber stoppers), removing the keyboard (usually a snap on plastic chassis piece to access the screws to remove it), and a simple ribbon cable to remove delicately.

Probably 15-30 mins of work if that. If don't know what you doing, it'll probably be an afternoon trying to find that last screw keeping the bezel down. lol

8/31/2010 12:49:28 AM

If you do plan on doing it yourself I find that when removing screws having a white piece of paper next to your laptop helps. So when you remove a screw you can place it on the paper in the same place you removed it. So when you remove the top left screw, you place it on the top left of the paper. So when you go back to put them all back in you know what goes where.

8/31/2010 1:13:44 AM

^Good idea, and definitely do a search on Youtube. You can find them for just about anything. I used one this summer for a total teardown on a CQ60 that the motherboard shit itself.

8/31/2010 8:32:15 AM

Ok, I had been using the computer just hooked up a external monitor. All of a sudden, it quit sending out a signal. Tried one other monitor the same thing. Talked to my computer guy, he said the video card has gone out, and it would be cheaper just to buy a new one.

Can I trade a detail for removing some files/pics I have on this computer? Its just a few pics, some songs, and a few files. Anyone up for the job?

9/2/2010 8:43:58 PM

1. Get a new laptop
2. Buy an enclosure
3. Remove hard drive from old laptop
4. Install old hard drive into enclosure
5. Pull precious documents from old hard drive, reformat it, and use it as an external

9/2/2010 11:03:15 PM

What is an enclosure?

9/2/2010 11:16:49 PM

something that turns an internal hard drive into an external and allows you to hook it up to another computer's USB (or more rarely FireWire) connection

look for 2.5" on the box

9/2/2010 11:26:59 PM

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3743049&CatId=2781

Like this?

9/2/2010 11:28:51 PM

yes...now you just need to see whether your old drive is indeed SATA, it might instead be an older PATA (sometimes called "IDE") drive

9/2/2010 11:32:46 PM

I have a 3 year old Dell Vostro 1500.. The screen resolution is 1280by800. Is it possible to upgrade the screen resolution by buying a replacement screen off ebay? I have an 8600M GT graphics card on it..

[Edited on September 10, 2010 at 10:20 AM. Reason : ..]

9/10/2010 10:15:59 AM