Try to Fix Your Laptop
Unless
your laptop's motherboard has died or you've rendered your display
useless, fixing your "dead" laptop isn't out of the question. In fact,
it's probably realistic. You could pay for a professional repair service
to handle the problem for you, but often times the cost will be higher
than the actual value of your machine. If you can't afford a new one, or
simply don't want to spend money unnecessarily, you can often fix the
problem yourself. Assuming you know what's actually broken and needs
replacing, just follow these steps:
- Order a replacement part. You may need to call the manufacturer and provide your model number to figure out the specifications for the part you need to order. While you can often order that part directly, you'll probably find something cheaper on Newegg, Amazon (consider the used and refurbished gear in some cases if it saves a lot of money), Craigslist or eBay. Alternatively, if you've got a Mac you can turn to the iFixIt parts store.
- Figure out how to replace the part. If you're just replacing a hard drive or a stick of RAM, chances are the instructions are in the manual that came with your machine. This is because RAM and hard drives tend to be user-replaceable parts. This is not always the case, but you'll generally find that to be a problem more often with Apple laptops than any other brand. Either way, you'll find many repair guides for Apple and standard PC laptop hardware at iFixIt. If not, do a web search for "repair guide" and the name of your model. There's always a chance one of your fellow internet citizens has posted some form of assistance.
- Order the part you need and follow the guide to replace it. (This much is probably pretty obvious.) Be sure to keep track of all the screws you remove. I find it helps to separate them into an array of small bowls so you can easily locate the different types and don't risk accidentally brushing them off your worktable.
Hopefully
once you're finished you'll have a working laptop again. It won't last
forever, but it'll keep your computing companion alive a little bit
longer.
Strip Your Laptop for Parts
If
your laptop can be an organ donor—which is to say, you've decided to
open it up and remove the still-functioning hardware inside of its
casing—there's a lot you can do. You can sell the parts individually on the black market Craigslist,
or just put the entire computer up for sale at a reduced price (usually
around half of its going rate as a used product) while noting that it
isn't fully functional.
You can
also keep many of the parts you dissect for other uses. If they still
work, the hard drive, optical drive, RAM, and display can have their
uses down the line. In most cases, the hard drive and optical drive can
be placed in their own external enclosures to be used as individual
devices on another machine. Losing a laptop sucks, but gaining a couple
of handy peripherals is a better outcome than nothing. RAM is always
handy to keep around in case you can use it in another machine. That
machine may not be your new computer, but it makes a nice gift to a
friend who could use the extra boost. Finally, the display can be turned into a standalone monitor. Additionally, it's one of the more expensive components so you may want to sell it locally on Craigslist or remotely on eBay (and sometimes even Amazon).
Transform Your Laptop into Something New
If
you can't fix your laptop and don't want to strip it for parts, there
are several DIY projects that can help you make better use of the
hardware that's still functional. What you can and cannot do will, of
course, depend on what your laptop can still do. If its motherboard is
dead, nothing will be an option. Virtually anything else, however, can
still keep it functioning on some level.
If you've lost the trackpad, keyboard, and/or display, you have a lot of options. For starters, these handicapped machines make great network-attached storage devices
for downloading and serving files on your network. If the display still
works but you've only lost the trackpad and keyboard, your laptop is in
perfect condition to be turned into a touchscreen tablet. When a broken case is the issue, your laptop might just make a better desktop. You could even mount it on the wall or under a cabinet.
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