Can anyone here repair laptops?

[Grashopper]

The lappy in question is an Alienware M3450i Sentia.

From back in the days when Alienware still made hot looking laptops. I always had my eye on them, but never could afford one, so when one came up on TradeMe I had to have it.

It was advertised as running, but with issues (can’t remember the exact wording). The laptop arrived, got tested and supposedly had a RAM issue. That was easily taken care of with a new RAM.
Afterwards it was running fine, for an hour or so. I had sat down with it on my lap and was watching a movie. Then I wanted to adjust the screen and moved it a bit. Suddenly the screen went white and smoke came out of the back of the laptop.

Not a good thing when it’s sitting on your lap… :shit:

By then it was still running, so I switched it off and took it to a repair guy, but they said they couldn’t do anything. Not sure why, if it was because of the parts or because he thought I was just travelling through. That was about 2-3 years ago. Since then it has been sitting in my cupboard. So today I decided to throw it out or put it on Trademe together with a broken Acer, just in case someone still wants it.

But it is still such a pretty little laptop and I’d really want to keep it. Just can’t really justify having a broken lappy, or two, just sitting around taking up space. So, anyone here who knows what they are doing and can at least try to repair it?

It's one of those here, just with lower specs http://glendale-california.olx.com/alienware-laptop-m3450i-iid-62820996

[Mom]

The lappy in question is an Alienware M3450i Sentia.

From back in the days when Alienware still made hot looking laptops. I always had my eye on them, but never could afford one, so when one came up on TradeMe I had to have it.

It was advertised as running, but with issues (can’t remember the exact wording). The laptop arrived, got tested and supposedly had a RAM issue. That was easily taken care of with a new RAM.
Afterwards it was running fine, for an hour or so. I had sat down with it on my lap and was watching a movie. Then I wanted to adjust the screen and moved it a bit. Suddenly the screen went white and smoke came out of the back of the laptop.

Not a good thing when it’s sitting on your lap… :shit:

By then it was still running, so I switched it off and took it to a repair guy, but they said they couldn’t do anything. Not sure why, if it was because of the parts or because he thought I was just travelling through. That was about 2-3 years ago. Since then it has been sitting in my cupboard. So today I decided to throw it out or put it on Trademe together with a broken Acer, just in case someone still wants it.

But it is still such a pretty little laptop and I’d really want to keep it. Just can’t really justify having a broken lappy, or two, just sitting around taking up space. So, anyone here who knows what they are doing and can at least try to repair it?

It's one of those here, just with lower specs http://glendale-california.olx.com/alienware-laptop-m3450i-iid-62820996

PM Gremlin and see if he can help you. Smoke coming out is never a good thing, as there is only a certain amount of smoke inside anything, once you have let it all out it is impossible to put it back in. Hope Gremlin can point you in the right direction.

[Gremlin]

Well, if you've let the magic smoke out, it ain't working again :oi-grr:

I'm not sure of anything around Taupo for you, and we (who I work for) doesn't go as far as repairing components, that sort of thing. Being laptop, the hard part is many components are specified by the brand and then manufactured to fit it, ie, there is no standard set of components that work in every laptop.

Compounding this, you've left it for a few years, which will make parts harder to source. Equally, 2nd hand computers aren't worth much, especially if they're more than 3-4 years old.

[TheDemonLord]

Well, if you've let the magic smoke out, it ain't working again :oi-grr:

I'm not sure of anything around Taupo for you, and we (who I work for) doesn't go as far as repairing components, that sort of thing. Being laptop, the hard part is many components are specified by the brand and then manufactured to fit it, ie, there is no standard set of components that work in every laptop.

Compounding this, you've left it for a few years, which will make parts harder to source. Equally, 2nd hand computers aren't worth much, especially if they're more than 3-4 years old.

all you have to do is gather up all the smoke and put it back in - Geez Gremlin....

you might have luck with some chinese companies that bulk manufacture the components that the Laptops use, but unless you are fluent in Chinese and have got a lot of time to spare....

Also as Gremlin pointed out - sure the Lappie might look cool but component wise it will be slowing.

I could build you a kick ass Gaming rig in the Case of your choice....

[BuzzardNZ]

If it's smoking, I'd say it's knackered.

Around $450 will get you a cheap new Acer and that's fine if your needs don't require heaps of processing power
( i.e. watching DVDs, email, browsing etc ).

Attempting to repair what you've got would possibly cost as much ( or more than ) a new cheap Acer, that is if anyone was willing to touch it.

[Grashopper]

Smoke coming out is never a good thing, as there is only a certain amount of smoke inside anything, once you have let it all out it is impossible to put it back in.

I was afraid of that. Some of the smoke might have gone into the screen and all the poor pixel died of smoke poisening turning white in the process. Need to go and catch some new smoke. Maybe at the next trackday.


Well, if you've let the magic smoke out, it ain't working again :oi-grr:

I'm not sure of anything around Taupo for you, and we (who I work for) doesn't go as far as repairing components, that sort of thing. Being laptop, the hard part is many components are specified by the brand and then manufactured to fit it, ie, there is no standard set of components that work in every laptop.

Compounding this, you've left it for a few years, which will make parts harder to source. Equally, 2nd hand computers aren't worth much, especially if they're more than 3-4 years old.

Damn, here I was hoping someone who knows what they are doing could just take components from other laptops and put it back together.


all you have to do is gather up all the smoke and put it back in - Geez Gremlin....
Too late for that, the chameleon circuit of my time machine is broken and I don't remember where I parked it.


I could build you a kick ass Gaming rig in the Case of your choice....
I gave up gaming after my Amiga 500. All the computers were too slow for my accelerated thought processes so I kept dying too much. (Or maybe it was the other way around? :scratch:)

So my computer only have to be able to operate about 40 firefox windows at the same time, while I'm watching a movie and do some image processing. (ok wouldn't mind if it can run my 3D modelling and mapping software, too, but that is just for work emergencies).

[Grashopper]

If it's smoking, I'd say it's knackered.

Around $450 will get you a cheap new Acer and that's fine if your needs don't require heaps of processing power
( i.e. watching DVDs, email, browsing etc ).

Attempting to repair what you've got would possibly cost as much ( or more than ) a new cheap Acer, that is if anyone was willing to touch it.

Thankfully there is no shortage of running laptops in my house. It would just be nice to not have to throw the Alienware away.
The original plan was to try and repair the thing myself, to learn a bit more how they tick, but I just don't know enough about these things to even start.

[awayatc]

You can borrow my sledgehammer if that helps?

[Grashopper]

You can borrow my sledgehammer if that helps?

It's broken, not possessed. But I'll keep it in mind.

[awayatc]

If you cant fix it with that it may be an electrical problem...

you may need to stand on a rubber mat and hit more carefully

[Mom]

Man, bling limits suck! You guys are too funny!

Grasshopper, I reckon you need to have a very special farewell party for your Alien :yes:

[Akzle]

get one of these
http://www.rabbitlaserusa.com/images/supplies/ScrewdriverSetSmall.jpg
and start lernin.
At a guess, the internal connector for screen pinched and shorted.
If you cant find a drop in replacement, either scrap it, or get very keen and find a pinout for your mobo v. The new screen.
Fuck i love rainbow ribbon. I might go eat some.

[Gremlin]

The original plan was to try and repair the thing myself, to learn a bit more how they tick, but I just don't know enough about these things to even start.
The odds of repairing are incredibly slim, but for a learning experience, go for it. Search for the model's disassembly guide, basically, how to strip it down. Failing that, look for the joins and start undoing screws. If it's still not coming part, keep searching. There should be notes next to screws, denoting various things like keyboard, battery, hard drive. Different brands employ different tricks, like covers that have to be popped up, catches that have to be slid sideways (like HP on keyboards). Some laptops, you get to the guts from underneath the keyboard, others are more conventional from the bottom. HP has started doing something really fantastic, with a massive panel on the back, pop it up and you have access to the entire underneath, instead of multiple panels.

So, does it actually power on, or status lights come up? Smoke could be power supply, fans, motherboard or screen. If it's turning on, it's something more primary, ie, it will still run with a broken screen, but you can't see anything unless you plug in an extra monitor and replicate. Just because you can't see anything doesn't mean you can't do anything.

Since the laptop isn't functional, do you consider it a total loss? If so, nothing to lose, and use it as a learning experience. Smoke could mean popped caps, so look at all the caps on the boards and look for any that have signs of burns or an odd shape - normally instead of square and right angles it might be rounded.

[FJRider]

It's broken, not possessed. But I'll keep it in mind.

Possessed IS a possibility ... to be sure just place it in a big fire and get all the smoke out of it .... :shifty:

You will THEN have NO further problems from it ... :innocent:

[Grashopper]

If you cant fix it with that it may be an electrical problem...

you may need to stand on a rubber mat and hit more carefully
Can I also just jump into the air when I hit it? We don't have any rubber mats on the floors here, only on the walls.


The odds of repairing are incredibly slim, but for a learning experience, go for it. Search for the model's disassembly guide, basically, how to strip it down. Failing that, look for the joins and start undoing screws. If it's still not coming part, keep searching. There should be notes next to screws, denoting various things like keyboard, battery, hard drive. Different brands employ different tricks, like covers that have to be popped up, catches that have to be slid sideways (like HP on keyboards). Some laptops, you get to the guts from underneath the keyboard, others are more conventional from the bottom. HP has started doing something really fantastic, with a massive panel on the back, pop it up and you have access to the entire underneath, instead of multiple panels.

So, does it actually power on, or status lights come up? Smoke could be power supply, fans, motherboard or screen. If it's turning on, it's something more primary, ie, it will still run with a broken screen, but you can't see anything unless you plug in an extra monitor and replicate. Just because you can't see anything doesn't mean you can't do anything.

Since the laptop isn't functional, do you consider it a total loss? If so, nothing to lose, and use it as a learning experience. Smoke could mean popped caps, so look at all the caps on the boards and look for any that have signs of burns or an odd shape - normally instead of square and right angles it might be rounded.

Will try having a look on the weekend. I didn't dare to connect it to any power source so far, that bit of smoke put me off a bit. If i'm lucky I left the hard drive in there. Will see. I've got my tv monitor and can connect the lappy to it.



At a guess, the internal connector for screen pinched and shorted.
If you cant find a drop in replacement, either scrap it, or get very keen and find a pinout for your mobo v. The new screen.

Was thinking it might be something like that.


Possessed IS a possibility ... to be sure just place it in a big fire and get all the smoke out of it .... :shifty:

You will THEN have NO further problems from it ... :innocent:
Actually it's not giving me any problems yet. If I plug it in on the weekend and the thing explodes, then we're having problems with each other.

It's not even looking at me funny, yet. That was just a trick of the light. Really.

[Akzle]

speaking of laptops if anyone has one > these specs going, lets talk....
1.7g cpu
2gb ram
512 gpu
dvd rw
40gb hdd
gbps eth0
56k modem
16" display
full qwerty with numpad
...you know how youre getting paid. Do it for love!

[arcane12]

I second Gremlin - with a couple of tools and a few hours tinkering you'll have that thing in an array of little bits! And you know it's more than likely broke, so no fear of breaking it!

I ended up stripping down an Toshiba today to get to the battery, just to find it was one of the rare ones that had a NiMH one! Doh, no spare. And of course it was on the underside of the motherboard, so every little thing came out. Just have to not forget to be careful with those little ribbon cables, and put everything somewhere you won't lose it. It's always fun having a tiny srew fall onto the floor. Still better than the cell phone screws, those things get tiny!

[Akzle]

I second Gremlin - with a couple of tools and a few hours tinkering you'll have that thing in an array of little bits! And you know it's more than likely broke, so no fear of breaking it!

I ended up stripping down an Toshiba today to get to the battery, just to find it was one of the rare ones that had a NiMH one! Doh, no spare. And of course it was on the underside of the motherboard, so every little thing came out. Just have to not forget to be careful with those little ribbon cables, and put everything somewhere you won't lose it. It's always fun having a tiny srew fall onto the floor. Still better than the cell phone screws, those things get tiny!

laptopbattery.co.nz if its one of those,
or jaycar item sb1711

[marine0089]

Out of interest, have you tried plugging it into a tv/external monitor via the VGA/DVI port to check its not just the screen that's gone?

If that works then it could easily be the screen connection cable has fried so it no longer can send a signal to the screen but the rest of the laptop is OK.

If that's the case you'd just need to open it up, locate the connection (probably under the keyboard) and check it out. Fingers crossed it could be as simple as fixing the connection or purchasing a new LCD screen for it (that's assuming the connection on the motherboard isn't feied).

[SMOKEU]

It's too old to be worth fucking around with. Bin it, and buy something newer.