Time To Replace Your Laptop Video Card

When you try to fix your laptop video card, but it's fault it means it's time to replace your laptop video card.  The demise of the video card could range from display problems  to lack of graphical  power. If these problems exist, it's time to change the video card. However, you may need to take their entire laptop apart as the video card is located under several parts. Let me show you how.

Things needed

• Screw driver

Now onward.

Turn The Laptops Power Off

First take the laptop's power off, and close the screen. Turn the entire laptop over so that only the bottom of the laptop case is visible. Hold down the battery's release button and and slide the battery out of the case. Next set the battery and remove the screws at the center and right side of the case that hold the plastic covers over the RAM modules and hard drive. After setting the battery aside, lift the modules up and remove them from the case.

Take Out The Screws

Next, take out the screws  holding the plastic cover over the   modem.  And pull out the cover, remove the modem and set it aside. You the n put the screw driver underneath the plastic above the keyboard. Wiggle the screwdriver until the strip pops up. Now Now set the strip aside and remove the screws on top of the keyboard.

Lift The Keyboard Off The Laptop
Lift the keyboard off the laptop until you can see  the motherboard cable.Once you see the motherboard cable, go ahead and disconnect the motherboard cable and then set the keyboard aside completely. After sorting out the keyboard, pull out the screw holding the DVD drive at the top right hand corner of the case. Now slide the DVD drive out of the case and set it aside completely. After sliding the DVD drive out of the case,locate the metal plate in the middle of the case and remove the metal plate's screw. You then pull out the metal plate and remove the three screws near the edge where the metal plate is located.

Disconnect The Motherboard Cables
Disconnect all the motherboard cables located underneath the metal plate. The next step will be to lift the metal plate's cover piece such that the motherboard cable is easily visible. Now go on to remove the video card screw located at the upper left corner of the motherboard. After removing the video card screw, you then go ahead and pull out the old video card. Next, insert the new video card in its place and replace the screw.  After inserting the new video card, you then place the cover piece over the motherboard and reconnect all the motherboard cables.

Put The DVD Drive Back In
Put the DVD drive back in and reconnect the screw. Reassemble the laptop and slide the battery back in. Now open the screen lid and insert the installation CD for the new video card into the DVD drive. And finally follow the onscreen instructions to install the video card software.

That's a wrap on "Time To Replace Your Laptop Video Card" Till next time take care.


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Need To Replace Laptop Display

A while back we  learnt how to  Fix A Laptop Display. But sometimes there is a need to replace the laptop display  when all options are exhausted. Of course you can choose to go to a repair shop to get the laptop display replaced, but wouldn't it be nice to save yourself valuable cash and replace the laptop display yourself?

Tools needed for this exercise:

• Small flat head screw driver
• Small Phillips head screw driver

Now onward to the exercise:

Turn Off Your Laptop

Turn off your laptop and remove the power chord. Then  flip the laptop over and  slide the release lever to loosen and remove the battery. Next, pull the battery out of the case. Now remove the keyboard cover with a flat head screw driver to take out the retaining screws, starting with the right hand side,middle, and right hand side.

After taking care of the keyboard cover, you now  remove the retaining screws from the back panel of the laptop. And then remove the screws that hold the antennae in place and the antennae to the side of the laptop.

Remove The Laptop Display's Adapter Cable

Remove the laptop display's adapter cable from the motherboard. And then remove the screws holding the laptop's display assemble to the top of the laptop's case. Now carefully lift the display assembly free of the laptop case. Next carefully set the new laptop display in place.  Then replace the retaining screws that hold the laptop display in place and then connect  the adapter cable to the motherboard. And finally reassemble the case to test the laptop display. Should work like a charm.

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How To Fix Faulty Keyboard Keys of a Laptop

A while back we learnt how to replace a  laptop's keyboard. Today we're going  down and dirty. We are to learn how to fix the faulty keyboard keys of a laptop. Isn't it irritating sometimes, that you're typing and all of a sudden,a key sticks, and you're unable to produce the character on the screen? Or even worse, a bunch of keys stop functioning all of a sudden. The sad truth is laptop keyboards can stop functioning for a variety of reasons.  I know you're tempted to buy a new keyboard, but knowing how to fix your faulty keys can save you lots of time, not to mention save you valuable cash as well.

Things Needed For This Exercise

• Ballpoint pen
• Car key (optional)
• Flathead screw driver
• Knife (optional)
• Damp cloth

• Cotton swabs
• Rubbing alcohol
• Water
• Can of compressed air.

Now let's dig in.

Turn Your Laptop Off

Turn off your laptop , then use a flathead screwdriver or knife to try the key off gently from a corner.  You should hear the key make a snapping sound as it detaches.

Remove The Key Container

Remove the container(The container holding the key) and use your knife or screw driver to pop the container off by gently twisting it.

Pull off The Space Bar

Pull off the space bar after you you slide the screw driver under the space bar.

Clean Underneath Laptop Keys

Clean underneath your laptop keys with cotton schwabs or a soft cloth dampened with alcohol. You can also utilized compressed air  to remove dust dirt and other debris.

Replace Your Laptop Keys
Replace your laptop keys by placing the laptop container in position. In case you get amnesia(just kidding) as to the exact position of the container, you can remove another key from another retainer by copying that key's retainer's position, and position the key over the retainer while pressing down the key. And as usual, you should hear the key snap into position Next, place your laptop's space bar over the space bar slots and snap it into place.

Well that's a wrap for "How To Fix Faulty Keyboard Keys of  a Laptop." 

Till next time, have a good one.

If you are here and you want to learn how to fix laptops as a career or past time, Download Laptop Repair Made Easy

Is My Laptop Display Working?

Laptop displays tend to go AWOL every now and then.  The question that immediately pops in your head is "Is My Laptop Display Working?"Sometimes it could be a an AC adapter heading south or a the monitor's brightness starts playing tricks with your eyes.  Then again the problems may be so such that  they may require further investigation visa vis your VGA cable and an external monitor. You don't need to be a genius to do this. So long as you follow the correct procedures, you should be able to uncover the source of your distress. So Onward:

Things needed:

• External Monitor
• VGA Cable

 Take Look At Your AC Adapter
First take a look at your AC adapter. Make sure the AC adapter is secured tightly at the back of your laptop and make sure it's placed in either your wall socket or surge protector. If the socket goes kaput, try another socket.

Adjust The Settings On Your Monitor
Next, adjust the settings on your monitor. The idea behind adjusting your monitor settings is to eliminate the presence of darkness on your laptop display . This is important in case you intentionally turn the settings all the way down. In case you are wondering where the monitor settings keys are, they;re located  at the top of your keyboard just below the numeric keys. These keys should help restore the brightness on your laptop display.

Look Out For Any Faint Image On Your Display
After turning up brightness on your laptop display look out for any faint image on your screen. Find the 'LCD closed switch' located on the bottom of the laptop display, perched nicely next one of your display's hinges. This switch helps determine whether your laptop display is open or closed and turns the back-light off appropriately, in case the display is accidentally stuck in the closed position. In that case, tap the switch several times with your finger to get it to disengage. Hopefully it should bring your display back to normal.

Test Your Laptop Display
Next test your laptop display for a return  to optimum performance  or whether it needs to be replaced. To accomplish this, get an external monitor and hook it up to your laptop. You can accomplish this through a VGA cable from the external display port, located at the back of your laptop, and into  the external monitor.Now turn on  both the laptop and the external monitor. If the monitor displays properly,the fault lies with your laptop display. However, if no image shows on the monitor, the motherboard is the culprit here. This spells doom, meaning you need to get a new laptop.

That will be all for "Is My Laptop Display Working?".


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How To Bring Your Laptop's Operating System Back To Life

You’ve turned on your laptop  and loaded your Windows , expecting to dive into the throes of a project deadline you need to beat.  While  Windows is loading, you get the dreaded “Operating System Not  Found” Error. For those who are not familiar with this message, you’re basically being told that  there is a problem with the start cycle of your operating system before it starts loading. 

When that happens, the BIOS(The software that powers the motherboard) is forced to act as the default operating system. This shouldn’t be the case at all and I’m gonna show you how to  bring your operating system back to life.

A Few Things Needed For This Exercise

• Windows Installation Disk
• Fresh Hard Disk

Now Onward:

Insert the Windows Installation Disk For Your Windows Operating System
Insert the Windows installation disk for your windows operating system  and restart the PC.  Just remember that the laptop is unable to find the operating sytem and , consequently  may move on to the CD-ROM/ DVD drive. The PC may ask you which boot device to choose..When that happens just select DVD drive.You will then be prompted to boot to the installation disk. When that happens, just press any key. You then select a new installation of windows to repair the previous windows installation.

Select to  Install The New Operating System
Select to install the new operating system and the installation package will scan to check whether windows is already installed.  If  the installation package declares that Windows is already installed,  the package should them give you the go ahead to fix the hard drive. You will replace all corrupted with clean files from the Windows installation disk.

Replace All Corrupted Files with Clean Files
 If  the installation package declares that Windows is already installed,  the package should then give you the go ahead to fix the hard drive. You will replace all corrupted files with clean files from the Windows installation disk.

Replace The Hard Disk With A Fresh Hard Disk
However, if the installation package does not .detect a Windows operating system on the hard disk, then you have a faulty hard disk.. It is highly likely the hard drive is corrupted and cannot be redeemed- unless you want to fork out a few dollars at a data retrieval service. In that case replace the hard disk with a fresh hard disk and repeat the installation process from scratch.

If you need any help replacing the hard disk, read this post.

Well, that will be all for "How To Bring Your Laptop's  Operating System Back To Life."  

If you are here and you want to learn how to fix laptops as a career or past time, Download Laptop Repair Made Easy

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How To Revive A Crashed Laptop

One fine day you’re sitting behind your laptop trying desperately to finish a project when out of your nowhere your screen goes poof blank!  And you wonder to "yourself ” Why now? What’s going on here?” I’ve got bad news for you! Your laptop has crashed. Contrary to what you’ve been told, accidents do happen to laptops. Not only are crashes hair raising affairs but they’re very difficult to diagnose and fix.. But with a little savvy and tech nous, you can narrow things  and identify who the culprits are.

So let's find out howto revive a crashed laptop

Tools Needed For This Adventure:

•  Disk utility software
•    New hard drive

Now that we’ve identified what we need for this exercise, it’s time to get our hands dirty.

Understand Your Laptop's Anatomy
First you need to understand the parts of your laptop's anatomy which    cause your laptop to crash. The most popular causes are damaged hard drives, corrupt software and internal body parts such as motherboards and RAM.   Now turn on your laptop and watch how it behaves. If   the hard drive acts like someone being strangled to death, it means the hard drive is history… To solve this ailment, run a disk diagnostic utility test to ascertain whether it can be cured. If not, it’s time to get the damaged hard drive out and slot in the new hard disk.

     Blue Screen Of Death

   When you see the dreaded “blue" screen of death” on your screen, it can only mean one thing: your operating system is corrupt. To uncorrupt your operating system,  reinstall your OS. Just make sure you don’t make the mistake of forgetting to back up your data before fixing your OS. If you do, you’ll lose all your data.

hThe Motherboard Is History

     If the laptop only boots as far as the BIOS, then the motherboard is also history. You don’t want that happening to your motherboard because the motherboard is to the laptop what an engine is to the car. You know when your car engine breaks and you have to find a new engine replacement? It’s a similar situation with your laptop. Once the motherboard goes, so does your laptop. However, to get around this problem, find a laptop that has a significant problem such as a damaged laptop display, and switch your damaged motherboard with that of the motherboard from the other laptop.

But if you want to learn how to how to replace a motherboard, .click here.

Virus In The Neigborhood
Anytime a laptop crashes when a program is in the process of being launched, or when the laptop is overworking itself to process data, chances are a virus is in the neighborhood. There are two ways of solving this: First get anti-virus software to clean out the virus . Second, reformat the hard drive. And just as I mentioned a few paragraphs earlier, backup your data to avoid losing the data.. Do me a favor  though:  Do not reinfect your laptop with the same corrupted data or you’ll be forced to clean out the virus all over again.

Well that will be all for "How To Revive A Crashed Laptop"

If you are here and you want to learn how to fix laptops as a career or past time, Download Laptop Repair Made Easy

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How Do I Know My laptop is Broken? And How Do I Fix It?

You know one question that most  fresh laptop owners ask is"How do I know my laptop is broken? And How do I fix it? There is one thing people need to knwo. Laptops have a very short life expectancy, starting from their release date. At some point they degenerate gradually, or suffer a serious acciddent. It will be my pleasure to show you how to troubleshoot and fix a laptop. I'll show you the most likely accidents and how to identify the troublemakers.

 Operating  System Is Going Crazy

Your laptop is humming nicely,- the hard disk and the display are working in sync. 

The disk drive, laptop display and everything else is running nicely, when all of a sudden, the   laptop boots halfway and then stops. The cause of all this stress is your crazy operating system. The next questions  is “How do I stop my operating system from acting crazy?

Since most of you users use Windows, you’d be better served re-starting your windows operating system in Safe mode so as to give you an opportunity to fix the problem. If you don’t want to go through the stress of fixing the problem, just re-install the operating system. Before you reinstall your operating system, be sure to back up your data to avoid the pain of using all of it.

My Hard Disk Is Acting Up

When you reach the conclusion that “My hard disk is acting up”, you need to be very worried.  Why?  Because your hard disk is the storage area for your data.  Warning signs of a failing hard disk include:

• ·         Slow performance
• ·         Persistent Freezing
•        Corrupt data
•        Bad sectors
• Weird Sounds

How do I Fix these symptoms?

Run a test for errors on   your   hard disk. Like I stated  above, back up all your data.

Irritable Battery

Your battery also gets irritable every now and then.  However you need to take your battery   seriously   because it provides power for BIO settings when your laptop is turned. But    in case the   battery starting act up, her are a few warning signs to watch out for:

·         Time and date are constantly reset

·         The laptop either won’t boot or simply turns off.

·         Battery-related error message flashes when booting

How to Fix   the Battery?

Replace the battery. Click here to learn how to replace a laptop battery.

I’m Losing My RAM

Losing your RAM is akin to losing your mind.  Your laptop RAM acts as your laptop's  short term memory since it stores information your laptop needs to function when it is running. Just like the other hardware parts it is prone to failure. Here are a few symptoms to watch out for when you feel you’re losing your RAM.

      Boot failure and constant beeping.

·         Hangs while installing the operating system.

·         Crashes randomly while in operation

How to Fix RAM?

•      Run a memory test to check for errors.
•     Check to see whether your RAM sticks are out of pocket. If so, open the underside of the laptop, take them out and reseat them.

Laptop Display Goes Bunkers

If you think your laptop display doesn’t go bunkers?  Wait til you drop your laptop crashes to the ground and the display splatters all over . the place.

Warning signs that your laptop display is damaged.

• Display doesn’t turn on at all.

So How Do I Fix The Display?

• Connect your laptop with an external monitor to ascertain whether the motherboard is damaged or not
• Replace the broken laptop display. 

Well that will be all for this post on "How Do I Know My laptop is Broken? And How Do I Fix It??"

If you are here and you want to learn how to fix laptops as a career or past time, Download Laptop Repair Made Easy