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Alsaces Daddy

Android Expert
Nov 13, 2011
4,927
1,884
Florida
I have a old Gateway laptop. The laptop was dropped on the port plug. I believe it's been dislodged from the motherboard. I don't really know for sure, but I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to computers.

Does anyone know of a way I can get this fixed for cheap? Every quote I have gotten was above $150. Which is brutal considering I only have a small budget and I'm supporting 4 people.

Any advice or help would be AWESOME!:eek:
 
I had a similar problem with an old laptop with a power port that simply had worn out. After months of taping the adapter plug into a "just so" position to keep constant power flowing, it finally quit.

What I chose to do was open up the laptop myself and try to fix the problem myself.

WARNING: OPEN UP YOUR LAPTOP AT YOUR OWN RISK! CHANCES ARE THAT YOU'LL BREAK SOMETHING.

What I found on mine was a separate, removable board for the power input. Because it was relatively easy (I still cracked parts of the case in getting to it) to remove, I might have tried to track down a spare part, or solder in a new power socket. The problem is that brick and mortar electronics supply stores are a thing of the past, and getting a part that was an exact fit was more work than I was willing to do.

One thing that I could have done was to solder in some wires in place of the bad connector, to bring the connector outside of the computer, or cut off the power supply plug and solder the power supply cable permanently to the laptop. This is best if you're no longer using the laptop as a portable. Many old laptops have dead battery packs, and the expense of buying replacements might not be worth it.

If you're good with a soldering iron, you probably have similar ideas already. If you're not skilled at repairing small electronics your choice is to either pony up the money for the repair, or use that money towards a new (or working used) laptop. I've thrown out dozens of laptops that could have been very useful "if only" some costly repair wasn't necessary.
 
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I've opened up more laptops than I can count- and successfully put them all back together in working condition.

alsaces daddy: Do a Google search for a teardown of your exact laptop model for help on exactly how to tear it down. I'd offer to do it, but after shipping and such, even with my bargain basement rates, you'll still end up paying that much....
 
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I think i'm going to tear it down tonight. I have seen a video on YouTube of a guy tearing down a Gateway MA7 laptop, which I believe that's what mine is.. And it seemed pretty easy although there are quite a few screws.

I am electrician, I used to work solely on xbox repair, (red ring of death) and headsets that needed a new battery so I was able to practice soldering quite a bit.

I thank you guys for your advice. As of now the Computer is dead and has been for 2 years so if I do break anything it wont be a horrible waste anyway. :)
 
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