text: I've been a computer hobbyist and gadget tinkerer since I was knee-high to a grasshopper and have turned that passion into a computer repair business that I've been running solo since 2006. I can fix pretty much anything, but I specialize in laptops. I enjoy new challenges and I love what I do!
  Teardowns en Que He Trabajado
  Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook Teardown
  Mis Guías
  Toshiba Satellite A505 series Battery Replacement
  Guías En Que Yo He Contribuido
  Nintendo GameCube Fan replacement for cleaning
  Game Boy Batteries Replacement
  Game Boy Outer Case Replacement
  Game Boy Speaker Replacement
  Super Nintendo Motherboard Replacement
  Super Nintendo Eject Button Replacement
  IBM Thinkpad T60 Palm Rest Replacement
  IBM Thinkpad T60 Battery Replacement
  Guías Completadas
  Reemplazo del disco duro Xbox One
  Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Motherboard Replacement
  iMac Intel 24" EMC 2134 and 2211 Hard Drive Replacement
  Luz amarilla de la muerte (LADM)
  MacBook Pro 13 "Unibody Mid 2009 Reemplazo de la tarjeta AirPort
  MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2009 Heat Sink Replacement
  MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Upper Case Replacement
  MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Late 2011 Logic Board Replacement
  Respuestas
  Respuesta a "Broke the lock, that connects the keyboard to the motherboard." 15/12/14
  What you're looking for is called a "retaining clip", though I'm seeing them more often called a "cable clip". These aren't usually considered "replaceable" parts, as they're so fragile. However, I have seen various ones on eBay. The dv7 is common enough, you should be able to find one (I struck out). I warn you, however, that you run a pretty big chance of breaking the replacement as well while attempting installation. It's probably worth it to get the system running again, I just wanted to make sure you understand the risk. Good luck and make sure you let us know how it turns out!
  Respuesta a "My keyboard is not working at all" 12/09/14
  If you had to remove the keyboard to get to the hard drive, it's likely you need to reseat the keyboard's ribbon cable. Please be careful, as the retaining clips are fragile and are both easily broken and impossible to fix. However, if you did not remove the keyboard, it's quite possible the keyboard is bad. It's not very common (it's usually only a partial failure), but it can happen. I'd check the connection either way, to be sure. In extremely rare cases, it could be the motherboard itself, but I've only ever encountered that once, and it was due to the connector's retaining clip having broken. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a service manual easily... Dell usually offers those freely, but it doesn't appear to be available. I'd check with them anyway, just in case. I might have missed something. If replacement is required, it doesn't appear that Dell offers this one, currently. You'll have to go through a third party. I like eBay for the built-in protections, but BE CAREFUL. (I only deal with Top Rated...
  Respuesta a "The desktop won't come on, just 3 loud beeps" 11/07/11
  These are post codes (aka "beep" codes) that the BIOS gives when there's a hardware problem. Unfortunately, there's no universal standard for what means what between board manufacturers (or even between boards by the same!) I'll need to know the exact model to be able to give you more than that. Have you recently done anything with the memory or other hardware? This might have something to do with it. Any details you could provide will help. I'll update my answer when I have more info to go on. In the meantime, here's a link to HP's troubleshooting guide for beep codes. The list at the bottom does not give an explanation of this specific code, but the steps should be followed anyway. I've seen posts about this problem, but nobody had anything useful to say and were all old and closed.
  Respuesta a "MacBook won't charge or run without battery" 17/06/11
  I guarantee that they'll notice. It's not just "residue". There's a good chance there is more drink left on the board. The system likely needs to be cleaned on the component level (meaning dismantled and each part cleaned). While some areas may well be free of drink, anything that the drink might have touched (LCD, keyboard, motherboard, casing, etc.) will need cleaning. Unless you purchased accidental damage coverage, no warranty (that I've ever seen) will cover this. The last time I saw something like this, it was coffee, and it had actually insulated, overheated, and burned out the charging chip. Admittedly, this was not on an Apple, but they're not THAT different. If you're not comfortable taking it apart to clean it, I'd take it to someone that is. Use high-purity isopropyl alcohol (90% or better) for the cleaning. I prefer foam or foam-over-cotton swabs for detailed cleaning. If you NEED something pointy, use a plastic or wood pick, never metal. While cleaning, look for signs of heat damage...
  Respuesta a "Why I can not boot from optical drive?" 11/06/11
  How old is the system? Does other DVD media work? I'm assuming you burned the ISOs to DVD-R discs...? My first thought is that the drive does not support DVD, which would date the system as fairly old. If this is the case, you'll probably need to upgrade the optical drive (fairly inexpensive and a rather simple procedure). If the system is newer (within the last 5 years), the drive would be DVD-capable. You can tell by looking at the drive tray front panel. It should be pretty obvious (look for the DVD logo). If it's capable, but having trouble, the drive itself may just need replacing. Same fix as if outdated. Just be sure you know the connection type (IDE vs SATA). Most drives now are SATA. Take out the old one and bring it with you to a local electronics or computer store if you're not sure. Last thought is that you're using the same media for all the Linux burns. If this is true, and other DVD media plays just fine, then you probably want to pick up a different brand of disc and try again. I hope this...
  Respuesta a "Is iMac11,2 (mid2010 i3 3.06) possible to change the cpu to i7?" 12/05/11
  From my research, you should be able to upgrade to the processor to the 3.6GHz i5 (680) mentioned in the alternative-configuration spec, but I don't believe it would work for an i7 due to power requirements and a likely lock-out by Apple on the hardware itself. I hope this helps!
  Respuesta a "Whats wrong with my Saturn when the screen flickers and scrolls?" 12/05/11
  I will assume, by the description, that you're hooking this to a CRT (old tube TV). :p The last time I had a console do what you describe, it turned out to be the AV input connection on the TV itself. While possible it is the cable, the symptoms usually ended up being different that you describe. Swapping cables, if you have a spare available, would be a great way to actually rule this out. When you adjust the cable's position (aka "jiggling"), does it make a difference? Does it matter where along the cable you do this? Check to see if the jack(s) is (are) loose in any way on the TV. If so, then the soldering that holds it may have cracked or broken in the TV. It might be fixable, but it's insanely dangerous and probably not worthwhile. (Met an electronics veteran who was lucky to be alive after accidentally brushing against the leads of a CRT capacitor early in his career. NOT RECOMMENDED!) Your best bet, if the above mentioned diagnostic "jiggling" doesn't narrow down the cause, is to connect the Saturn...
  Respuesta a "Why does my Intel iMac reboot after 5 minutes of normal use?" 19/04/11
  Replacing the PSU sounds like the first order of business. Wireless devices do tend to get warm, so unless it's literally hot to the touch or starts having issues, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Let us know if this fixes the problem or if there's more. I'd like to believe that it's JUST the PSU, but you never know. Power-spike-related damage is unpredictable. I've seen surges take out modems and the motherboards they were attached to, or just the modem. Luckily, with most mid-grade or better surge protectors and UPS (battery backup) units having built-in cable, phone, and ethernet jacks, that's not as much of an issue these days. (Which, of course, you should be using.) I hope this helps!
  Respuesta a "Can I replace/repair CF pin assembly (bent pins) on Nikon D70 myself?" 19/04/11
  The smallest I've dealt with is VGA ports and IDE hard drive connectors, but this should be fixable, depending on the severity of the damage. If the pin is bent at the base, but is otherwise undamaged, it should be a relatively simple task to just straighten it out. Since the pins are far too close together to use most needle-nose pliers (even the small ones sold here), I suggest a very small flat-tip screwdriver (glasses-repair style). If the pin is simply leaning against another pin, you may be able to try just pushing the tip of the pin SLOWLY back into place without dismantling the camera, assuming you can see what you're doing. If, however, the pin is bent further down, you'll need a bit more leverage, which means taking it apart to access the assembly. While none of the guides here currently show how to remove the CF assembly, Nikon D70 Rear Cover Assembly Replacement should get you close. From the look of it (Step 9, second photo), there's a couple screws holding a metal plate over the lens motor...
  Respuesta a "Unit is on but nothing on TV screen" 17/04/11
  It appears there's a video-detect reset function of the PS3. Assuming there's no hardware trouble, the cables are all connected properly, and the TV is set to the correct input, try holding down the power button for 5 seconds or so while the unit is off. It should beep a second time to let you know it worked. Now, try turning it on. It also appears that Tim Gelvin (iFixit contributor) is writing a guide to address this exact issue. It's showing up as incomplete, but it helps to validate my own research. I hope this helps!