Laptop repairs

angela2095

Hi, I have been given a laptop from my mother. Everything works fine and I even managed to connect wirelessly to the internet!! The only problem with the laptop is the USB ports. There are 4 of them in a square at the back of the laptop, 2 of them are completely damaged and the other 2 are workable as I have a wireless adapter in one and a mouse in the other. The thing is, the 2 working have also been damaged and I have to be extra carefull when connecting something to them. I will only ever need 2 ports but does anyone know if they can be repaired/replaced and will it cost me a small fortune? Thanks in advance.

inmypocketnottheirs

angela2095 wrote:

Hi, I have been given a laptop from my mother. Everything works fine and I even managed to connect wirelessly to the internet!! The only problem with the laptop is the USB ports. There are 4 of them in a square at the back of the laptop, 2 of them are completely damaged and the other 2 are workable as I have a wireless adapter in one and a mouse in the other. The thing is, the 2 working have also been damaged and I have to be extra carefull when connecting something to them. I will only ever need 2 ports but does anyone know if they can be repaired/replaced and will it cost me a small fortune? Thanks in advance.

Don't know about replacing them, but if you need more USB ports you could buy a USB hub, either from Maplin Electronics or have a look on Ebay. They are normally around a tenner and would give you an additional 4-6 ports. You just plug into one of the available working ports and then you can connect through the hub.

HTH

angela2095

Hi, Thanks for the reply, The thing is, I want to give the laptop to my son and I know he would probably make the damaged ports worse so I was looking to get them repaired. Thanks.

Mizz_Pink

Hubby would recommend a usb hub as previous poster or PCMCIA card to plug into the card slot. Which will have 2 usb ports on it, cost about £10-12 for both.

espresso

Any competent electronic engineer/TV repair man (notice that I didn't say PC expert, because PC's simply plug together) would be able to replace the USB block.

Mizz_Pink

espresso wrote:

Any competent electronic engineer/TV repair man (notice that I didn't say PC expert, because PC's simply plug together) would be able to replace the USB block.

Thats not what hubby would say !!! :eek:

The laptop would have to be taken to bits and the ports resoldered, then of course you have to check the ports have failed and then you have to make sure you buy the correct ports. It would be a lot cheaper and easier if the OP bought a usb hub or PCMCIA card.

And of course the OP needs to tell her son to take care when plugging things in, the pins are delicate.

espresso

Mizz_Pink wrote:

Thats not what hubby would say !!! :eek:

The point that I'm making is that it is a different sort of engineer who would easily mend this. i.e. a electronics repair man who is used to replacing surface mounted components on circuit boards etc. Most PC engineers never use a soldering iron as, it all simply plugs together! Find the right engineer and it is an easy repair.

superscaper

espresso wrote:

The point that I'm making is that it is a different sort of engineer who would easily mend this. i.e. a electronics repair man who is used to replacing surface mounted components on circuit boards etc. Most PC engineers never use a soldering iron as, it all simply plugs together! Find the right engineer and it is an easy repair.

Would completely agree, I'm only an "academic" electronic engineer but even I've had plenty more experience at soldering actual electronics components than most "pc engineers". It shouldn't be too difficult and the cost will really only be for the labour, it really is surprising how cheap most electronic components actually are. An actual electronic technician will look at the components whereas a pc repair place will probably want to replace the entire motherboard.

Mizz_Pink

espresso wrote:

The point that I'm making is that it is a different sort of engineer who would easily mend this. i.e. a electronics repair man who is used to replacing surface mounted components on circuit boards etc. Most PC engineers never use a soldering iron as, it all simply plugs together! Find the right engineer and it is an easy repair.

Point taken

yellowlawn

Well as this is part of what I do for a living, I would agree with Mizz_Pink.. recommend a usb hub as previous poster or PCMCIA card to plug into the card slot. Which will have 2 usb ports on it, cost about £10-12 for both.. All the guys in this field charge a standing fee of about £80 + VAT excluding parts and shipping costs of £40 or so. Work it out for yourself!