Computer gurus help with laptop

[kathrynloch]

Hey gang - need some help here if y'all don't mind. I'm pretty good with computers, I can tear them apart and put them back together, but laptops are a different subject entirely.

My cats strike again. When I paint, I have my laptop sitting next to me on a little portable drawer cabinet thing. For some strange reason, Whiskers the big Maine Coon decided to jump up onto the edge of the cabinet and come over the back of my open laptop, so her front paws were on the keyboard and her back paws on the cabinet, her belly on the top of the open lid. She's a big cat so of course everything started to slide toward the floor. I grabbed the laptop saying to hell with the cat because she could land on her feet. I happened to catch it by the edges of the monitor - it's an LCD screen. On the left I caught the bezel, no problem, but on the right, the edge of my thumb caught the screen and of course damaged the LCD. I had hoped the small indentation of the edge of my thumb would be the worst of it but unfortunately, I turned it on this morning and it now has streaks in the upper right side of the screen. Still very much workable but if it continues to degrade, I'm not going to be happy. I assume, since the L in LCD stands for liquid, that the broken crystals are leaking and damaging other crystals. I use this laptop for my business, and the business is painting minis so I need to put photos on this thing and edit them.

It's an HP Pavilion dv9810us Notebook PC with a 17inch Brightview Widescreen LCD, a webcam and two microphones LCD screen. It's an older model but it's nice and does the job I need it to do pretty well.

I went to the HP website to check part numbers and of course they stopped supporting this model in July 2011. Sheesh! But they still have some parts in stock. They've got a variety listed for the display of this laptop but the cheapest one they have with the webcam, camera cable, and microphone is $266.00 with exchange. I figured I'd have to remove the entire top of the laptop and replace it. That's probably going to require special tools or taking it to a shop. I might be able to do it myself but then again I might not.

So I've got a couple of choices here - order the part from HP and try to replace it myself, take it to a shop and see if they can fix it, or buy something else. I'd love to get an Ipad but I do a lot of typing and that screen isn't conducive to typing. The primary thing I do is Photos, posting to here, Ebay, website and other online stuff, and homework for school which requires I upload it as a Word document. Of course internet surfing and writing as well.

Oh - also with all the photo editing I do, the 17 inch screen is nice but not a must have, I could go a little smaller but I don't want tiny either. What's really nice is the full size keyboard and number key pad. lol!

I was hoping some of you might give me some recommendations. I sold some stuff at the model horse show so I've only got $300 to spend but I hit ebay and I might find something through the Green Trade electronics program.

Also, I could just get another monitor but I really don't have the room to set up an external monitor and that sorta kills the portability.

Thoughts, ideas, recommendations? The biggest thing I'm worried about is that the screen will keep degrading until it's unusable then I'll really be stuck.

Thanks!!!!

 

[PegaZus]

Not a guru or anything, but I'd suggest that if it is over 2 years old, you're better off buying a new one. Sure, it'll probably be twice the amount it would take to fix it, but the rest of the machine will be new now too.

 

[Spoontoes]

I've done a lot of computer work myself - the one thing I haven't touched with a screwdriver is a laptop (other than to replace a hard drive and batteries) - always seemed like a very fiddly job. Anywho all that is beside the point - what I would recommend is this: if you *need* that laptop (specifically) then buy the replacement parts (ebay if you can ofc) - find someone who is qualified/you are comfortable with the ability to to repair it locally - and take the parts and laptop there and get it fixed, suck up the difference in cash and evenually you'll come back up straight.

Having said that - from my own experience (nothing like falling over drunk on top of your new works laptop on the street when you've only been at the company a short while....) is that the damage won't spread, keep an eye on it for a while and if it's 'workable' as is for the time being - keep it like that and make plans to see this is an opportunity to upgrade the whole laptop.

 

[kathrynloch]

Thanks guys!

@Pegazus - well new would be a relative term. For the money I have to spend on it, a new one would mean refurbished at least.

@Spoon - oh dear, I certainly wouldn't want to be in that predicament. But that's what I needed to know is that the LCD isn't going to degrade any further. Right now it's not very noticeable and mostly over by the right scroll bar so it doesn't get in the way of editing.

For buying electronics I usually go to Ubid.com instead of Ebay. There I can get brand new and refurbished with warranty straight out of the box. I know I can find that stuff on Ebay but it usually takes more hunting and the prices are higher. I've purchased a desktop and two flat panel monitors from Ubid and they've been going strong for over two years now.

If it doesn't degrade any more, I can hang onto this one and research more items. I think I will have to go with a laptop rather than a tablet simply because of the DVD player/burner. Anyway, I hope this thing will keep on truckin'. lol!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Thoughts, ideas, recommendations? The biggest thing I'm worried about is that the screen will keep degrading until it's unusable then I'll really be stuck.

Bad news. It will keep degrading (rapidly) and if there's any heat noticable from the damaged area, you are stuffed bigtime and even quicker.

Not so bad news, IF you can get a replacement screen then it can be replaced by yourself. You might need fine and high quality 'StarDrive' style screwdrivers, but as long as you take your time and keep the screws together as you take them out,(*) you can do it. (Mind you only had to do this once myself for a screen and several times for keyboards on Toshiba laptops).

However, considering the cost and effort, you will be better off with a replacement Laptop. At the moment in the UK HP laptops are a running at a very good price, £439.00 for the lowest 17" Spec direct from HP. ($707) Could find cheaper from the likes of Tesco, but that wouldn't help you.

I'd suggest starting to copy all your data from your damaged laptop now before the screen blacks out and you have to rely on a separate monitor.
Oh and as and when you do sort out a replacement, keep the cats away. :kiss:



(* guess who didn't once, and only once!)

 

[Spoontoes]

<snip>
I'd suggest starting to copy all your data from your damaged laptop now before the screen blacks out and you have to rely on a separate monitor.
Oh and as and when you do sort out a replacement, keep the cats away. :kiss:
<snip>

Though my experience was different from DR's - these are two very good pieces of advice

 

[StillLifeMiniatures]

I tried to replace a laptop screen on an old Toughbook years ago. Ebay is a good source of parts that are no longer available but I somehow managed to kill the laptop. After the cost of the part plus shipping and the hours of taking the laptop apart, I can say that you are better off buying a new one.

slickdeals.com has decent prices on laptops (and everything else).

 

[Tercha]

Keep the laptop and just buy a separate monitor.

 

[cassar]

what tercha said ^ you can even plug them into most tv's these days so if you a have a flat screen on your desk thats what i would do, and use it for doing the rough stuff then by a nice shiney new one for storage or even a detachable drive, give Meph a pm i havent seen him about these parts for a few days but he's a bit of a wiz when it comes to this sort of thing.

 

[kathrynloch]

Thanks guys! The good news is the display hasn't degraded any more today. In fact, it looks better than it did yesterday. But I can see that some of the crystals still work but only for certain colors.

Anyway, the TV has a wireless internet connection. I got the computer to connect to it wireless once but it was a job. Getting a separate monitor kills the portability like I mentioned before but if it does degrade, that is a possibility. I've got everything backed up to an external drive. I'm going to try to nurse this one along for as long as I can and save up for another laptop. The ones I found within my price range right now would struggle to do the job, so I'll see what I can save up and hopefully this one won't crap out on me. lol!

Thanks again!

 

[RuneBrush]

Pretty easy to replace the LCD in a laptop, probably done 5 or 6 replacements over time. Google "<your laptop> replace LCD" and you should be able to find a YouTube video or guide out there. As a general rule of thumb you remove the front bezel, unscrew the brackets, pull out the ribbon cable and then do the reverse. You'll find that the screen will be a standard 17" from one of the main builders (i.e. not HP) and you just need to screw the custom brackets on. I think the last one I bought was £70ish.

pete

 

[TrystanGST]

You CAN replace a laptop screen, but A) they're horrendously expensive, and B) it's a PITA.

I'm going to go with DR and recommend getting a new one. If you keep an eye out for deals and aren't too brand loyal you can get a good one for a good price.

 

[kathrynloch]

Thanks Pete! Well, that gives me something else to think about. As long as I don't need any special tools to take it apart, then I'm good!

Hey Tristan you snuck in there on me! That's what I'm waffling about...easier, cheaper, most cost effective. *sigh*

 

[TrystanGST]

Just speaking from personal experience. I had an old Dell that I busted the screen on, and it was going to be like $250 to get a new screen. I went out and got a widescreen ACER for like $300.

 

[RuneBrush]

Just speaking from personal experience. I had an old Dell that I busted the screen on, and it was going to be like $250 to get a new screen. I went out and got a widescreen ACER for like $300.

Not sure if it's different this side of the pond but the last four screens I did were Dell's and were about £70 a pop for a Sony branded glossy one. On the Dell's they didn't need any special tools - screwdriver, anti-static mat, pot & double sided tape for screws and careful fingers

However you may well find that a new laptop will work out more economic.