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K A Rahaman
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June, 2014

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Table Of Content

Introduction
…………………………………………………………………………
1 1.
Basic
tools……………………………………………………………………
…….2
2.Parts of the
Laptop……………………………………………………………11
3. Installing Operating Systems on Laptops &
Netbooks……..26 4. Laptop
Disassembly………………………………………………………….
65 5. CD/DVD Drive
Repairing………………………………………………….105 6.
Recover Lost Data from a Dead Hard
Drive……………………..114 7. Laptop Screen
Repairing………………………………………………….127 8.
Laptop Power on
Problem……………………………………………….139

9. Laptop Motherboard
Component……………………………………172
10. The Soldering
Process……………………………………………………
179 11. Motherboard
Repairing………………………………………………
…192
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Introduction
I wrote this book for people who want to upgrade, repair, maintain, and
troubleshoot laptop and notebook computers as well as for those enthusiasts
who want to know more about laptops or portable PC hardware in general.
No complicated technical theory, fully practical based step by step guide book. It
will gives you a complete and to the point knowledge on what to do to repair
your laptop. It is not that basic that you get bored. Still has a very easy to
understand language that all type of people can learn from. Even you don’t need
any previous technical knowledge to read and understand the book. If you would
like to step into laptop repair world, I recommend this book highly.
This is a book that goes deeper into the Motherboard End of Laptop Repairing.
After reading the book in it’s entirety, then rereading it a second time, you shall
able to repair a bunch of laptop motherboards.
This book is written to teach for those people who –
1. Technically inclined and want to know how to successfully repair a laptop or
notebook computer.
2. Who is serious to learn to make his career as a laptop repair technician.
3. Individual to know how to repair and maintain his own laptop.
This book is a complete guide book to fulfill those requirements.
This book was written to allow a better understanding as to how exactly a Laptop
can fail and how an individual such as yourself, can troubleshoot, diagnose and
properly repair the faulty issue(s) that may arise while saving a ton of money
rather than sending it to a repair facility or buying new replacement parts.
Great for current Students enrolled in Technology related courses, as this
information is not taught in classes.
Please take the time to read this book in its entirety, then re-read it again to
ensure you get a clear understanding of all its content. I also recommend that
you purchase my First book release entitled: World’s First Complete Guide to
Laptop & Notebook Repair.– Suitable for all age groups and learning levels – this
book will teach you without all the technical terms used, and will explain, step by
step, in great detail. I will not include all the arithmetic equations used, or the
specific detailed component schematics, rather, I will replace those confusing
terms with easily understandable replacement terms for your convenience and to
allow a better understanding for the Beginner or inexperienced technician.

5
6
 Chapter 1

Basic Tools
Introduction

In this chapter I am going to discuss about the tools that are needed to a
laptop technician. Here I will list the common names of the tools then; I
will give a brief description of that tool’s usages relating to Laptop
repairing

1. Screwdrivers for Laptop

This is not the average sized screw driver, as that would be too large
for the tiny screws used on laptops today. This is the micro-sized
screwdriver, which can be bought at your local Home Improvement
store. I myself use an all in-one screwdriver that houses the extra tips
inside the screwdriver itself. Then, I also use the screwdriver set

7
From an Eye glass Repair Kit. You can purchase one from your local
Auto Parts Store (ask the clerk for assistance in locating one) and you
will definitely need the multiple tip pack to allow different sizes for
different laptop models.

2. Mini Pliers

I suggest that you buy mini needle nosed pliers because they are
easier to use on the micro sized components that make up the laptop.
The pliers I use are 3 inches long, I find that the normal sized pliers
are way too big and do not reach into certain areas that the mini

8
 3.Scissors

Yeah, scissors, we need a scissors. The smaller the better when

obtaining your scissors. I use hair cutting scissors because they are
small and the cutting tips are thin and narrow

9
4.Electrical Tape

This is used to wrap cables and wires, and used to secure or flatten wire

or cable tracks on or in the laptop. I try not to use this on wire or cable
wrapping if possible because I have found that over time the tape will
slowly unravel and can become ―sticky on the outer-side.

5. Shrink Wrap Tubing

These can usually be found in variety packs, the larger of the sizes will
be the one you use most commonly in laptop repair. These are placed
over the repair area on the wire or cable, they are basically rubber tubes
that you cut to your specifically needed length, then heat the tube to
shrink it to the size of the wire or cable being repaired.

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6. Copper Foil Tape

A less common item used, though you will

eventually need this if you are repairing
laptops on a regular basis. This will be used
for motherboard PCB repair and more
commonly used for DC Jack C-ring
replacement/repair.

7. Adjustable Pliers

This is a less commonly used tools, though

it will be needed at times.

11
8. Liquid Flux

Will rarely use this on a DC Jack repair to gently wiggle the jack loose
from the desoldered contact pads. You will find other uses for this tool
so it is a good tool to add to your collection. For this tool, I recommend
that you get both a paste form and the liquid PEN form. Both are readily
available on local store for a small price, yet are hard to find locally at a
store, you can try shopping at Radio Shack for Flux Paste, but doubtful
they have the flux pens.

9. Plastic Prying Tools

These will be needed for almost every laptop repair procedure. When

12
able, you will ALWAYS use plastic over metal to disassemble or work
on the laptop or any electronic component. There are various kinds that
are used and needed. A guitar pick is the most used tool, not a flimsy
pick rather a slightly thicker guitar pick that can withhold bending back
and forth numerous times.

10. 2 Part Plastic/Metal Epoxy Glue

You will find many varieties of this product and will have to choose the
best one for yourself, I typically use the Black/Clear mix… As it has a
longer drying time, it will allow more strength over time and hold up to
heat exposure. This will be used in many areas of the laptop, and being
that a laptop motherboard is Self Grounded… it can be used directly on
the PCB to cover Components or traces. A common use for this Epoxy
is for DC Jack Repair, as it will be used in the last step and applied to
the

jacks rear end and sides to help secure it to the motherboard. Also this
will be used to brace the Jack when the laptops lower cases DC Jack
holding cage breaks (common issue for Toshiba – newer model
laptops).

11. Thermal Paste

You will only be using Silver thermal paste in a Laptop, Never
Ceramic Paste. Laptops will use 2 cooling sources…. Either Silver
paste or a thermal pad. Pads will be hard to
repurchase, and silver thermal paste will be readily available for
sale everywhere. If a part or component originally used a thermal
pad, it is highly recommended that you keep using a pad and not
switch it out to

using paste… These pads also are used to cover a gap which is left
for that specific part for thermal expansion and contraction.

12. 30 to 50 Watt Soldering Iron

You can use any brand of these and they are typically disposable. I
recommend that you do dispose of the cheaper soldering irons after
10 or so uses, or get yourself some Tinner to refresh the tip. I do
recommend a 50 watt iron for laptop component repair as it will allow
for better ―flow of the solder due to the higher temperature output.

13. Solder

The average Rosin Core Solder will do,

get yourself 1.0mm solder, any thicker and
it will apply to heavily.

14. Toothbrush
This, believe it or not, is the second most used tool in Laptop Repair.
Yes. A toothbrush… You will use this on each and every laptop you
repair. Why you ask? The toothbrush is used to clean any and all parts
and components in and on the laptop. Cleaning the laptop parts as you
repair is detrimental to the longevity of the laptops life. It is used to
clean the
keyboard, the motherboard and any case part. More detailed usages will
follow throughout this book and should be applied as instructed.

15. Toothpicks
16. Circuit Board Cleaning Solution/WD40

This solvent is used to clean the motherboard, and I will clarify its
uses throughout this book. WD40 is more readily available to
purchase and can suffice. Again, I will also explain how to properly
use WD40 to clean components/remove flux and so forth.

17. Thin Tipped Black Permanent Marker

This is used often to mark screw holes, or

to mark the areas of damage on the laptops
parts.
18. Multi-meter

This can be bought at your local Home Improvement store, and you
will find a wide variety of quality choices. For a beginner, it is ok to
purchase the cheapest Multi-meter learn its uses and familiarize
yourself with it.
19. Heat Gun

The better the quality the better the final

results of your repairs will be. On
average, you want to use at least a heat
gun with switchable settings… One that
will produce temperature of 700 to 800
degrees. I use a RYOBI heat gun, 120v,
11a, Temp: 200-1100 degrees Farenheit.
20. Heat Gun Add On Tips

You will find for sale on any local electrical

store or the Web, tips for the heat gun…
these are the same or similar to the tips used
in professional Rework stations (I’ll explain
what a Rework Station is later in the book).
There are a lot of different tips you can buy
and a lot of different sizes to choose from.
You will buy these according to your
specific needs. I personally use the

Cone telescoping tips, and the Square GPU Covering tips

Chapter 2

Parts of the Laptop

Introduction

A laptop is a portable personal computer with a clamshell form factor,

suitable for mobile use. They are also sometimes called notebook
computers or notebooks. Laptops are commonly used in a variety of
settings, including work, education, and personal multimedia.

A laptop combines the components and inputs as a desktop computer;

including display, speakers keyboard, and pointing device (such as a
touchpad), into a single device. Most modern-day laptop computers
also have a webcam and a mic (microphone) pre-installed. [citation
needed] A laptop can be powered either from a rechargeable battery, or
by mains electricity via an AC adapter. I will quickly go over all the
basic and additional parts and components that make up your laptop.
1. Palm rest

This is the part that you place your hands on when typing, it is
basically the whole top-half of the lower half of your laptop –
minus the keyboard and media strip. When replacing the palm
rest, it is common for the replacement part to also include the
touchpad.

2. Keyboard

Self explanatory here… If repairing the keyboard, the simplest

way is to

replace the entire keyboard, though Single key replacement

parts are readily available on any computer hardware store.
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3.Display Screen

This is what produces the images, accessible by removing the

front bezel. Cracked screens can not be repaired and do need
to be replaced.
4. CCFL Bulb

This is
located in the display panel and will be found on the bottom end
of the screen stretching from the right end to the left end…The
CCFL
5. Display Cable

bulb is enclosed.. in an open end metal tray that hugs the bottom
edge of the glass panel on the screen and shines the light up
through the glass panel to illuminate the entire screen evenly.
These are made specific to each model laptop and are not
interchangeable. ¾ of the cable will house the –data wires
and the other ¼ will house the

Power/Negative wires for the inverter.

6. Display PCB strips

This part is located inside the Power Inverter -laptop screen, in
the middle-bottom of the screen housing. Some inverters will be
located in different places, it all depends on the model, and
those are rare… like on the rear side of the screen or the side
of the screen…
but again those are rare, and you will 90% of the time be
replacing one located

just below the actual display panel. The screen light plug is
made in such a way that you cannot reverse the plug and
accidentally plug it in the wrong way, rather, it will only plug into
the inverter the correct way (one port is larger than the other).

7. LED light strips

These are the newer source of light for laptops. The light
emitted is much brighter and whiter as opposed to the
yellowish tint to a CCFL bulb. LED light strips will have the
inverter/converter built into the rear side circuit board panel on
the screen and they will not have a physical inverter board
under the screen.

8. Hinge Set (L&R)

The hinges attach to the bottom base of the laptop and will
secure on either end of the inner screen, securing itself to the
screens rear cover, then securing the screen by using Hinge
rails that run up each
side of the screen.

9. Touchpad/Mouse

Another self-explanatory part that everyone should already

know… Some of these will have the capability of bein
disabled or re enabled by a button located nearby on the
palm rest,

some will not.

10. Media Strip

This part is located directly above the keyboard and will

sometimes include the hinge covers with it. It will usually
include the power

button, and some lighted icons such

as batter monitor, hard drive
monitor, 15luetooth and Wi- Fi
monitor. Some laptops will allow
touch sensitive buttons and some
will be push buttons, though all
will be labeled. This part is usually just a snap in place part,
though if it is secured to the laptop, its screws will be located in
the battery bay and on the underside rear end of the laptop
near the corners.

11. Optical Drive

This includes a DVD drive, a cd

drive a Blu-ray player or similar.

12. Hard Drive

This is where data is stored; the laptop can use different kinds
of hard drives. The current 3 most common found are SATA,
PATA IDE and SSD. SSD refers to Solid State Drives, which are
similar looking to a laptops Wi-Fi card. The SSD is the newest of
these three drives. The PATA Ide is the oldest of the three. The
SATA and PATA drives are identical except for the connection
plug ends, as they both use Platters and magnetics to store
data. SSD cards are made with no moving parts. This is what
makes them different than the typical drive. They will not
Produce heat like the SATA/PATA drives, most commonly used
in Fanless
Netbooks.

13. Wi-Fi Card

This can either be located on the bottom side of the laptop (most
common place) or the upper side – under the keyboard. This part
is one of the most stable parts on the laptop and it will rarely fail,
so if you are experiencing Wi-Fi issues, you would test all
software end issues prior to changing the wireless card. The
brand of the card will be listed on the sticker of the card, and will
help you in determining what driver to
use for that specific laptop. It is ok to mismatch the color guide
for the Wi-Fi antenna wires. Typically the wires are white and
black, and will have colored arrows on the Wi-Fi card showing
you what wire to connect to what site input plug. It is ok to plug
the black onto the white port and visa versa as it will still
allow for signal gain of the antenna wires, because remember,
they are just that, antenna wires, not power wires which about
60 percent of the laptops shipped out of the Factory
come mix-matched – reversed wires from day 1…

14. Ethernet Card

Most laptops will have this integrated into

the motherboard, and some will have an
extension board that connects to the
motherboard. Used for internet access or
networking purposes, every laptop will
have one of these on it, whether
integrated or a card.
15. Power Button

Usually located just above the keyboard, some laptops will place
the
power button in different areas, like the lid of the laptop, or the
front of the laptop or its sides. Power buttons can be lever style,
button style, touch sensitive or switch style. Most
common is the push button style. When a power button is
pressed, it pushes a button pad on the
motherboard or a daughterboard.

16. Lid Lock Lever/Switch

These can be a hook latch style or they can be magnetic. The

more common style is the hook and latch style. This uses a
push-pull lever, or a button to lock and unlock, which releases
the lid from the bottom base locking port slots. The magnetic
style has

no visible working parts because the magnets

are located in the lid and/or the bottom base of the laptop.

17. Hinge Cover(

Hinge covers will secure to the bottom base typically using a

snap and tab system, and
some will secure with both snaps/tabs and screws (1 or2). So,
first look for any screws and
remove, then attempt to unsnap them from
the bottom base. You must use plastic
prying tools to do this to not scratch the
laptop. A guitar pick is a Laptop Technicians
best friend, and you should run to the store
right now and buy 5 or 10 of them.

18. Bottom Base

If you flip the laptop over when it’s closed, you will encounter
the Bottom Base of the laptop. This will usually have
removable covers located somewhere on it (hard drive cover,
Wi-Fi port
cover, etc…).

19. USB Extension Board

Each laptop model will use a different USB configuration, some

will use USB extension boards and some will just have the
integrated USB ports that come on the motherboard. This
extension board is used to stretch Ports to opposite sides of the
laptop when it is not possible to use integrated ports. They
connect to the

motherboard using a plug in (daughterboard), or a wire and/or

ribbon cables and plugs.
20. Ethernet Extension Board

These will typically be Ethernet Extension Board included on

the USB extension board though can be on their own boards as
well.
21. Rubber Shoes/Feet/Screw Covers

Rubber shoes will be found on the bottom of the laptop and will

also be found on the front bezel of the screen.

22. Case Covers

These are the covers that are located on Case Covers the
underside of the laptop. Typically they will individually cover the
components

separately. For instance, the hard drive

will have its own cover, usually secured
by 2 or 4 screw’s, Wi-Fi card access
bay will sometimes have its own cover
too. The RAM DIMM slots are always
accessible from case covers and will
usually have their own cover. Some
laptops will combine the covers into 1 large cover or 2 separate
larger covers.
23. Motherboard

The laptops motherboard is the Main component of a laptop…

It usually takes up ¾ of

the inside of the base of the laptop.

24. DC Jack

This is where you plug the charge

cord into on any laptop. They are
typically elongated box shaped
having power pins on the rear side
and center… and grounding pins on
either sides. I will discuss repair on
this part later in this book.
Replacement jacks

can be bought off any computer

hardware store and are all usually
under $10 USD per part.
26. RAM 25. Docking Port

These are used more often in an Office atmosphere rather than

the typical home. Laptop RAM will be available in different
speeds and usually the laptop will allow the various speeds,
though some are BIOS programmed to not accept anything but
the default RAM assigned. For instance, a laptop

that was running DDR2 666 speed should be able to also run
the next slowest speed of 555/533 and possibly the 444.

27. Bluetooth card

The internal Bluetooth cards are not typically integrated into the
motherboard, they are usually plugged into the motherboard and will
sit in a ―cage somewhere on the laptops casing, some are screwed
onto the motherboard using riser screws to levitate it away from the
motherboard.
28. Wwan Card
This card is identical to the WLAN card or the Wi-Fi card. And is
not

installed on every laptop, rather it is more found on the business

end laptops or the gaming laptops. Wwan is commonly used for
corporations or larger sized businesses running cross country
or worldwide servers or networks. Same goes for the Gaming
based laptops like the Alienware m17x which uses Wwan to
Game Online. A lot of manufacturers of laptop motherboards
will apply the port contact pads but do not install the port due to
specific laptop case specs and the port not fitting certain laptop
case configurations.
29. Webcam

Laptop webcams have not had a lot of improvement in the past

few years, I can’t think of any laptop model offhand that has a
good Webcam. If a laptop does have one, it will usually be
located on the upper portion of the front of the screen. It will
usually have a microphone located right next to it or nearby.
These are almost always stationary cameras and do not move
in any way, though there are models

that have movable cameras. Acer has some models that used a
spinning camera. It could rotate up or down, though not left or
right.

30. PC Slot Card/SD/MMC

These will be found on both the sides and the front of certain laptops,
more commonly found on newer laptops.
They allow the use of external components such as Memory cards,
Ethernet Network cards, Modems and similar.

32. HDMI/Other 31. VGA Out

This is a port that will be found on almost every laptop ever
released. It is used to connect an external monitor or viewing
device to. It is Video Out, not Video In. The most common thing
to connect to this port is a Desktop Computer Screen. HDMI
ports are found on certain newer laptops, mainly installed on the
―entertainment based laptop, or the Gaming Laptop. It can pass
Video and Audio to and from the television or similar source. DVI
or mini DVI ports are also used on certain laptops to pass

video.

33. Screen Bezel

Screen Bezels are the screen frames that cover the front
side of the screen. Most bezels will secure to the rear
panel by a Snap- Tab connection, often also using screws
at all 4 corners and sometimes in the center of the upper
and or lower screen bezel. Screen Front Bezels can also be
secured with double sided
tape from the manufacturer.

34. Screen Rear Cover

35. Battery

This is the shell or lid of the laptop which is the back side of the
laptops screen. These can need replacing from abuse to the
hinges. The Rear Screen Cover is typically connected to both the
hinges and the front bezel, though it can crack and break if the
hinges become loose or weak. All laptops have a battery as it is
the entire reasoning behind the Laptop itself and its portability
ability. Laptop batteries are made with different strength or
values. They also make batteries for the same model with
different shapes to them. For instance… A Dell original battery
that was
sold with the laptop rated at 3800mAH. That same model has
the ability to run a better battery; the 4300mAH version, or better
yet they offer a 6600 or higher… The higher the number, the
longer the battery will hold a charge. Laptop battery
manufacturers will make the higher mAH batteries using a
different shape than the original, they will add a bump to the
battery or they will extend the length/width of the battery.
Personally I prefer the Bump addition batteries because they
will lift the rear end of the laptop up in the air which will keep its
base cooler.

36. AC Adapter

This is also commonly called the ―charging cord and its

purpose is to supply the correct amount of power to the laptop.
The cord end of the AC Adapter where it plugs into the wall
outlet is the AC end of the cord, where 120 volts are
travelling through to the center inverter power box. In this
inverter box, the AC current (alternating current) is converted to
DC current (direct current), then, travels t
the plug tip. In this plug tip, you will
commonly find 2 main wires… The center ―power wire and the
outer twisted grounding wire (usually wrapped around the entire
circumference of the cable)
37. Internal Speakers

All laptops will have internal speakers, though 90% of them are
not of great quality. They are there more for the — dings and
pings¡ and beeping noises that the default sound theme
produces when browsing windows explorer or
Internet explorer. They are not
really meant to be blasting music
from at its highest level.
There are some models, though, once again in
the entertainment and gaming built series of
laptops. They will add subwoofers and tweeters and
amplifiers to enhance the audio.
38. Audio/Headphone/Mic. – Out Port

Most all laptops will have this set located somewhere on it. It is where
you connect an external microphone or headphones or external speaker
or even an external amplifier.

39. Printer Port

These used to be found on each and every laptop, but

now you will rarely find these on your laptop as they are
becoming outdated due to the use of Wi-Fi, USB and
Bluetooth. It is a 25
pin port and would connect a parallel/serial cable to your
printer. The list above is the parts/components that are
the most common, the ones that typically all laptops will
have… Yes, there are others not listed, but they need
not be discussed in this particular book.
Chapter 3

Installing Operating Systems

on Laptops & Netbooks
Introduction

To those of you who have never installed an operating

system, I will explain the basic process taken before
going any further. Always remember that when
reinstalling an OS, you will also need to re-setup your
Wi-Fi… So if this repair is not for yourself, you must
ensure that the person you are doing an Operating
System Reinstall for knows their WEP or WAP key to be
able to reinstall their Network SSID and KEY. There are
a couple ways to start this process. First would be
putting the OS install cd/DVD into the optical drive.
Chapter 4

Laptop Disassembly
Introduction

I will explain here how to disassemble any laptop, and not just focus on one
specific model. I will teach you this way because there is a general rhythm
to the placement of the screws and different types used. With all laptops,
you will start the disassembling by flipping the laptop over to its bottom side.
Use a foam pad if available so you do not scratch the lid/cover. These
directions are to disassemble the complete unit. You will need a 5.5mm Nut
Driver, a medium size Philips screwdriver. Before disassembly, make sure

the notebook is powered off.

1. Removing the Battery Pack

To remove the battery pack from the battery bay, follow the
steps below:
1. Turn the notebook upside down.
2. Slide the right battery release lock in the direction of the
arrow to unlock the battery pac
3. The left battery release latch in the direction of the arrow.
The battery pack will pop-up automatically. Gently pry the
battery pack from its housing.

NOTE:
Always start laptop disassembly by removing the battery pack
first.
2. Removing the HDD Module

Follow the steps below to remove the HDD module:

1.Turn the notebook upside down.
2.Remove the two M2.5x4 screws securing the HDD
compartment cover.

3.Pull up the
HDD compartment cover in the direction of the arrow..

4. Remove
the two
M2.5x4 screws securing the HDD module in place.
 5. Pull the
tab to remove the HDD module in the direction of the arrow.
 6. Remove

the four silver M3x3

screws to take off the HDD case.
7. Remove the HDD module from the HDD case.

3. Removing the DDR RAM

Follow the steps below to remove the DDR RAM:

1.Turn the notebook upside down.
2.Remove one M2.5x4 screw and one M2.5x18 screw
securing the RAM cover, and then remove the cover.
3.Push the latches to release the RAM module. A spring will
force one end of the module up.
4. Grasp the module and pull it out.

4.Disassembling the ODD (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM/CD-RW…)

Follow the steps below to disassemble the optical drive (ODD):

1.Turn the notebook upside down.
2.Remove the M2.5x10 screw securing the ODD.
3. Insert a flat screwdriver into the slot as shown and gently push out the ODD.
 4.Remove
the two M2x3 screws from the bracket plate, and then remove the bracket plate.
5.Removing the Keyboard

Open the display panel and follow the steps below to remove the keyboard.
1. Lift up the strip cover from the right side and remove it.

2. Remove the two

M2.5x4 screws securing the keyboard. 3. Turn over the keyboard, revealing the
keyboard cable underneath.
 4.Use a thin tool such as a
screwdriver to lever up the connector bracket and disconnect the keyboard
cable from the motherboard.

6.Removing the Switch Board Open the display panel and follow
the steps below to remove the switch board. 1. Remove the two
M2.5x4 screws securing the switch board.

2. Remove the switch board.

7.Removing the Wireless LAN Card
To remove the wireless LAN card, follow the steps below: 1.Turn the notebook over.
Remove the two M2.5x4 and two M2.5x18 screws securing the thermal cover.

2. Remove the cover.

3. Disconnect the
three antennas from the wireless LAN card.
4. Remove the two M2x3 screws attaching the stand-off
bracket to the motherboard.

5. Remove
the stand-off bracket.
 6. Grasp
the wireless LAN card and pull it out.

CAUTION: Do not touch the connectors on the wireless LAN card or on the computer.
Debris on the connectors may cause the unit to malfunction.

8.Removing the System Fan

To remove the system fan, first remove the wireless LAN card. Then follow
the steps below:
1. Turn the notebook over. Remove the three M2.5x4 screws securing the system fan.

2.Disconnect the fan connector

from the motherboard as shown, and lift out the system fan.
9.Removing the Thermal Module

To remove the thermal module, first remove the wireless LAN card. Then follow
the steps below:
1.Turn the notebook over. Remove the four spring screws securing the thermal
module to the motherboard.

2. Lift and remove

the thermal module from the motherboard.
CAUTION: When you remove the thermal module, use the CPU grease tool to
remove the grease on the CPU and thermal module. Reapply fresh grease
before reinstalling the thermal module.

10. Removing the CPU

To remove the CPU, first remove the wireless LAN card, and thermal
module. Then follow the steps below:
1.Turn the cam on the CPU socket with a flat-blade screwdriver so that the notch
on the cam is aligned with the open side of the CPU socket to unlock the CPU.
 2. Gently lift out
the CPU.
11 Removing the Bluetooth Module

To remove the Bluetooth module, first remove the keyboard, and switch
board. Then follow the steps below:
1. Remove the two M2x3 screws securing the Bluetooth module to the logic lower.

2. Disconnect
the Bluetooth cable, and remove the Bluetooth module.
12 Removing the Robson Card
To remove the Robson card, first remove the keyboard, and switch board. Then
follow the steps below:
1. Remove the two M2x3 screws securing the Robson card to the logic lower..

2. Remove the
Robson card.
13. Removing the LCD Module

To remove the LCD module, first remove the keyboard, and switch board. Then
follow the steps below:
1.Disconnect the LCD power (LVDS), CMOS, and microphone cables and
pull the wireless antennas free from the laptop as shown.
2. Remove the four M2.5x4 screws securing the LCD module to the logic upper.

3. Remove the LCD module.

14. Disassembling the Display and the Inverter Board

To disassemble the display and inverter board, first remove the keyboard,
and switch board. Then follow these steps:
1. Remove the six screw pads as shown.
2. Remove the six M2.5x6 screws securing the LCD bezel to the LCD module.

4.Carefully insert your fingers between the display and the LCD bezel as
indicated by the arrow, and gently pry up the LCD bezel.
4.Remove the five screws mounting the display, inverter board, and
LVDS/CMOS cable to the LCD cover.
Two M2.5x6 screws on the display.
Two M2.5x4 screws on the inverter board.
One M2.5x4 screw on the LVDS/CMOS cable.
5.Disconnect the two connectors on either side of the inverter board. Remove
the inverter board.

6.Gently lift out the display. Remove the eight M2x3 screws securing the hinges to the
display.
7. Detach the LVDS cable from the back of the LCD panel.

15. Removing the Camera Module

To remove the camera module, first remove the keyboard, switch board, LCD module,
LCD display, and inverter board. Then follow these steps:
1. Disconnect the CMOS cable from the camera module.

2.Remove the M2x3 screw

securing the camera module to the LCD cover. Remove the camera module.
16 Removing the Logic Upper

To remove the logic upper, first remove the battery pack, HDD, memory
module, ODD, keyboard, switch board, wireless LAN, system fan, thermal
module, CPU, Bluetooth module, and LCD module as described in the
preceding sections. Follow the steps below to remove the logic upper.
1.Turn the computer upside down and remove the 14 M2.5x8 screws from the
bottom side of the notebook.

2.Remove the M2x3 screw and M2.5x8 screw securing the logic upper to the logic lower.
3.Turn the computer over again and disconnect the power USB board FFC,
touchpad, and finger printer cables as shown.

4. Lift off the

logic upper.
17 Removing the LED Board

To remove the front board, first remove the logic upper as described in the
preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1. Remove the two M2.5x4 screws securing the LED board to the logic lower.
 2. Remove the
LED board.

18. Removing the Motherboard

To remove the motherboard, first remove the logic upper, and LED board as
described in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1. Remove the four M2.5x4 screws securing the motherboard to the logic lower.
2.Disconnect the USB board FFC, speaker and audio board cables. Remove
the DC-IN socket from its housing and lift out the motherboard.

3. Turn over the laptop and disconnect the MDC card cable.
19. Removing the Modem Card

To remove the modem card, first remove the motherboard as described in the
preceding sections. Then follow the steps below: 1. Remove the two M2x3
screws securing the modem card to the motherboard

2. Remove the modem

card
.
20. Removing the VGA Board

To remove the VGA board, first remove the motherboard as described in the
preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1. Remove the four spring screws securing the VGA heat sink to the VGA board.

2. Remove the VGA heat sink.

3. Remove the two M2x3 screws securing the VGA board to the motherboard.
 4. Remove the
VGA board.
21. Removing the Audio Board

To remove the audio board, first remove the logic upper, LED board, and
motherboard as described in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1. Remove the two M2.5x4 screws securing the audio board to the logic lower.

2. Remove the
audio board.
22. Removing the USB Board

To remove the USB board, first remove the logic upper, LED board, and
motherboard as described in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1.Remove the two M2.5x4 screws securing the USB board to the logic lower,
and remove the USB board.
23. Removing the RJ11 Port
To remove the RJ11 port, first remove the logic upper, LED board, and
motherboard as described in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1.Lift the RJ11 port from its housing and detach the cable to remove it from
the logic lower.

24. Removing the Touch Pad Button Board and Touch Pad

To remove the touch pad button board and touch pad, first remove the logic
upper as described in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below:
1.Remove the two M2.5x4 screws securing the touch pad button board to the
rear side of the logic upper.
2. Disconnect the touch pad button board cable from the touch pad module.

3. Remove the touch pad button board.

4. Disconnect the touch pad cable.

5.Remove the M2.5x4 screw securing the touch pad bracket to the logic upper.
Lift off the bracket and remove the touch pad.
25. Removing the Fingerprinter Module

To remove the fingerprinter module, first remove the logic upper as described in
the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below: 1.Remove the one M2x3
screw securing the fingerprinter module to the rear side of the logic upper.

2. Remove
the fingerprinter module.
26 Removing the Power USB Board

To remove the power USB board, first remove the logic upper as described
in the preceding sections. Then follow the steps below: 1. Remove the two
M2.5x4 screws securing the power USB board to the logic upper.

2. Remove the
power USB board.
Chapter 5

CD/DVD Drive Repairing

How to Fix a Laptop CD Drive

Your notebook’s CD drive is one of the first components to go belly up. A

dead lens is the main reason behind an optical drive’s failure to read or
write data to a CD. Another reason might be a damaged drive belt, but it
can be replaced with a new one. An average optical drive lasts for a year
and stops functioning because the laser wears out or slips out of
alignment.
If your notebook’s optical drive stops reading or writing data, then you
should replace it with a new drive. However, you can easily fix a laptop
CD drive if there is a minor software or hardware problem. This guide
will assist you in troubleshooting your notebook’s optical drive.

Use Microsoft Fixit

Microsoft’s very own software fix allows users to fix CD/DVD drive
problems. Install and run this program if any of the following problems
occurs:
Your notebook optical drive is disabled The optical drive cannot read
data It cannot write data to a CD or DVD No CD/DVD drive icon The
optical drive driver is missing or corrupt Visit Microsoft’s official Fixit site
and click on the Run button to download the program on your desktop.
Step 1: Double-click on the installer. Once ready, it will ask you to accept
the terms and conditions. Click on Accept. The installer will download a
diagnostic tool package and the Fixit engine.
Step 2: You will see two options. Click on the recommended option.
The diagnostic will detect problems and apply a patch if it finds any.
Step 3: Choose your CD/DVD drive. Next, select any one of the two
options. If your notebook’s optical drive has reading issues, select the
first option. For troubleshooting CD writing issues, select the second
option.
Step 4: The next screen will ask you to insert a
readable/writeable media. Based on the choice you have made, insert a
writeable/readable CD and then choose the optical drive.
Step 5: The Fixit engine will detect and troubleshoot problems. Once
complete, it will show the completion window with status showing as
“Fixed”.

System Registry

Can’t see the CDROM drive on My Computer? Well, the problem might
be connected to your Windows system registry. A registry entry may get
corrupted by uninstalling CD burning software. Because of this,
Windows cannot access to the CDROM drive. To fix this, follow these
steps:
1.Start > Run >
type REGEDIT
and press the
Enter key. This
will open the
registry editor.
2.Navigate to
the registry
entry as
shown in the

screenshot above.
3.You will find two unwanted entries – UpperFilters and LowerFilters.
Right-click each entry and click on Delete. You can also single-click on
them and press the delete button to remove them.
4.Exit the window via the File menu and reboot your notebook. You
can now see the CD/DVD icon on My Computer.

Laptop DVD Tray Won’t Eject - How To Open A CD Or DVD Drive

There are quite a few reasons the DVD tray in your laptop might fail to
open when you hit the eject button. About the worst thing it can be is if
the motor or gear train failed, which would mean replacing the drive. If
the disc in the drive plays OK, you know that the power and the
connector are fine. If not, you should try reseating the drive in the bay.
It’s also possible for the drive to be locked in software by the operating
system, or for a power management scheme

to have cut power to the drive.

Check these by right clicking the drive icon and checking properties, or
looking at you power management settings. But, when all else fails and
you can’t get the disc out of the drive, there’s always, THE MIGHTY
PAPERCLIP.
CD and DVD drives for computers have been designed with an
emergency release mechanism since time immemorial. Unlike your
DVD player for your TV or your stereo CD player, the disc in your

computer drive may be much more valuable than the drive itself. Yes, if
you own the software legally, you should be able to get a replacement
from the software company for a moderate charge, but maybe you need
it now. In any case, the
emergency release for the DVD tray doesn’t require any special tools or
skills, just a paperclip. Start by unbending a leg of the largest diameter
paperclip that will fit in the hole
on the faceplate of the drive. Next, insert it it straight into the hole, and if
you’re lucky, there will bee a little click before it goes in very far, and the
tray will pop out a fraction of an inch.
In the picture to the right, I haven’t used any force at all, beyond
gently pushing in the paperclip, and the CD tray popped out that far
by itself. From here, it’s an easy task to pull it out all the way so the
disc can be removed. Below, I’m opening the DVD drive out of a Sony
Vaio, but the tray didn’t spring

out when the paperclip

pushed in the release, which you can tell by feel. So I had to pull on it
with my fingernail behind the plastic facade while depressing the
release. It opened pretty stiffly for the first fraction of an inch, and then
pulled right out the rest of the way. That pretty much covers what you’ll
encounter with manually opening an optical drive, either it will pop open
as soon as the paperclip works the latch, or you’ll have to help it along.
But there are instances in which the emergency release won’t get the
tray to eject. The worst of these is if a disc shattered at high speed and
jammed all the mechanics up with little shards of plastic. You’ll know this
is the case
by the noise if you gently tilt the drive back and forth. Another
possibility is that an adhesive label peeled off in the drive and has

gummed up the works. In either case, the odds of the drive being
salvageable aren’t very good, but if it was a label failure, you should be
able to rescue the disc by disassembling the drive around it until the
tray ejects or the disc is accessible. And before you rush out and buy a
supposed generic replacement for the drive, remember that while the
connector may be standard, the drive shell is customized, and you may
not be able to transfer all of the shell hardware from one drive to
another for mounting.

How to Clean CD/DVD Drives

When your CD or DVD (disc) drive starts giving you problems, your first
thought may be to replace it or take it to the repair shop, but a good
cleaning may be all it needs.
Below are three methods to clean the disc drive. The easiest method is
the least effective. The hardest method is the most effective. Since the
hardest method takes some time to do, I recommend that you start with
the easiest method. If it solves your problems, congratulations. If not, try
the next method.
1.The Cleaner Disc method – this, the easiest method, uses a special
cleaner disc which can be purchased in computer stores. The disc
usually comes with a little bottle of cleaner solution. Apply a few drops of
the solution to the disc and insert it in the disc drawer (be sure to read
and follow the instructions that come with the cleaner disc). The drive will
turn the disc and clean the lens.
Unfortunately, this only works adequately
about half the time.

2.The Cleaning Stick method – this is what I do in desperation when the

cleaner disc does not work and I don’t want to disassemble the drive.
Since all that is needed (at least in my mind this is true) is a little more
pressure applied to the lens, I start out in search of a thin, flexible stick of
some type which is at least six inches long. It should not have sharp or
rough edges that would scratch the lens. Next, get a soft, thin cloth and
put water or rubbing alcohol in the middle of it. Place one end of the stick
under the wet part of the cloth and slide it into the opened disc drawer.
The goal is to rub the wet cloth on the lens to clean it. Do not apply so
much pressure that you will scratch and ruin the lens. Also try blowing
into the disc drive to remove any dirt that may have accommulated in it. If
you do not succeed at this, proceed to the next method
3.The Disassembly method – this method should work but it requires
you to disassemble the drive. So if you are not comfortable with taking
the drive apart, please take it to a computer repair shop and let them do
it.Take the cover off your computer, unplug the cords from the back of
the disc drive, remove any screws holding it in, and slide it out (you may
need to remove the face plate on the end of the drawer to get the drive
out). Remove the screws in the drive housing and take the cover off. The
bottom side of the drive is a circuit board, so if that is what you see when
you take the cover off, figure out how to access the other side. On the
correct side, you should see a lens that runs on a track (there is no harm
in moving the lens along the track but do not touch the lens itself). Use a
wet, soft cloth to clean the lens. Sometimes a disc drive malfunctions
because there is too
much dust or debris in it, so be sure to clean out the inside with either
compressed air, a soft cloth, or a cotton swab. Reassemble the disc
drive, put it back in the computer case, and cross your fingers.
Hopefully, it will work when you turn on the computer.
If these methods work, that’s good. If not, you needed a better disc drive
anyway..

Additional Tips

Reboot your laptop. When it restarts, quickly press the F8 key. This will
initiate the safe mode. Insert CD in your notebook’s optical drive. It may
read CDs. I thought my DVD drive was dead, until I switched to safe
mode. Now my dead CD drive can read CDs but not DVDs.
Update your optical drive’s drivers. Press Start and type Device
Manager in the search box. Click on it and choose Disk Drives. Right-
click on the ATA drive icon. Click on upgrade driver and then click
Search automatically. If there’s an upgrade available, it will be done
automatically.
A dirty lens might be one of the causes behind failure to read/write data
to a CD. A can of compressed air might prove quite handy in removing
dust from the optical lens. You can also use a CD drive cleaning disk to
remove dust, lint and static from the optical lens.
If any of the above tips do not fix your laptop CD drive, consider
replacing it with a new one. I would recommend external CD drives.
They are quite affordable and last longer than internal optical drives.
Chapter 6

Recover Lost Data from a Dead Hard Drive

Introduction

Hard drives fail. It’s a fact of life for anyone who uses a computer. If you store
irreplaceable information on your hard drive, then a failure can be a catastrophe.
But can you recover the family photos, work documents or financial data that you
kept meaning to back up, but never did? There might be hope, so don’t give up
on that broken hard drive yet.
We’re going to describe the warning signs of a hard drive failure, explain the
internal parts of a hard drive and why they fail, and then we’ll go through a
few steps you can take to recover your data. While the files can’t always be

recovered, there’s a chance you might be able to retrieve them.

Just remember one thing — even if your files can be restored, it will take hours of
frustrating effort and might cost you quite a bit of money, too. The best way to fix a
dead hard drive is to send it in under warranty and replace it with your backup drive
that has all your files safely stored on it. In fact, after reading this article, you’ll find
that a good back-up plan will keep you from ever experiencing the horrible feeling in
the pit of your stomach when you realize that all of your files may be gone.

Why Drives Fail

A hard drive is a mechanical device with several moving parts. Magnetic platters store the
data itself, while a motorized spindle spins the platters. A read/write arm moves across the
platters, retrieving information or putting down new data. The arm is moved by an
actuator, and the read/write heads themselves hover an infinitesimal distance above the
platters. The distance is so small that a single piece of dust can get in the way.
If any of the hard drive’s mechanical parts fails, the whole drive will fail.
The parts operate with incredible precision, so hard drives are rather fragile.
Circuit boards, spindle motors, ball bearings — any of these parts are
susceptible to failure. The worst type of failure is known as a head crash. In
this case, the read/write head drops down directly onto the platter and

scrapes away the magnetic material.

The data in that case is totally, permanently lost. Data on unaffected parts of
the platters may be recoverable, but usually data are spread around the
platters, so a head crash is really bad news.
Other mechanical failures can be both a curse and a blessing. It’s a curse because it can
be difficult and expensive to get replacement parts and find someone who can make the
repair. It’s a blessing because, as long as the platters weren’t damaged, the data are still
there. If you can get the drive running again, the data should be accessible.
The failure might be non-mechanical. Your computer uses a special index and file
structure to read all the files stored on the disk. If this index becomes corrupted, the
computer won’t be able to see or read the data, even though it’s still there. In many
cases, this can be repaired with the proper software, although it can be tricky.
There’s one last area where a drive can fail, and it’s particularly insidious because the
drive actually didn’t fail at all — the drive’s connection to your computer failed. Hard
drives connect to your computer’s motherboard via a variety of interfaces, IDE,
PATA and SATA being the most common. If this connection, or the circuit on the
motherboard that controls the disk (called the disk controller) has failed, the
symptoms can mimic the symptoms of a hard drive failure.

Signs of Hard Drive Failure

All too often, hard drives fail with no warning whatsoever. One minute the
computer is working fine, the next you have a “blue screen of death” and all your
data is gone. So, what’s the lesson here? Don’t rely on warning signs to predict
hard drive failure. Assume that your hard drive is going to fail, and back up critical
files. If you have a reliable back-up, you’ll save yourself many headaches.
Some mechanical components can fail gradually, however, so occasionally
you’ll know when a drive failure is imminent. These warnings fall into two
categories: sounds and performance problems.
If you spend a lot of time sitting near your computer, you’re probably familiar with
the usual sounds it makes. If you hear the hard drive making any unusual noises,
that’s probably a clue that something is going wrong. Grinding or screeching noises
might mean the bearings or spindle motor are failing. A clicking, clunking or
clanging sound could be the read/write arm slamming back and forth. Sometimes
these sounds can be subtle and difficult to detect. If you think you’re hearing funny
noises, open your computer’s case and listen with your ear close to the hard drive
while someone else uses the computer to save or move some files.
Performance problems include a sudden increase in the frequency of freeze-
ups and crashes. Of course, these types of performance problems can be
symptomatic of any number of computer maladies, from viruses to memory
leaks to non-drive related hardware failures. A more specific tell-tale: saving or
moving files suddenly takes a very, very long time. When you run into any of
these symptoms, back up anything that isn’t already saved and hope the drive
lasts long enough to get everything you need copied to another disk.

External Hard Drive? Check Whether The IDE / SATA to USB

Enclosure Is OK!
When your external hard drive fails, it can do so for all the same reasons an
internal drive can fail. Sometimes, however, it’s not the drive that stops working,
but a connection within the enclosure! And in that case, the drive is easy to revive.
Before you open up any hardware, be sure to discharge your body’s static
electricity, i.e. ground yourself. Remove the hard drive from its casing and use
a IDE / SATA data cable and power connector to
install the drive internally on your
desktop computer. Alternatively, you can get an IDE / SATA to USB adapter
or a new USB enclosure, so you can hook the drive up externally via USB.

Internal Hard Drive? Make Sure The Hard Drive Connections Are OK!

Sometimes, it’s not the drive that failed, but the physical connection of cables
that connect the drive with the computer’s motherboard. You can only wish that
this is your problem! So before you hire an expensive technician, make sure the
data and power cables are firmly connected on both ends.

To prevent hazards to your health, it’s essential to turn off the computer and unplug
the power cord. As mentioned above, you also need to discharge your body’s static
electricity, i.e. ground yourself before you get working on your computer’s internals.
Then open up the case and make sure all connections are OK.
Once you have made sure the connections are OK, boot the laptop again.

What’s That Sound?

s you are trying to get the hard drive to run, listen to the sound it is making. Is it
completely dead? Or is it still spinning? What exactly does it sound like?
Compare your sound to the list of hard drive sounds provided by Data Cent.
This will help you diagnose the type of damage.
The damage can be either internal or external. A clicking sound, for example, is
suggestive of a malfunctioning head, i.e. internal damage. A completely dead
drive, on the other hand, could be due to a faulty printed circuit board (PCB),
which would be external damage.

Is The Hard Drive Recognized?

Sometimes, you can hear your drive spinning, but it never pops up. Or maybe it’s
completely dead. To pinpoint the type of damage, try to manually check whether
or not the drive is recognized by your computer.
You can do this via the BIOS in case it’s the primary hard drive and your computer no
longer boots. After you turn on the computer, enter the BIOS by pressing a trigger key,
which could be [DEL], [ESC], [F2], or [F10], depending on the manufacturer. Within the
BIOS, navigate through the available menus to find where it lists which types of drives
are connected to the computer. Usually, this information is found under the Advanced
menu, but you might also find it indirectly under Boot settings.

If you have hooked up the drive to another computer, you don’t need to access the BIOS at
all. In Windows, click the key combination [Windows] + [R], which will launch the Run
input window. Type cmd into the field and hit [Enter]. This will open the Command
Prompt. Here type diskpart and hit [Enter], to open the respective tool. In the diskpart
window, type list volume and hit [Enter] to show all drives connected to your computer.

If the drive is recognized and thus appears in the list above, but doesn’t show up as an
accessible drive, chances are Windows only recognizes the PCB, but the drive itself is
damaged (internal damage). In other words, if the drive is recognized in any shape or
form, the PCB is most likely working and replacing it will not fix the hard drive!

Is The Printed Circuit Board Broken?

As mentioned previously, your drive can be damaged internally or externally. The

external PCB, if damaged, is relatively easy to replace. However, data recovery
specialists warn that swapping the PCB can ruin the drive and cause you to lose
all data on it. So if you do care about your data, better err on the side of caution.

Even if you can see that your PCB is damaged, there might still be internal
damage. Moreover, as mentioned above, replacing the circuit board yourself can
damage your drive further, which reduces your chances of recovering your data.
Note that many websites now sell PCBs and provide guides to find exactly the right circuit
board for your drive. You can easily find them on Google.

Witchcraft & Wizardry

When my hard drive failed, the PCB was fine; the drive was still recognized and
spinning, but it didn’t show up in Windows, meaning I could not access it, and no
software recovery tool could help me, either. So I put my last hope into some of
those obscure tricks that you’ll find floating around the Internet, like shaking the
drive, hitting it onto a hard surface, exposing it to dry heat in the oven, or sticking
it in the freezer overnight. If you have any idea how a hard drive works, then any
of these methods should give you the shivers!
Well, I didn’t dare to melt my drive, but my suspicion was that the head was
stuck. So I did shake it, but to no avail. Since I could follow the reasoning, I
also wrapped my drive in an airtight Ziploc back and stuck it in the freezer
overnight. The idea is that the low temperatures cause metals to shrink and
contract. So if the head was stuck, the

cold might get it unstuck. In

practice, that didn’t work either. And I probably caused condensation to settle on the hard
drive platter, which could have caused a lot more damage. I eventually gave up and stored
the drive for a future in which I was hoping to be able to afford professional data recovery.

Troubleshooting a Dead Drive

When your drive seems to have given up the ghost, there are some steps you can take
to determine where the problem lies. If your computer is running Windows, the first thing
you should do is reboot the computer and go into the basic input/output system (BIOS).
Usually you do this by pressing the Delete key during the boot-up sequence -watch
for on-screen prompts. BIOS has a utility that autodetects drives. Run this and see if
the drive shows up. If it doesn’t, there may be a problem with the connections
between the drive and the motherboard. Check all those connections.
If the drive does show up, then you can run some more diagnostic tests. You’ll need
another functional computer to accomplish most of these, unless you’ve planned ahead.
Find the model number and manufacturer of your hard drive. Go to the manufacturer’s
Web site and look for the company’s proprietary diagnostic software. You’ll have to
download and then burn it to a CD-ROM or save it to a floppy disk, depending on what
the “dead” computer is equipped with. Boot the dead computer from the diagnostic disk
and run it. The diagnostics should give you some indication of what the problem is,
although sometimes it will find no problems, even though the drive is still not working.
You can also create a bootable virus scan disk and scan the dead drive for any
viruses that might be causing the problem. If your computer is infected, you
may be able to use the virus scan disk to repair the problemjjjas well.

If all has gone well, at this point you should have a rough diagnosis. You might
not know exactly what’s wrong, but at least you’ve ruled some things out and
narrowed it down. But what if none of those troubleshooting steps worked? Try
connecting the drive to another computer, one that you know works. This will let
you know if the problem is really with the drive itself.
Also, open your computer’s case and listen closely to the drive when you boot up the
computer. Is it totally silent? That means the platters aren’t “spinning up,” indicating a
serious mechanical problem. Does it make any of the warning sounds we mentioned
earlier? Remember, these are also a sign of mechanical failure. If it sounds
perfectly normal (generally, a steady hiss as the platters spin and internal
cooling fans activate — although different drives make different sounds), then
the problem is probably not mechanical.

Hard Drive Repair

If you’ve determined that your drive has a mechanical problem, you may have some
difficulties to overcome. The drive might be fixable and your data recoverable, but it might
require a professional repair, which can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The
main reason for this is that work on the internals of a hard drive have to be done in a
“clean room” environment. Any piece of dust on the platters can ruin the drive.
You could attempt a mechanical repair on your own, but you’ll need to find
exact replacement parts from the exact model and version of the drive. This can
be a huge challenge all by itself (even for professional data recovery experts).
You might be able to replace a dead circuit board yourself, but spindle

motors and read/write actuators are very difficult to deal with. Also note that
opening your hard drive’s case will void its warranty. If you do decide to go this
route, remember to never touch the platters themselves. The oils from your
fingertips are enough to ruin the drive.
A problem with a corrupt file structure or disk index is solved with special software. There
are some utilities, such as fdisk, built into most operating systems that can be used for this
purpose, but you have to be very careful. Changing the partitions in the drive or formatting
it might solve the problem, but you’ll lose all your data. Another option is to use a
specialized recovery utility such as Disk Warrior to repair the problem while keeping as
much of your data as possible. Some corrupted files may not be recoverable.
Chapter 7

Laptop Screen Repairing

Introduction

Laptop screens today will use one of two common lighting systems. Both are
still considered LCD Screens because they are. The Image to the screen is
Liquid Crystal Display; it is only the lighting that will change for these 2 types.
LED light on a laptop is newer technology because all screens used to use only CCFL
bulbs. The CCFL bulb is a thin glass tube with a protruding metal pliable rod on either side.
Wires are soldered to both ends of the bulb then attach to a plug that will plug into the
power inverter… You will need to solder the wires to the ends if you ever need to order a
replacement bulb. You can however usually find replacement bulbs that come prewired
with plugs also attached. You get the same size bulb as your screen specs specify.

How to replace a broken laptop screen

Getting a replacement screen and tools : To begin your fix, you’ll need a few
simple tools and a replacement LCD screen. For tools, I recommend a
screwdriver with a variety of small bits, such as a Phillips #00 and a Torx T5. It’s
also a good idea to have a few thin metal blades or plastic spudgers. These are
really handy for removing the trim that surrounds the screen.
As for the replacement LCD, you should be able to buy one either from the laptop
manufacturer’s authorized parts dealer or a third-party supplier. Depending the screen,
they usually cost between $50 and $250 dollars—more if it’s a high-end display or you
buy an OEM replacement. Regardless, you’ll want to buy a new screen that matches your
broken one exactly. The only sure way to do this is to remove the broken one.
The way you should be replacing / ordering the screen is to remove the screen,
then look at the white large sticker on the rear side of the screen. It will tell you
the exact part

number of the screen, it will

also show you the type/model of screen. These numbers/letters are important
in ensuring you receive an exact replacement part.
The replacement screen part replacement number will almost always include
the screens size in the number.
Here is a typical screen part order number: LP173WD1 HD+ (TL) (A2) 17.3”
Notice in the number that the screen size is in it (LP173), you will find this in most all
screen numbers. Now, notice the (TL) and the (A2)… this is very important that you
replace with the same exact numbers. If you don’t, you are risking damaging the
laptop, or the screen simply will not work, it will show grey color or a white-out.
1. Remove the screen bezel : After disconnecting the power supply and
removing the battery, carefully examine the bezel around the screen. You’ll need
to remove this bezel to access the screws that hold the LCD panel in place.
On this laptop, several rubber cushions hide screws, which hold the bezel in
place. I’ll need to remove these cushions and the screws that are underneath.
With the hidden screws removed, I used a thin metal blade to pop loose one of
the bottom corners and worked my way around the bezel with a plastic spudger.

Note: Your laptop may not have cushions or hidden screws. The bezel may
simply snap onto the lid or be held in place with doubleside tape. Just, adapt my
instructions to fit your specific laptop.
Regardless of how you do it, you’ll need to completely remove the bezel.
2. Remove the broken LCD panel : With the LCD’s mounting brackets exposed,
you can remove the screws that secure it to the lid. Then rest the display front-
side-down on the case and disconnect its cable.

If your laptop was made before 2010 and has a LCD with fluorescent backlights,
it will likely have two cables. But as this is an LED-backlit LCD, it only has one.
Now, locate the manufacturer’s label and note the model number. Using this
information you should be able to buy an exact match for your broken screen.
3. Install the new LCD panel : Once your new screen arrives, unpack it and
make sure it matches the old one.

the dimensions, mounting brackets, and connector all match, you ready to install the
screen. Connect the new panel to the cable, position the panel in the lid, and secure it
using the appropriate screws.

4. Test the new LCD panel and reinstall the bezel : Before reattaching the
bezel, it’s a good idea to test the new panel. Reconnect the battery and power
cable and turn the machine on. If the display works, you can reattach the bezel
and any external screws and rubber cushions. The repair is now complete.

As fixes go, this one isn’t too tough, but it does take a little patience and planning
to make sure you get the right replacement screen.

Power Inverter Issues

The Power inverter is the only part left for screen repairing.
You can only do so much to repair the inverter if failure occurs. The only thing I
have found that works about %60 of the time is to change the transformer block
on the Inverter. It is the part with the copper wire wrapped all around it… a long
rectangular shaped component with legs on both ends (usually 2 to 3 on one
side and 2 to 6 on the other – the legs attaching to contact pads on the inverter
board. You will need to use a soldering gun and flux paste.

The job of a Laptop power inverter is to convert DC power current back over to AC power
current, this is done because an LCD bulb needs more power than dc voltage can provide.
When a power inverter fails, you will lose your light to the screen, the bulb will still
be good, and the screen is still good, the display will even be running without light.
The easiest way to test a faulty inverter is to replace with a known good one. Another
way to test the inverter is to attach another display panel to your laptop .. if that other
screen as well has no light, you’ve just ruled out the LCD bulb as being the problem …
you know this because you know for a fact that the secondary screen that you’ve
attached is a “known working” screen … and that it has a “good” bulb.
Chapter 8
Laptop Power on Problem

Introduction

There are quite a few different reasons why a laptop can have issues powering
on. The most common would be a faulty DC Jack. Though other things like a
faulty GPU, or incorrectly seated RAM, or a blown motherboard component, a
bad battery, a damaged hard drive, a short in the ac adapter, or even liquid
damage can as well… So you see; it is not only the power area that can fail
rendering the laptop unable to power on and stay powered on it can be a variety
of different issues, and it will be up to you to do process of elimination testing to
rule out all other possible problems and pinpoint the exact component causing
the issue.
Let’s Say… The laptop in front of you will power on when the power
button/switch is pushed, it will even splash the BIOS screen (the screen
showing the Laptops manufacturers logo), then shuts itself down.
Okay, Now for the process of elimination testing to determine the issue.
You will want to first check all the easiest things that you can, the easiest parts
to access get looked at first.

Battery Issue
Start by removing the battery. Plug the AC Adapter in and try powering on… If
the same, continue on…

RAM Issue
Next, remove the RAM cover on the underside of the laptop (some RAM slots are
also situated under the keyboard on the top side of the Motherboard; you will
determine the location and reseat both sticks. Then attempt to power back on
after reseating the RAM. Reseating the RAM means that you remove both RAM
sticks and place them back into the DIMM slots again to ensure they are in
straight and not at an angle or slightly ajar.
If you are still getting the same failure when powering on, then pull out both
sticks of RAM again and just use one stick, placing it in DIMM 1 first, then
checking Power, then trying just DIMM 2, then trying to power on, then taking
the 2nd stick of RAM and doing the same thing… trying DIMM1 then DIMM2…
That will either rule out the RAM as being the issue if nothing changes, or it will
correct the issue, which would also tell you that you have a faulty DIMM slot if the
laptop Runs and Powers on
good with 1 missing RAM stick…

Hard Drive Issue

N ext you can move on to the Hard Drive by simply removing it. You
want to remove/unplug it
from the port and set it aside, then try powering up the laptop because

if the hard drive had any issues with it that were stopping the laptop from
powering on, removing the drive should bypass the issue and allow the laptop to
turn on. Liquid damage to the hard drive is a common reason this can happen…
Liquid damage to the internal components can cause
power redirection where the contact pads join and when this occurs, it will tell the
motherboard to shut down to prevent further damage. If the laptop is still not
powering on, continue with process of elimination testing…
So you have now ruled out the Battery, the DC Jack, the RAM (memory) and the hard drive
as being the causing issue. Note here, that, you have ruled out the DC Jack simply
because it is powering on initially, then, shutting down. If the jack were faulty,
you would get no power initially, or the shutdowns would be more sporadic and
only occur when the cord or plug were moved slightly. Battery was ruled out
simply for the fact that removing it didn’t change the fault.
So, now that you still have a laptop that won’t power on properly, and you have ruled
out the easier parts/components, you will now have to move on to disassembling the
laptop to begin troubleshooting and viewing all parts and components.
While disassembling the laptop, you will be looking for certain things along the way as the
root of the failure causing the laptop to not power up properly. You will basically be
looking at everything. Something as simple as crossing pins inside the Ethernet/cat5
cable input port that are bent and touching one another, or possibly even crossed pins
inside the USB port can cause the laptop to power on then shut down. So you will need to
closely look at all parts and components now to determine where the failure has occurred.

Liquid Damage Issue

Now we will discuss what to look for with liquid damage to a laptop and why
that could be the reason for the laptop not powering up correctly.
This is a tough Repair to handle… But I have had great success in repairing
motherboards that receive liquid damage…And I m here to share my knowledge to you…
Many types of liquid can/will spill onto Laptops, the most common being water,
beer, milk, wine, tea, Coffee, juice etc. Each of these liquid cause damage,
though each will cause damage in different
ways.
When looking for signs of liquid damage, first you want to press down on all the
keys of the laptops keyboard, you are doing this to feel for ―crispiness or
sticking keys. Since most liquid spills will occur over the keyboard, this is the first
place that will be affected. If a keyboard is saturated in liquid, and that liquid
happens to flow through the protective plastic film under the keys, it can damage
the digitizer contact pads of the keyboard, it can also travel through the keyboard
and down to the motherboard. Most people will leave the battery in

and can even leave the laptop plugged in after a spill occurs, but what they don’t
realize is that the electricity that is travelling through the laptop is continuing to
cause damage to all the areas that contain liquid. The
liquid will dry eventually if left untouched, though it will take a lot longer to dry if
any liquid leaked inside the laptops case and into the motherboard area. I have
seen liquid spills 2 months old that still had ―puddles of liquid still residing on
the motherboard and on the components.
This can occur under IC chips, under protective stickers that are placed
on most motherboards, and even in the open areas.
You should now also look at the palm rest and bottom base, you will be looking
for liquid stream remains. When liquid touches the case parts, it is more visible
on the inner side of the parts than the outer, though still visible on the outer too.
Liquid will leave a — trail of evidence behind when spillage occurs, you will see
the plastic has turned a different color and will have ¨Dflow¡Î remains from the
liquid. When disassembled, you will also look at the motherboard for any
remains of liquid. Liquid will also leave a visible trail on any PCB (printed circuit
board). Water will dry clear to whitish in color,
Powdery looking when dried. Milk will dry
to a white color; it can also stay thick and not completely dissipate. Coffee, Soda,
Beer will all dry to a dark brownish to tan

color and will also usually stay pretty thick not completely dissipating. Water
seems to cause the most damage of all the liquids common to a spill.
Liquid that is left on any PCB that has power supplied to it will corrode the solder contacts
on the PCB. This is where you will be able to visually see a whitish powdery (looks like
batter acid) substance. It will continue to corrode to the point that it will cause that
component to short out and possibly continue to further damage surrounding components
and the PCB itself. Worst case scenario is that the laptop could potentially set fire. And,
yes¡- a laptop can most certainly - set fire… I have personally seen it happen numerous
times, I have also had customers that were Fire Chiefs that would show me the pictures of
the houses burnt to the ground, then showing me the photo of the burnt/melted laptop with
their lids still open as being determined the cause of the fire.

So most important rule here if potential liquid damage has occurred is to remove
any and all sources of power running through the laptop, right down to the CMOS
battery (if the plug in type)… then complete disassembly of the laptop is a must,
you must remove all traces of past and present liquid or residue or corrosion.
Any laptop that has suffered from liquid spill should be completely
disassembled and inspired.
Each specific liquid will appear differently on the motherboard, and depending
how long it has been there and if power was still on when the spill occurred. It will
also so signs of corrosion. This is what you will be looking for (corrosion)…with
water it will appear as a whiteish color and kind of powdery.
I use a product called CRC electrical Grade 2-26 precision lubricant spray to start
my

motherboard corrosion cleaning process. I use a soft – bristled Toothbrush to

initially clean the motherboard.. applying a light amount of spray to the bristles..
the toothbrush wont

ruin the motherboard, Nor will it rip of any capacitors or other components.. and it
will safely remove the corrosion and help to prevent it from returning.
You want to inspect both sides of motherboard, start at the DC jack area, look at
the shoulder pins of the jack to see if any white powdery substance exist or
possibly shorter pin connections.. then you will start by looking at all the
capacitors. You might need a magnifying glass to get a close view.. Look in the
RAM (DIMM) ports, looking at the golds pins to see if any have a tarnished look
or again a powdery substance on them, clean the pins with the toothbrush.
Use the CRC 2-26 spray on the toothbrush bristles. Then dab the toothbrush onto
a piece of paper towel to remove some of the spray. You don’t want the toothbrush
to be wet.. it should have a very tiny amount of spray on it.. then back on forth on
capacitors, resistors, MOSFETs etc.. that have visible corrosion.
You need to also check the port that your video display cable plugs into on the
motherboard.. look into it for any corroded pins..clean with toothbrush. Look at
the display cable plug end too. And clean if necessary. If you know where the
liquid initially spilled then you can usually direct your motherboard cleaning to
that specific area. But if you don’t know and all liquid has already dried then I
suggest you go over the whole motherboard with yhe toothbrush and spray.
Then do sell circuit board cleaner at electric stores. But I have had such good
success with the forementationed spray that it is all I use.
If you are a serious repair tech. I recommended you purchase something
called capacitor wizard. This is a laptop techinicians must have
tool. It will test your in circuit capacitors and will give accurate immediate results.
It will tell you the bad ones and the good

ones. No more taking hours upon hours using a multimeter. No more finding a
stable negative post and no more misdiagonosed capacitors. It will test other
components on the motherboard as well when using the meter. I can fully test a
motherboard in a matter of a couple minutes. With my digital multimeter It took
me hours. Sometime days and still I was left wandering on some using the
multimeter . But not with the capacitor wizard. As it measures differently than a
multimeter, it measure ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) and the meter
probes are non polar.
146

Video Related Issue

All laptops have a video card; other common terms for the video card are - graphics card
or - GPU (graphics processing unit), graphics chipset or - video chip. The - video chip is
integrated on the motherboard, and the - video card is proprietary in that it connects to the
motherboard using a ZIF slot (zero insertion force) then secured by screws
A video card or chip will fail mainly due to thermal breakdown. The most likely reason
for this breakdown is overheating of the laptop. Overheating happens when the fan and
heat-sink assembly become clogged. A heat-sink is typically a metal mix/blend, mainly
being copper. It is also fragile. You do not want to bend or flex the heat pipe of the
heat-sink or you will increase the chance of overheating due to incorrect motherboard
thermal temperature readings. The end of the heat-sink will have ―radiator fins
attached to the heat pipe end. These metal/copper fins aid in the cooling and
heat dissipation by pushing the heat to the pipe end and then carrying it
through the fins and out the exhaust port.
As shown in the photo, the dust and debris can build up… Similar to a laundry
dryer’s lint trap that you remove and empty… except the laptop doesn’t allow one
to easily clean this without complete disassembly of the laptop. A toothbrush is
used to clean

between the fins of the heat-sink, remove all dust and debris from the heatsink.
You will then need to unscrew or un-brace the fan from the heat-sink to
properly clean the fan. These will be micro sized screws typically 4 of them and
some might be hidden under plastic stickers.

Fan/Heat-Sink Separation and Cleaning

Separate the fan lid from the fan base to clean. Most fans will be magnetic not
ball bearing, and you will be able to pull the fan blade off of the fan base to clean
it. Run the toothbrush in between the fan blades from the top side and bottom
sides of the fan. It is a good idea to also use a paper towel or similar (I will spray
glass cleaner on it, then fold it a bunch of times to make it thicker, then run the
wet towel in between the fan blades) to better clean it, also cleaning the base of
the fan housing. Reassemble the fan and reattach it to the heat-sink. Reapply
any thermal paste to the heat-sink’s cooling pads if needed. If you plan on adding
thermal paste to the heat-sink, First, It absolutely must be Silver Thermal Paste,
not Ceramic (silver in color, not white or pink in color). Also, you absolutely must
remove any remaining ―old thermal paste from both the HeatSink and the Chip
or CPU it is covering. To remove old paste, use denatured alcohol on a paper
towel, rub away. If the old paste is real thick and crusty, use a guitar pick or flat
plastic card or tool to
gently scrape away the paste.
Important here not to gouge the heat-sink thermal plate if you are scraping the
paste away… that is why you would use plastic to remove it, or just a paper towel.
The CPU will always use thermal paste because it does not get as hot as the
GPU does. The GPU will almost always use a thermal pad and not paste.
Thermal pads will allow for the natural thermal expansion of the chipset and will
allow for the greatest heat dissipation. Do not replace the thermal pad with a
copper shim on a NVidia chipset… You must reuse the thermal pad on the video
chip.
Why GPU Can cause Power Issue

Okay, now back to the GPU and why/how it can cause Power Issues with the laptop.
Typically a motherboard will have a Northbridge chipset, a Southbridge chipset and a
GPU chipset (3 Separate IC Chips), though the need for smaller and thinner laptops
has led to newer technology parts and components. A lot of laptops will integrate the
Southbridge chipset and the GPU into one IC chip. A good example is the HP DV
series, which mainly used an AMD/NVidia or Intel/ATI Chipset. The AMD/NVidia IC
would use integrated Southbridge/GPU on about half of the models released. If the
heat-sink only has one additional cooling thermal pad (besides the CPU pad), then
chances are the GPU and Southbridge chipsets are integrated. If the heat-sink has 2
additional thermal cooling pads, the one closest to the CPU would be the GPU and the
furthest is typically the Southbridge chipset. The Northbridge does not produce heat.
The CPU is one of the most stable components in a laptop and there will be no need to
discussany repair to that part in this book. They can “fail” though and if a replacement CPU
is readily available, you can try exchanging just to rule out the CPU. But chances are, it is
not the CPU that is causing the issue (unless you installed an incompatible one
The GPU connects to the motherboard using a BGA (ball grid array) connection;
this is a connection that does not allow for physical removal of the chip without
special equipment (rework machine or similar
I will take a minute here to Explain Hot Air Reflowing and Debunk the
Myths Surrounding the use of Hot Air as opposed to Infrared.
Use of a - Hot Air¡Î gun, if done right, will work exactly as a rework machine.
After all, it is the same exact setup as a rework machine except for the PCB
braces, temperature dials and the metal supporting arm to hold the heat source.
There are differences between the use of infrared and hot air, though the average
person will not be able to obtain or afford an expensive infrared rework machine,
which is why this book will teach you the Professional Reflowing Hot Air Method,
For Use on Any and All Video Chipsets. Infrared will transfer heat without
overheating the surrounding areas; it is more constant source of heat and will
penetrate the PCB / ICs more rapidly. Though with the right heat gun and the right
instructions, hot air can and will obtain similar results. Infrared is recommended for
Reballing and replacing the GPU, but for reflowing (what is taught here), Hot Air is
not only more cost efficient, convenient and cost effective.

MONITORING THE TEMPERATURE DURING THE VIDEO CHIP

REFLOW PROCESS
t
Chapter 10

The Soldering Process

This chapter will give you the complete guide of soldering and desoldering components.

Soldering Technique Required Tools

Before discussing soldering techniques, one should must set up a \soldering work station”.
The following is a list of tools for a typical soldering station.
1. Variable temperature soldering iron: used for applying heat to joints
during the soldering process.
2. Damp sponge: for cleaning soldering iron tip.
3. Rosin-core solder: to electrically and mechanically bond a component to the PCB.
4. Wire cutters or side cutter: for trimming component leads and stripping
insulation from wires.
5. Needle nose pliers: for holding, placing and shaping components.
6. Desoldering pump and/or desoldering braid: for removing solder.
7. Scotch tape and/or a \Third Hand”: for securing components.
8. Safety glasses: for eye protection. These are mandatory in the lab.
9. Magnifier: to provide more detail during intricate work. A magnifying
glass is convenient, but an illuminated magnifier is better.
10. Light source: to prevent eye-strain.
11. Ventilation: to extract and dispel fumes generated during the soldering process.
12. Flux: to clean components and PCB pads.
13. Acid brush: to assist in the removal of uxresidue.
Prior to soldering it is a good idea to have all components organized as it will
make populating the PCB more efficient. Make a BOM (bill of materials) for the
PCB, and ensure before soldering that the components have been collected.
The schematic and PCB layout will also be referred to when populating the
board

Important Soldering Tips

The following tips provide a quick guideline on how to make proper joints.
Cleanliness: All parts, including the soldering iron tip, must be clean and free from
grease, oxidation and contamination. Solder does not flow over contaminated areas;
moreover, solder is repelled by dirt. Severe contamination is evident when solder begins to
\bead”. A common source of contamination is oxidation. Old components and copper
boards will often have an oxide layer that prevents a good solder joint. Ensure all
components have shiny leads and the PCB has clean traces. An abrasive such as a blue
or pink eraser, emery paper, or still wool can be used to remove the oxidized layer from
the
PCB board and components.
Tinning: In addition to being clean, the soldering iron tip must also be tinned (coated
with solder). Tinning the tip allows solder to own on the components more quickly
rather than the soldering iron tip itself. Tinning involves adding a few millimetres of
solder to the tip and then wiping and rotating the tip on the damp sponge to reveal a
shiny surface on the tip of the soldering iron: a thin layer of solder will coat or \tin” the
tip of the soldering iron. When done soldering, tinning the iron is required to protect the
tip from oxidation thereby dramatically increasing its life.
Temperature: Ensure that both the component leads and the PCB’s copper layer are
heated at the same time. The soldering iron tip should contact both the component and
the PCB pad. This will ensure that each surface is relatively close in temperature
resulting in a good joint. If there is a temperature di erence between the two surfaces,
the solder will form a \dry” joint. Soldering irons are typically set around 650 Fahrenheit,
depending on the lead-tin ratio of the solder being used. Too much heat causes
excessive \sputtering” of flux, and too little doesn’t melt the solder in a timely manner.
Duration: The duration that the iron is in contact with the component and PCB is
dependent on the size of the joint and your soldering iron temperature. For the
typical PCB through-hole joint, it should take a few seconds to heat the joint and
apply the solder. This will require practice, so don’t expect to be fast if you are a
beginner. Excessive heat (several seconds in duration) will damage sensitive
semiconductors. If this is a concern, use a heat sink attached to the component
leads: sometimes as simple as an alligator clip. These concerns can sometimes
be avoided by soldering sockets instead of the semiconductor itself.
Adequate solder coverage: If too little solder is applied, the joint will not make
a secure connection and will cause erratic behaviour. However, if too much
solder is applied, the joint may bridge with adjacent joints resulting in electrical
shorts. How much solder to apply comes with experience.
Handling: Most modern electronics systems contain static-sensitive devices. Use proper
handling procedures to minimize the likelihood of damage: grounding
wrist-straps, grounded soldering irons, grounding mats, etc.

Precautions

Soldering Irons get very hot (600-8000F, 315-4250C), please ensure you
follow precautions during use. Basic safety precautions are listed below.
Never leave your iron turned on while unattended.
Turn the soldering iron off when it is not being used. If the iron is left on for long
periods of idle time, the soldering iron tip will be destroyed through oxidation.
Eye protection must always be worn when soldering. Hot flux can spit up and into an
unprotected eye. In the Capstone Design Lab, use of eye protection is mandatory.
If the cord of the soldering iron is damaged, inform the lab sta who will
ensure it is replaced.
Never set the soldering iron down on anything other than an iron stand. To
prevent burning your ngers, use needle nose pliers, heat resistant gloves, or
a third hand tool to hold small pieces.
Familiarize yourself with the safe handling of all materials used during the soldering
process. This includes solder, flux, alcohol, and desoldering braid. Each has a
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and can be found in the lab or online. \Safe
Operating Procedures” are found posted on the wall close to the soldering facilities.

How to Solder Through-Hole Components

Most of the soldering done in the Capstone Design Lab is through-hole. A

through-hole joint is a type of soldering joint in which the component joins with
the PCB pad through a physical hole in the board. The following steps will
illustrate how to make a proper through hole solder joint on a PCB.
1. Ensure that the printed circuit board and all components are clean.
Cleaning can be achieved with a mild abrasive and/or the application of flux.
2. Plug in the soldering iron, turn it on, and let it warm up for 2-3 minutes.
3. Wet the soldering station sponge with the water provided in the lab. Do
not wet the sponge in the bathroom or the water fountain.
4. Clean the tip of the soldering iron and tin it with solder.
5. Insert the component into the holes. Ensure that the component is secure by
taping the component or by using a third hand. Optionally, the component
leads can be clinched as shown in Fig.below, however, is not recommended for
two-sided boards as the flow of solder to the component side is restricted.

6.Apply the soldering iron tip to one side of joint making contact with the component lead
and the board copper foil, ensuring that both are heated up to the same temperature.
7.Slowly add a few millimetres of solder to the other side of the joint. DO NOT
apply solder to the soldering iron tip. If enough heat was applied to the PCB pad
and component wire, the solder will ow freely onto the joint.
8. Remove the solder when the joint is suitably covered .

The goal is to get the joint to be a “fillet”: a curve

9.If the PCB is double-sided, the solder should ow through the hole around the component
lead and make a bond on the component side of the board (opposite to the side that the
solder was applied). If this \wicking” does not occur, the hole may be undersized, clinching
could be blocking the solder’s path, or the component lead is not clean.
10.Remove the soldering iron and allow the joint to cool naturally.
11. Cut the lead of the component, if necessary.

Good Solder Joint

Joint Example

How to Solder Surface-Mount Components

Surface mount soldering requires more experience and skill than through hole. It
is recommended that one practices with through-hole prior to at-tempting any
surface mount soldering. As the name suggests, surface mount
involves soldering a component to either the
top or bottom surface of a PCB. Depending on
the footprint, the pads are usually a spaced
closer together ( ner pitch), making the

soldering more susceptible to solder bridges,

etc.
The actual soldering of the joints is similar to the through-hole method. One
the culty, however, is
maintaining the part’s alignment on the PCB pads. A good
technique is outlined here:
1. Align the component on the PCB pads. This can be aided with the use of
tweezers and dental picks.
2. Secure the component to the PCB by applying a small amount of pressure onto
the top of the component using a small slot screwdriver. An index nger resting on
the end of the screwdriver provides enough force to secure the device.
3.Solder one of the corner component leads to the PCB pad.
4.Align the remaining pads and solder the opposite corner PCB pad. 5.Solder the
remaining pads in a pattern that does not build-up too much heat in the device

Testing Connections
After completely soldering a component to a PCB, it is good practice to ensure
connectivity between the component wire leads and the PCB pads they are soldered
to. A DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) is su cient to determine connectivity; many DMMs
include an audible connectivity setting, but failing this, measure the joint resistance.

Desoldering Technique

Desoldering may be required for several reasons:

a component may have failed
a wrong part was installed;
a design modication necessitates a change; or
if a board contains expensive components that can be salvaged.
Whatever the reason, there are three common techniques to remove solder from a joint:
using a desoldering pump, a desoldering wick, or desoldering iron.
Regardless of the method used, if it is permissible to destroy the part during removal, then
a lot of time and effort can be saved. For instance, using wire cutters to trim off all the pins
of a through-hole IC so they can be removed individually makes the removal process
much easier. In most cases, avoiding damage to the PCB is of paramount importance.

Solder Pump/Sucker

A desoldering pump is exactly what it sounds like: a pump that sucks up solder.
Usually the pump is spring-loaded and provides a recoil when released. The four
steps below outline how to desolder a joint using a desoldering pump.
1.Prime the desoldering pump. This involves depressing the desoldering pump
spring. The pump will click when correctly depressed.
2. Heat the joint from one side with
the soldering iron tip. Wait 1-2
seconds until the solder begins to
melt from the soldering iron heat.
3. Put the pump tip on the other side of the

joint. Don’t be afraid to actually touch the

joint.

Desoldering Braid/Wick
4. Press the desoldering pump springrelease button to suck up the solder. This procedure
should be repeated if the joint has a signi cant amount of solder. If done correctly the joint
should eventually A desoldering braid removes solder from a joint using a technique
known as \wicking”. Desolder braid is a piece of material that sponges up molten solder
by capillary action that draws solder away from the joint the braid. The following
procedure outlines the basic steps involved in desoldering a joint using desoldering braid.
1. Place the desoldering braid over the joint.
2. Press the desoldering braid onto the joint with the soldering iron tip. This will
apply heat to the desoldering braid and the joint allowing the molten solder to flow.
3. Wait for the solder to melt. The solder
should flow onto the braid and away from
the joint.
4. Cut off the solder coated portion of the
desoldering braid. There should be no

copper visible in the portion that is

removed: braid is very expensive.

Desoldering Iron
Using a desoldering iron, available with higher-end soldering stations, is similar to using a
solder sucker. The desoldering iron is essentially a soldering iron with a built-in vacuum.
1. Make contact between the iron and the joint to be desoldered, ensuring
the vacuum opening is not blocked.
2. Once the solder on the joint has become molten, depress the button on
the iron to activate the vacuum.
It is very important for the life of the desoldering iron that the vacuum
assembly be cleaned after every session of use. Please ask the lab
personnel for a description of the cleaning procedure.
As with a normal soldering iron, the desoldering iron tip should be tinned before
and after every use.

Removing Components Effectively

To remove a component with little or no damage to the PCB or component

takes practice and patience. Often when removing a component, PCB pads and
tracks may be damaged by \lifting” o
the board. Below are some tips that may be useful when removing
components from a PCB.
Desolder all joints pertaining to a component prior to removal. It may be necessary to
go over the joints several times before all the solder is removed. Practice patience.
Use pliers and gently pull on components while applying heat to the joints. The
assistance of a friend can help with this.
Do not pull with force, because the PCB pads and tracks will be damaged.
Do not try and remove components by prying them.
Do not try to push the component out of the holes with the soldering tip. This will
certainly lift the copper pad o of the PCB and ruin the iron tip.

Chapter 11

Motherboard Repairing
Introduction

Now I get the impression that motherboards scare a lot of people in this field, you
know people don’t want to deal with them or replace them or try to fix them. It’s a
little daunting to try to diagnose the motherboard it might seem, but what I’m
going tell you is it’s pretty easy. Here’s four main symptoms that could go wrong
with the motherboard and they are
Four symptoms of a bad motherboard:
1. Computer won’t turn on
2. Components won’t work
3. Computer shuts down randomly
4. Computer acts abnormally

1. computer won’t power on

We got a laptop that doesn’t power on. How can you tell if the motherboard is
bad? Well, you just ask yourself why else wouldn’t a computer power on?
Number one, if it’s on battery power, the battery is dead or the battery is bad
and number two the AC adapter could be bad, so let’s roll out number one.
Pull the battery out, keep the battery out of the computer for this test and then
take your AC adapter and check the voltage with the voltmeter and I’m going
show you how to do that right here. Take a voltmeter and what you want to test
for is voltage. Put the meter at 20 volts DC and take the tip, the power jack tip.
You hold your black, your negative on the outside of the tip and you put the red in
the hole in the inside of the tip. Be very careful not to touch the red and the black
and the tips together, otherwise it will create a short circuit. After doing these
things, be sure you have 19 volts DC or just about 19 volts DC registered on your
multimeter so we can know that the power adapter works. Now, just to make sure
the connections is tight, kinda bend the power cord a little bit and make sure that
the registered 19 volts DC on the multimeter or voltmeter will not fluctuate or
move when you bend the power adapter cord a little. Okay if you’re still getting
19 volts DC when bending the power adapter cord, jiggle the power adapter cord
a little bit around make sure that there’s no crimson wire. Now, after you bend the
power adapter cord and jiggle it and you still have 19 volts registered on your
multimeter, then the power adapter tip is probably good. A lot of time you know
the tip will break, great in this area here, and you wouldn’t get that 19 volts DC
after you do that, after it’s broken. So instead of just taking the whole computer

apart and finding out if the laptop has appropriately good power jack, test the
power adapter first.
Now another reason a motherboard might not turned on is because it’s not
getting power to the power jack. Power jack might be damaged, so absorb what
you can from the outside and see if it’s the power jack is loose or detached from
the motherboard and if it is then
you know you have to replace the power jack probably, but if it looks like it’s
secure the only way we we’re gonna be able to test the power jack is to get
down to the motherboard level and look it where the power jack is soldered on to
the motherboard and this I cover in many of the case study videos.Other things
that may cause a laptop motherboard not to power on…
Now there’s a few other things that might cause a motherboard not to turn on or
computer not to turn on, it could have a bad processor, but bad processor are
fairly rare I would say 1 out of 75 computers are working on, it’s the processor
rather than the motherboard that’s bad and also there’s like maybe the power
button on the actual laptop is broken or something mechanical like that, but
again that’s unlikely but you could check those things too.
+
2. Components won’t work

Okay number two, components on a laptop won’t work. For example, a CD drive
or a wireless card don’t show up in windows. Whether not working properly, well
that could possibly be a motherboard but the way to test that is to replace that
component. If your CD drive is not working replace the CD drive if it’s still not
working maybe the CD drive controller or the motherboard is bad. I’ve had that
happened on a couple Toshiba laptops I worked on. I’ve bought a brand new CD
drive put it in, still not working, still wasn’t recognized by the BIOS and it was a
bad motherboard. Now HP, I also had a problem of their wireless card but it
wasn’t the wireless cards that were bad it was the actual controller on the
motherboard, that controls the card that was bad. I think it was positioned next to
a chip that got real hot like the graphics chip or something like that, on the
motherboard. So if you have a laptop with components not working, you replace
the components and they’re still not working then you might have a bad
motherboard. Now how do you roll out if windows isn’t causing this problem or
the operating system’s not causing the problem. Well, test it with a different
operating systems. This is always a good test of the motherboard using like Linux
distribution like knoppix or using the Ultimate Boot CD for windows. These are
both bootable CD’s and it’s essentially testing the hardware of a laptop because
you’re running it on a different operating systems. Last thing to try if components
aren’t working and you suspect is your motherboard. Flash the bios of the
motherboard, maybe the BIOS got corrupted somehow, and since the BIOS is
like handles the basic functions of a computer, maybe it’s not doing it’s job and
causing some abnormal activity in the computer.

3.Computer shuts down randomly

Okay number three, laptop shuts down randomly. Now this is a common
symptom of a laptop overheating. So let’s make sure it’s not an overheating
problem and how do we do that? Well, what I do is I take a can of compressed
air and I blow it in the laptop, in the bottom where the fan is and also in the heat
sink, on the side of the computer. If you do this you might see clouds of dust
come out and that’s a good thing that you want to make sure you get all the
chunks out of the laptop before you turned it back on, because those chunks of
dust that might still be stuck in there, might cause the fan blades to actually
stick. I go over this in the case study videos several of them. Watch how I do that
there and you can see in action you know cleaning out laptop, getting old dust
out of it. Now, once you get the dust out of a laptop and you’re sure that the fan
is spinning and the airways are clean, if the computer keeps shutting down after
this, you can be very sure that’s not the CPU overheating that’s causing the
problem but the problem with the motherboard. I had systems where I opened
them up I make sure all the airways were clean, I make sure that the heat sink
was making a good connection with the processor, put it all back together and
the computer still power down. It turned out it was a bad motherboard

4. Computer acts abnormally

Okay number 4, the computer or the laptop acts abnormally. It blue screens,
things aren’t working the way they’re suppose to, it doesn’t boot up every time, it
doesn’t boot up at all sometimes. Now, first I want to make sure it’s not Windows
that causing a problem. So again we’re not going to deal to much for the software
sides to do all your Windows fixes and make sure Windows isn’t causing the
problem or like I said before, just run knoppix which is a good Linux distribution,
the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows which is also great and then you’ll know
Windows isn’t the thing that’s causing the problem then. If you’re still having
problems with the computer acting abnormally, start taking out components one
by one. Take the hard drive out, you could do that if you’re running it from a live
Linux distribution. Take the ram out, replace the ram maybe with the stick around
that you know is good that you have around in the shop, take the wireless card
out take the CD drive out. Start taking components out one by one and get the
motherboard down to basics like CPU, one stick of ram, motherboard and power,
and hook up the screen, and just make sure that it goes on. But break it down to
basics so you’re sure that it’s not a component that’s causing the problem. So
once you have it of broken down to basics and you’re sure windows isn’t causing
the problem, then it’s probably a bad motherboard. Okay it’s a bad motherboard.

Dead Motherboard: Total Power Loss

Laptop does not start. Is it bad power jack or power fuse?

Let’s say your laptop does not start at all. You plug in the power adapter and
press on the power button, but the laptop will not react. It’s dead and the power
or battery charge LED will not light up.
What could be wrong? Is it bad power jack or the motherboard is dead? By the
way, the power jack aka DC-IN jack is the power socket on the side or back of
your laptop where you plug the AC/DC power adapter.
I’ll explain how to perform basic troubleshooting and find out what is wrong. This
is only for experienced people, who know how to disassemble laptops.
First of all, test the AC/DC power adapter with a multimeter. It’s very likely that
there is noting wrong with the laptop and your problem is related to the power
adapter.
If the adapter tests fine and output correct voltage, disassemble the laptop and
remove the top cover.
As you see on the first picture, in my laptop the power adapter plugs into the DC-
IN power jack which is connected to the motherboard via a harness. In some
models the DC-IN power jack is soldered directly to the motherboard.
Plug in the power adapter and measure voltage at the point where the DC-IN
jack or DC harness (like in my case) connected to the motherboard.
If you are reading the same voltage as on the AC adapter, it means the
power jack or harness works properly and the problem is related to the
motherboard. If there is no voltage, most likely there is a problem with the
jack or hardness and it has to be replaced
If the fuse is bad, the motherboard will appear to be dead even if there is
nothing wrong with the power jack and AC/DC adapter. If that’s the case,
replacing the bad fuse should fix the problem.

No power Problem

Diagnosis, Cause and Remedy:

The first thing I did was testing the power adapter with a multimeter in order to verify
whether the power adapter is the one that’s causing the no power problem or not. The
supply voltage indicated on the power adapter is 19v, when I tested it, the supply
voltage is just normal. Since the power adapter is just okay, our concentration now is
on the laptop itself. In order to ascertain whether the motherboard of the laptop or other
peripheral devices which is connected to the laptop causes the no power problem, we
have to disassemble the laptop piece by piece. After unscrewing all the laptop parts, I
individually pull out each peripheral devices. After completely taking out all devices
which is connected to the laptop. I now separated the motherboard in order to be
tested. But first I clean out all the dust from the motherboard for this is also a one factor
which causes the motherboard electronic components to be shorted. Because when
dust gets thick it will become a conductor.
So you need to be aware of this, every time you disassemble a laptop motherboard
you need to free the motherboard from all dust, to be sure not the dust is the
element causing the motherboard’s electronic component parts to be shorted. After
cleaning all the dust from the motherboard, I scan all the components to see
whether there are any dry joints or not. Dry joints means loose or poor solder
connections. Poor solder connections on a laptop motherboard usually occur when
your laptop is already well-advanced in years. I did not find any poor solder
connections on any part of the motherboard, but for contentment I just carefully
resoldered all the SMD components especially on the power section.
Note: All laptop nowadays is designed on a Surface Mounted Device or
SMD mode, and this is rarely have dry joints. But for satisfaction I
cautiously resoldered all the SMD components particularly the SMD
components near the dc power jack.
After resoldering all the sections that needs to be resoldered, I inserted the
dc power plug adapter to the dc power jack and see whether the power
comes up. Unfortunately, the condition of the problem remains the same. I
now tested all the electronic parts on the motherboard to find out whether
there are any shorted electronic element parts which causes the no power
problem. After testing all the components that could be tested merely with a
multimeter, I could not find any shorted parts. The only parts that I still not
checked was the dc power jack and the fuse
The final step that I did was testing power jack from input to
ground for short. When I tested it, voila! the problem found
because it is really shorted. I used x1 range of my multimeter to
see the fault and either way there’s a deflection. When I go on
testing the fuse, I found that the fuse was also open, the rate of the
fuse is 5.5 amperes and upon further inspection I found a shorted
diode.
The reason why the power jack terminals were shorted is because of the shorted
diode that is connected to the power jack. Replacing the diode and the fuse
brings the laptop to life.

More About Motherboard Repairing ABOUT THE PCB

The Laptops motherboard or PCB which stands for Printed Circuit Board is
made up of layers (it isn’t just a thick green plastic board). These layers
will be ―layered with traces. The traces are copper ―wires though not all
traces are ―wire that travel all throughout the board. Once the Layers and
Traces are Set and the board Overcoat is Applied, The Holes or Lands are
applied. All are drilled or laser etched. Then contact pads are added to the
holes. Some will have only surface pads, and some will have c-caps and
lands that go through the hole and out to the opposite side with a contact
pad attached to both sides and having a contact ―wall through the entire
wall of the hole. The purpose of the ―wall in the center of the hole is to
make contact with the trace inside the board layers corresponding to the
holes positioning on the PCB.
The Laptops Motherboard will be colored Green (some are blue),
Always having 2 shades of green (or blue); a light green/blue and a
dark green/blue. The dark green being the ―base board color and
the light green printed on to indicate Trace paths and component
sections. Then you will see white lines printed all over the board
which will correspond with the schematics data on the board
component layout. The manufacturers stamp the lines in position to
diagram-out the component part numbers; and printed labeling; for
every component.

In orderjoint,
solder to get
it isbetter thermale conductivity
sometimes ective to addbetween the iron o
a small amount and the