Introduction

Course Contents SECTION A Part I - Basic Tutorial Chapters Introduction A Tour of Your Laptop Computer Laptop Parts Identification Main Laptop Parts Explained Part II - Laptop Parts Identifications AC/DC Power adapter Battery wireless network cards motherboard CPU Hard drive LCD screen Screen backlight lamp Screen inverter board LCD screen cable Display hinges Keyboard CD/DVD-RW Memory Audio board Web camera Cooling fan CMOS battery 2  Part III - Laptop Parts Removal Procedure How to remove Laptop motherboard Replacing Laptop Keyboard Cleaning your keyboard as new Laptop LCD Screen Replacement Replacing Laptop LCD inverter board Replacing Laptop LCD cable Removing Memory Modules Removing Wireless Card Removing Laptop Backlight Lamp How to replace broken display hinge how to remove/repair DC power jack Removing and Installing CPU Hard drive Removal How to Remove DVD/Optical drives How to Remove Speakers Upgrading Laptop's graphics card Part IV - Laptop Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Ac Adapter/Power Problems Backlight lamp Overheating system Display hinges Hard drive Laptop keyboard Laptop makes noise Laptop runs slow Troubleshooting Lcd screens Liquid damage Laptop Battery Troubleshooting Memory Troubleshooting Network port DVD/Optical Drives testing and troubleshooting Power jack Troubleshooting CPU/Processor Screen inverter Startup problems USB ports Video Card Video cable Wireless connection 3  SECTION B IC Chip Soldering & Desoldering Latest Chip Level Tools & Gadgets Basic Electronics Soldering & Desoldering Guide How to Solder SMD Soldering Guide Surface Mount Soldering Tutorials Getting IC chip X onto board Y Trying to reworking with an iron Wonderful hot-air rework Green wire fixes Sneaky tricks for soldering leadless ICs Video examples How does hot air rework actually work? [updated] Checking Voltage and Short Circuits with Multimeter Testing for Backlight or Inverter Failure Testing A CCFL LCD Backlight Tube Overheating - Cleaning Fans and Troubleshooting Hot CPU Failure Recovering Laptop Hard Drive Files With A USB Shell Motherboard Ic Chip Components Motherboard Component Overview Steps to Troubleshooting Laptop Motherboard Problems Common Problem Of Different Motherboards How to fix G4 Aple ibook motherboard with chip problem Fixing dead motherboard power problem Fault Finding Using Osciloscope Power Fuse Chip All About Bios Password Removal The Bios chip Laptop BIOS Recovery Dell Bios Passsword Shorting Method How to short the EEPROM Bios Chip on a Dell latitude d610 Different Ways of Removing Toshiba Bios Password Bios Flashing & Update 4  Ac Adapter = How it function, basic problems ,circuit diagram,& repairing steps Battery = How it function, basic problems ,circuit diagram,& repairing steps Battery = How to replace battery cells inside laptop battery Sound = Soldering tiny sound ic chips in a Laptop motherboard Wifi Card = Soldering wireless card in an old Laptop motherboard Use Of Debug Card Post Error & Code Hard Disk = PCB Circuit Repair,Data Recovery,Head & Platter Swap,Disassemble a Hard Disk Drive Bonus: Solder/De-solder Capacitor From Your Motherboard When a Motherboard Fails Capacitors - Mysterious Creatures When Capacitors Spring Leaks How To Recognize Flawed Capacitors How To Buy Substitute Low-ESR Capacitors Getting Started! De-Soldering Capacitors Drilling the motherboard Installing New Capacitors Conclusion How to fix laptop motherboard with failed NVIDIA graphics chip How to test a laptop or a desktop computer memory modules Service manuals for laptops 5  Introduction Before You Start As a Laptop technician, you must understand a basic rule of business, time is money. Whether you are boss or work for someone else, the ability to identify and isolate a Laptop fault quickly and decisively is very important to the success of your business. It requires some common sense, and a little bit of focus. It also requires an understanding of the troubleshooting process, and reliable plan of action. Even though the number of Laptop configuration and setups are virtually unlimited, the methodology used to approach each repair is always about the same. This introduction is intended to isolate the concepts of basic troubleshooting and show you how to apply basic laptop repair steps that will help you narrow the problem down before you even take a screwdriver to the Laptop. By applying a constant technique. You can safe precious time from every laptop repair. The General Troubleshooting Steps Regardless of how your particular Laptop might be, a dependable Troubleshooting steps can be broken down into four basic steps. #1:Define your symptoms, #2: identify and isolate the location of your problem #3: replace the suspected component, and #4:re-test the component thoroughly to be sure that you have solve the problem. If you have not solved the problem, start again from step #1:This is a “universal” procedure that you can apply to any sort of troubleshooting __not just for Laptops. DEFINE YOUR SYMPTOMS When a Laptop breaks down, the cause might be a simple as a loose wire or a connector, or as complicated as an IC or component failure. Before you start, you must have a good understanding of all the symptoms. Think about the symptoms carefully. By recognizing and understanding your symptoms, it can be much easier to trace a problem to the appropriate component. Take the time to write down as many symptoms as you can. As a Laptop technician, you must often write problems and solutions for reference purposes. IDENTIFY AND ISOLATE Before you try to isolate a problem within a piece of Laptop hardware, you must first be sure that the equipment itself is causing the problem. In many cases, this will be fairly obvious, but some situation might not be. A faulty or improperly configured piece of software can cause confusing system errors. When you are sure that it is a system’s hardware failure, you can begin to identify which component fails. REPLACE 6  Because Laptops are designed as a sub-unit, it is almost always easier to replace a subunit outright, rather than attempt to repair the sub-unit to its component level. Even if you had the time, to isolate defective component, many laptop parts are not inter-changeable, so it is better to replace the defective part than try to repair it RE-TEST When a repair is finally complete, the system must be reassembly carefully before testing it. All guards, housings, cables and shields must replaced before final testing. If symptoms persist, you will have to reevaluate the symptoms and narrow the problem to another parts of the equipment. If normal operation is restored (or greatly improved), test the computer’s various function. When you can verify that the symptoms have stop during actual operation, the equipment can be returned to service. As a general rule, it is wise to let the system run for at least 24 hours to ensure that the replacement subassembly will not fail prematurely. Do not be discouraged if the equipment still malfunctions. Maybe software settings and device drivers may need to be updated to. If you are tired simply walk away, clear your hand, and start again by defining the current symptoms. Never continue with a repair if you are tired or frustrated tomorrow is another day. Even the most experienced troubleshooters get overwhelmed from time to time. 7  A Tour of Your Laptop Computer Dell™ Inspiron™ 4000 Front View Left Side View Right Side View Back View 8  Front View Display Latch This latch keeps the display locked in place when the display is closed. Display The computer has a color LCD. 9  Dell™ Solution Center Button Press this button to launch the Dell Solution Center, where you can find support and educational tools that Dell has installed on your computer. You can reprogram the button to launch a program of your choice. Keyboard Status Lights The green lights located above the keyboard indicate the following:  The light labeled keypad. turns on when you press  The light labeled turns on when you press uppercase letter function.  The light labeled scroll lock function. turns on when you press to enable the numeric to enable the to enable the 10  Keyboard The keyboard includes a numeric keypad as well as the Microsoft® Windows® logo key that supports the Windows operating systems. Track Stick The track stick detects the pressure and movement of your finger for moving the cursor on the display and, along with the track stick buttons, provides full mouse functionality. Microphone The internal microphone allows you to record voice audio. Device Status Lights The green lights next to the keyboard indicate the following:  The light labeled turns on when the computer is turned on and blinks when the computer is in standby mode.  The light labeled to the hard drive.  The light labeled turns on steadily or blinks to indicate the battery charge status. Indicator states include: turns on when the computer reads data from or writes data 11  o Off, which indicates that the computer is operating on AC power o Flashing green, which indicates that the battery is charging o Solid green, which indicates that the battery is fully charged NOTICE: To avoid data loss, never turn off the computer while the green light labeled is flashing. Touch Pad The touch pad detects the position of your finger over a touch-sensitive area and provides the computer with full mouse functionality. Modular Bay You can install devices such as a floppy drive, CD drive, DVD drive, CD- RW drive, Zip drive, second hard drive, second battery, or Dell TravelLite™ travel module in the modular bay. Display Latch Button Press the display latch button to unlock the display. Battery Bay With a battery in this bay, you can use the computer without plugging it into the electrical outlet. Touch Pad/Track Stick Buttons These buttons correspond to the left and right buttons on a standard mouse. Power Button HINT: To turn off your computer, perform a Windows shutdown. Press the power button to turn on the computer or to initiate standby mode. If the computer stops responding, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off completely (this may take several seconds). 12  Left Side View PC Card Slot The PC Card slot has two connectors that support various types of PC Cards, including modems and network adapters. Hard Drive The hard drive reads and writes data on a hard disk. 13  Security Cable Slot This slot lets you attach a commercially available antitheft device to the computer. Complete instructions for installing antitheft devices are usually included with the device. NOTICE: Antitheft devices are of differing designs. Before you buy one, make sure it works with the security cable slot in the computer. Speakers Your computer has integrated speakers. 14  Right Side View Infrared Sensor HINT: The infrared sensor does not function when the computer is connected to a port replicator. The infrared sensor lets you transfer files from the computer to another infrared device without using cable connections. 15  Audio Connectors  Attach a microphone to the connector.  Attach headphones or speakers to the connector. 16  Modem Connector If you ordered the optional internal modem, use this connector to plug in the telephone connector. Network Connector If you ordered the optional network adapter, use this connector to connect the computer to a network. S-Video TV-Out Connector Use this connector to connect your computer to a television. Fan Exhaust The fan works with the air intake to prevent the computer from overheating. When the computer gets hot, the small internal fan turns on and draws air through the air intake to cool the computer. Hot air is expelled through the fan exhaust. 17  Back View Air Intake HINT: The computer turns on the fan only when the computer gets hot. It may run most of the time or very seldom, depending on your use of the computer. Because the fan spins at a high rate of speed, it may make a noise. This noise is normal and does not indicate a problem with the fan or the computer. The fan works with the air intake to prevent the computer from overheating. When the computer gets hot, the small internal fan turns on and draws air through the air intake to cool the computer. Hot air is expelled through the fan exhaust. CAUTION: Do not push objects into or block the air intake. Doing so can cause fire or damage the interior components. Keep the opening free from dust and other foreign particles. Serial Connector Use this connector to attach a serial device to the computer. Parallel Connector Use this connector to attach a parallel device, such as a printer, to the computer. 18  Docking Connector Use this connector to attach your computer to the optional advanced port replicator. An advanced port replicator allows you to easily use an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor with your computer. It also includes a network connector for connecting your computer to a network. HINT: The port replicator may not be available in certain countries. Refer to the documentation that came with your port replicator for instructions on attaching external devices to the port replicator and connecting your computer to it. PS/2 Connector Use this connector to attach PS/2-compatible devices such as a mouse, keyboard, or external numeric keypad to your computer. USB Connector Use this connector to attach USB-compatible devices such as a mouse, keyboard, printer, or scanner to your computer. Video Connector Use this connector to attach an external monitor to the computer. AC Adapter Connector Use this connector to attach an AC adapter to the computer. 19  HINT: Although the AC adapter works worldwide, power connectors vary among countries. Before using the AC adapter in a foreign country, you may need to obtain a new power cable designed for use with the electrical outlets in that country. The AC adapter converts AC power to the DC power required by the computer. You can connect the AC adapter with your computer either turned on or off. NOTICE: When you disconnect the AC adapter from the computer, grasp the adapter cable connector, not the cable itself, and pull firmly but gently to avoid damaging the cable. 20  Laptop Parts Identification 1. LCD SCREEN-----Display – Most modern laptops feature 12 inch (30 cm) or larger color active matrix displays with resolutions of 1024×768 pixels and above. Many current models use screens with higher resolution than typical for desktop PCs (for example, the 1440×900 resolution of a 15" Macbook Pro can be found on 19" widescreen desktop monitors). 2. STATUS BAR --- A housing cover for on/off power button and other indicator lights. 3. KEYBOARD ---- keyboard is an input device, partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, which act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. A keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on the keys and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in 21  sequence. While most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs (characters), other keys or simultaneous key presses can produce actions or computer commands. 4. SYSTEM CASING----- Housing cover unit for motherboard and other system component 5. WIRELESS CARD---- Wi-fi PC cards for accessing wireless networks have an external portion containing the antenna for improved reception. 6. EXPANSION CARDS – A PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) or ExpressCard bay for expansion cards is often present on laptops to allow adding and removing functionality, even when the laptop is powered on. Some subsystems (such as Wi-Fi or a cellular modem) can be implemented as replaceable internal expansion cards, usually accessible under an access cover on the bottom of the laptop. Two popular standards for such cards are MiniPCI and its successor, the PCI Express Mini.LCD SCREEN 7. CPU HEAT SINK----Internal CPU heat sink for removal of heat from the processor using thermal paste. 8. HARD DRIVE CADDY ----Hard drives caddy are used to secure the hard drive before installation. 9. HARD DRIVE CONNECTOR ----Internal Hard drive connector is used to connect the hard drive to the motherboard. 10. HARD DRIVE ----Hard drives are the primary storage units for your laptop. This is where your operating system and program data are stored. If you require additional storage space you can easily upgrade to a bigger hard drive capacity or add an external hard drive to your laptop. Storage size is measured in GB (gigabytes). Internal storage – Laptop Hard disks are physically smaller—2.5 inch (60 mm) or 1.8 inch (46 mm) — compared to desktop 3.5 inch (90 mm) drives. 11. BATTERY -----Current laptops utilize lithium ion batteries, with more recent models using the new lithium polymer technology. These two technologies have largely replaced the older nickel metal-hydride batteries. Typical battery life for standard laptops is two to five hours of light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour when doing powerintensive tasks. 12. SPEAKERS----Laptop internal speakers for music and sound output 13. MODEM PORT----Used for installation for modem cards for internet connections 14. DVD/CD-RW Drives-----Removable media drives – A DVD/CD reader/writer drive is typically standard. CD drives are becoming rare, while Blu-Ray is not yet common on notebooks. Many ultra portables and netbooks either move the removable media drive into the docking station or exclude it altogether. 22  15. MOTHERBOARD----- laptop motherboards are highly make and model specific, and do not conform to a desktop form factor. Unlike a desktop board that usually has several slots for expansion cards (3 to 7 are common), a board for a small, highly integrated laptop may have no expansion slots at all, with all the functionality implemented on the motherboard itself; the only expansion possible in this case is via an external port such as USB or a card slot such as PCMCIA. Other boards may have one or more standard, such as ExpressCard, or proprietary expansion slots. Several other functions (storage controllers, networking, sound card and external ports) are implemented on the motherboard. 16. MOTHERBOARD HOUSING UNIT----- Housing unit for motherboard and other system component 17. CPU FAN----- Internal CPU fan for cooling of the processor temperature 18. FRONT BESEL ---- Housing units for the keyboard and mouse pad 19. Memory (RAM) ----- SO-DIMM memory modules that are usually found in laptops are about half the size of desktop DIMMs. They may be accessible from the bottom of the laptop for ease of upgrading, or placed in locations not intended for user replacement such as between the keyboard and the motherboard. Random Access Memory (or "RAM") provides temporary read/write storage. It's often referred to as "virtual memory" and is measured in MBs (megabytes) or GB (gigabytes). Generally, the more memory you have, the more programs you can run simultaneously. 20. VIDEO CABLE (Graphics cards) Video display controller – On standard laptops the video controller is usually integrated into the chipset. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and entertainment, two fields which have constantly escalating hardware demands. Higher-end laptops and desktop replacements in particular often come with dedicated graphics processors on the motherboard or as an internal expansion card. These mobile graphics processors are comparable in performance to mainstream desktop graphic accelerator boards. These allow the computer to display a certain number of colors and images. Higher quality graphics cards will often come with their own video RAM. The video RAM greatly increases the image quality of your laptop. 21. NETWORK CONNECTOR----RJ45 Network port for connection of RJ45 network cable for network and internet connection. 23