Is it possible to have an HP laptop fixed?

I have an HP laptop that isn't quite two years old. Out of warranty of course, (I forgot to send in the extended warranty from Circuit City a year ago) The other night the end of the power plug broke. It just fell apart and part of it is stuck in the laptop. The power plug has been kind of intermittent for awhile now, but it was working mostly ok. I have called a local place and I called the Geek Squad at Best Buy and both told me that it would need a whole new motherboard and that it would be cheaper to buy a new laptop. I don't want a new laptop and I certainly can't afford one anyway. What I would like to know is, is it possible to fix this? I haven't tried to remove the broken piece from the laptop, is it possible I might damage the insides further by taking it out? I don't even know where to go to try to find a new power plug. Do they make non-brand types and how would I know if it really fits. I am not sure if the problem is only with the power plug, or if something is wrong with the insides.

This is the second laptop I have had with this problem. I was hoping to be able to take them both in someplace to have them fixed. I am thinking now that maybe I am better off not buying anymore laptops if they are only going to last a year or so. It seems like a scam that they are so expensive and aren't even made very well. Does anyone make external chargers for laptop batteries? That seems like that best solution, if the power plugs are going to be breaking all the time.

Thanks,
Roseann

 

You might just be able to replace the power supply to the laptop. I would recommend getting one specificly for your computer. The motherboard could be damaged. That may be fixable, depends on your soldering skills.

I would carefully remove the remnants of the plug and try a new one. If that does not work, it can still be fixed, but it may cost a lot unless you can do it.

E

 

Broken power plugs on laptops are VERY common, and they can be repaired. Of course the local shop and Best Buy said you'd need a new laptop; doing the repair is ALOT of work and they can charge more for a new laptop which is also easier to warranty than a soldered power plug. This type of repair is commonly around $175.00 (2 hours labor at $80/hr plus about $15-$20 for parts). However, when the plug starts to go out, most people start tweaking and twisting the AC jack, cranking it this way and that, which causes the voltage regulator IC to get spiked with voltage (and related capacitors sometimes also) and it eventually burns up. So it is usually not just the power plug, but also some chips and capacitors which ends up costing more.

 

I think you should certainly review your operating proceedures in handling/placing the power supply and laptop.

If all you have done is broken off a piece of the plug in the socket I would hope to do the repair for rather less than DLB's estimate. Don't try this yourself as the socket is often mounted underneath the motherboard. Go to (several) independent repairers, not a national tin shed operator.

 

Two excellent pieces of advice. However, if you have good electronics skills and you're experienced in the soldering and desoldering of small/micro electronics components, and you're confident that you can disassemble and reassemble the laptop, then you just may be able to do this yourself. A good friend of mine did several of these type of repairs and it usually took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. And that's working straight thru at a good careful steady pace, not rushing anything. That's why my above estimate seems high; it's because of the time involved. I guess that if someone was a 'pro' in laptop soldering and if they've done lots of these power plug replacements, then they could probably do it faster, and therefore it would cost less. Here's a link to a company that does great work with onboard laptop repairs such as yours. Maybe give 'em a call and see what they say:
http://www.laptoprescuer.com/
They're based in California (in San Jose I think?) so if you live in the Western US, shipping would only be 2-3 days max via UPS.

 

Thank you for your replies. I live a few hours away from the repair shop you mentioned so I will give them a call. Have you used their services?

When I first had this laptop, I only used it on battery power. After about a year or so, the battery would only last for a little more than a half hour so I started using it while plugged in. Is it best to not use a laptop while plugged in? Perhaps it is cheaper to buy new batteries than have to go through the hassle of trying to get the thing fixed.


Thanks again,
Roseann