Sony Vaio Motherboard/Screen

My girlfriend broke her best friends Sony Vaio. She cracked the screen by banging it off the side of the coffee table.

We took it to the repair shop and the guy said he could fix the screen no problem.

Next day he calls to say that the connection from the motherboard to the screen is broken and so he cannot replace the screen. He advises us that the motherboard would need to be replaced and as this is prohibitively expensive the best thing to do is just sell the machine for parts and buy a new one.

Is this all we can do? Is it not possible to fix the connection from the motherboard to the screen?

If we do sell for parts how much can we expect to get?

A new Sony Vaio is going to cost around 600 euro in Ireland, so we really want to get it fixed is possible. Both of us work on the minimum wage.

Any help greatly appeciated.

Thanks

 

If the piece that locks the screen's ribbon cable in place on the motherboard is broken, it likely will require a new motherboard. Although rare, I have seen this happen on notebook PCs that were dropped.

You could take it somewhere else for a second opinion; however be warned: I have seen techs attempt to repair connections like this using electrical or duct tape. Such a "repair" usually lasts (at most) a few days and is a total scam.

Sadly, the screen and the motherboard make up almost the total value of a notebook PC. The best source on its parts value is to check "for parts or not working" listings on the UK eBay site (look at the "completed listings" prices to see what similar models in this condition have sold for recently).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news; however I hope this information helps.

 

Thanks for your reply and help.

Why can this ribbon component not be replaced on its own?

 

It's not the ribbon itself, it's the clip/socket on the motherboard that holds it in place.

It's almost impossible to replace a part like this on a board - as such, manufacturers do not offer it as an individual replacement part. Even if you were able to find the clip/socket, it would require someone with a steady hand and high-end soldering equipment to do the work - plus we're assuming nothing else on the motherboard was damaged when it was dropped.

One thing you might try is going to a friend's house and hooking up a desktop monitor to the PC. If it powers up and works, you can essentially turn it into a desktop PC by adding a monitor plus a USB keyboard and mouse (just change the power settings in control panel to "do nothing" when the lid is closed). If this works, the cost of an entry level monitor, keyboard and mouse will set you back a lot less than a new PC - it just won't be portable.