Laptop Basics

PC Repair and Troubleshooting

Laptop

• is a personal computer for mobile use• differs in height, width and weight, screen and

quality display, purpose and functionality, battery life, and price

Classification

• Desktop replacement Laptop– provides all of the capabilities of a desktop computer, with a

similar level of performance– Bulky, larger and weigh 8 to 12 pounds– 15" or larger display– operation time on batteries is typically shorter

• All Purpose Laptop– powerful to do all computer tasks.– Large and weigh 5 to 8 pounds– 14 to 16 inches screen – low battery life about 2 to 5 hrs.

• Ultraportable Laptop– offer PC experience with fewer limitations– super thin laptops weighing 3 to 4.5 pounds– screen sizes from 11 to 14 inches– Battery can last 4 to 6 hours of use

• Netbook– ideal for internet browsing or simple web processing due to

slow performance level– light and weighs only 3 pounds or less– measures from 6 to 10 inches– Battery lasts more than 6 hrs

Components

• Motherboard• CPU – Advanced power-saving features and produce less

heat, but are not as powerful as desktop processors– Other laptop have non replaceable CPU

• Memory (Small Outline - DIMM)– Half the size of desktop DIMMs – Place in the bottom of the laptop for ease of upgrading

or placed in locations not intended for user replacement

• Expansion cards– allow adding and removing functionality– accessible under an access cover on the bottom of the

laptop• Power supply– range of 7.2– 24 volts– charges battery and provides power for laptop

• Battery– battery life depends on usage– performance decrease over time (1 to 3 years)

• Video display controller– integrated into the chipset to conserve power– dedicated graphics processors on motherboard

• Display– LED lighting with resolutions of 1280×800 or 1366 × 768 pixels

and above.• Removable media drives– universal on full-sized models– common on thin-and-light models– uncommon on notebooks– unknown on netbooks

• Internal storage– HDD smaller compare to desktop– Solid State Drive (SSD) - flash memory based ,

expensive, faster, lighter and power-efficient• Input– Pointing Stick, Touchpad, Keyboard

• Port– VGA, HDMI, USB, Audio In / Out, Memory, Serial

• Cooling

Laptop Upgrades

• Many of these upgrades will void your laptop's warranty.• Some upgrades can damage your laptop. If you are at all

uncomfortable with such tinkering, leave it to a pro. • Most vendors provide disassembly instructions in their

products' service manuals, which can usually be found on their Web sites' support sections.

• Unplug your laptop and remove the battery before attempting any upgrade. Also, to avoid damage from static electricity, use a grounded wrist strap. You'll need a collection of small screwdrivers, including flathead, Phillips, and possibly even Torx.

• Speaking of screws, keep them organized as you remove them. We like to use Dixie cups for each step. Just write "LCD assembly" or "keyboard" or whatever on each cup as you go, to help you remember which screws go where.

• Pay special attention to wiring. Laptops have intricate channels where the wiring must run; stray wiring may get pinched or may prevent other parts from fitting together correctly.

• No matter what machine you're working on, first upgrade your BIOS. You'll need up-to-date BIOS code to support many newer components.

• Not every laptop component can be upgraded. Some may be soldered or otherwise permanently attached.

Laptop usual problems• The laptop screen is rather delicate and may break down.• The keyboard keys are used all the time and may get loose, or they may not

react when being pressed.• The pointing stick may not function• The battery may pack up. Over time the battery life will get shorter until you

reach a stage where you can only work while plugged into an electricity outlet.

• The battery charger may stop functioning.• The different cables may break; sometimes the inside of the cable gets

broken, which can not be detected by visual inspection.• The motherboard may fail.• The hard disk may crash.• The CD-ROM or DVD drive may malfunction.• Overheating due to blocked cooling system