“Leave it to the experts”: Computer hardware issues you probably shouldn’t repair by yourself

Some computer repairs are pretty easy and can be done by a beginner. Repairs like hard drive replacements on most Windows laptops don’t require many tools or a high skill level to complete. These kinds of computer repairs are the kind that we encourage a lot of computer users to do, as they won’t take you too long and can save you money.

Repairs that need a lot of specific tools and parts are a little bit more complicated. Some might even require a high skill level in computer repair. Professional technicians can take better care of your common computer hardware issues. That’s because repair techs have all the tools needed at the ready, and work in a safe and organized environment.

If you’re looking to get into computer repair, pc hardware problem detection, or even PC building, getting a sturdy set of tools would be a great investment. Take a look at a few guides on sites like ifixit to learn more about tech repair while you’re at it. But if you’re not looking to continue in computer hardware troubleshooting and repairing all by yourself, you probably don’t need to buy all the tools just for one repair project. It might not be worth it for a single repair project.

For complicated repairs that call for specific tools, we recommend just bringing them to a professional, especially if the situation involved computer hardware related issues and solutions. Let’s take a look and the kinds of computer hardware issues that you probably shouldn’t try to resolve by yourself.

If you’ve ever wondered how professional computer repairers diagnose computers, and execute a safe computer hardware troubleshooting ,you can see 7 best tools to test computers (The best one is FREE). It’ll amaze you.

1. Faulty laptop battery replacement

First off, laptop batteries are considered hazardous products and should only be handled by professionals. Faulty batteries can expand and leak poisonous liquid or gas. As experienced technicians, we’ve seen a fair share of batteries spontaneously getting very hot and catching on fire while replacing them. There’s also a chance that a faulty battery can fry the motherboard.

There’s also a chance of accidentally breaking other parts of the laptop while disassembling the laptop. This is especially for slim Ultrabook models. The battery packs are a lot slimmer and the parts of the laptop are tightly compressed together. This makes it harder to repair, when you have to be so careful in case you break something.

2. Motherboard failure

Motherboard issues are, to say the least, difficult to deal with. They are both hard to diagnose and repair. This is because the motherboard as a circuit board, has no direct way to test for faults. It has to be confirmed by testing for and eliminating other possible hardware faults in parts like the hard drive, RAM, or video card. This can take a while if your computer is completely dead and you need to take the parts out to test them.

Another thing is that when you need to get your motherboard fixed, you’ll usually need to replace the whole thing. This requires you to almost completely disassemble everything on your computer. The motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer, where everything is connected to each other. As you have to disconnect everything and put them back together, the process is very tough, even for an experienced technician.

One thing that some computer repair technicians do for dead motherboards is a component-level repair. This is a repair process that replaces small parts of the motherboard, instead of the whole board. Because of its high difficulty, only certain computer repair services offer such repairs.

3. MacBook and Ultrabook keyboard replacement

A lot of MacBook and Ultrabook models feature slim and portable designs that are great for working on the go. This however, comes with the cost of lowered repairability. There’s a higher risk of accidentally breaking something while disassembling the laptop to get to the keyboard.

Apple MacBook laptops are also often made with Apple’s proprietary pentalobe screws. This requires specific tools. If you already have a set of regular computer screwdrivers, they won’t cut it. You’ll need the tools specifically for Apple computers.

4. Laptop screens

A lot of modern laptop screens, especially Ultrabooks, are made slimmer and slimmer to match the whole sleek look of the device. As we can expect with these delicate and slim parts, they are quite fragile even when they are brand new.

The trend with modern laptop screens is using glue and double-sided tape to put things together, rather than screws. Without an accessible way to disassemble the laptop’s screen, you’ll need tools like an opening pick and a heat pad to remove the glue.

Like most laptop repairs, you’ll also need to disconnect the battery when you’re replacing the laptop screen. This is for your own safety and to eliminate the chance of blowing the motherboard. The extra tools and effort you need to put into fixing the screen isn’t quite worth it for a DIY project.

5. Most iMac repairs

iMac desktop computers are all-in-one computers. There’s no separate tower, everything’s just inside the whole thing. That makes repairs a little bit complicated, when you have to open up the entire screen to get to anything. It’s especially complicated when some parts are assembled under the logic board. RAM repairs or upgrades fall under this shortcoming, as the RAM is only accessible under the logic board.

To get under the screen of an iMac, you’ll need the specific opening pick and suction cup tools, then the double-sided tape designed only for iMacs to put it back together. This tape is pretty hard to find online, so you might want to get help through a repair technician.

So that’s 5 computer hardware issues that you probably should leave up to the experts. We’re not just advising you as repair techs who offer a service, but also as repair techs who understand the difficulty of certain issues. Indeed, pc hardware maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair is no joke!

A lot of times we get clients with computers displaying pc hardware failure symptoms, causing them to try and fix the problem all by themselves, but made the situation even worse. Understanding what you can do and what you should do with these repairs are very important. When accidents happen during a DIY repair project, they can often make things even harder to fix. There are a few common mistakes that amateur home repairers make while trying to fix a problem on their computer.

We’re always here to help. As a highly-rated computer repair service in Sydney, we can help you diagnose and repair any computer issue. From Apple Macbooks to laptops and desktop PCs, we’re experts in the field. Our friendly repair technicians can also offer advice on computer upgrades, virus removal, and more. Give us a call at 1800 85 83 82 or come on down to our Inner West store today!

Lines on laptop screen: how to fix image distortion issues

Any part of your laptop can fail, and that includes the screen. You may experience a single vertical line, or even a completely blank black screen. These display issues can be caused by a number of problems, and do need a bit of troubleshooting to fix. You’ll have to look into the different parts that deliver the visuals on your laptop.

In this guide, we’ll be looking at how to troubleshoot and fix different screen issues. You’ll get a better understanding of how things work, and how you can detect these issues easily.

Screen issues that you may be experiencing:

Screen distortion issues can look like a number of things. When display components start to fail, the image you see on the screen can become distorted or discoloured. The screen image may even crash completely. If some of your display components are faulty, you might experience one or a few of these errors:

• Different coloured thin lines on laptop screen (both horizontal and vertical) — These thin lines usually indicate a screen failure.
• Coloured bars shown on screen (both horizontal and vertical) — While quite similar to the thin lines of a screen failure, these bars are much wider. You can sometimes still see the image under the bars, as the image is just discoloured. This usually is caused by a video card failure.
• Bleeding screen image — This one looks like a crack where the image is bleeding through. Generally happens to physically damaged laptop screens.
• Flickering images — Another physical screen issue.
• Fading images — Commonly a screen issue, but may also turn out to be a faulty screen cable instead.
• Extremely dim screen on older Macbook with LCD screens — Macbook LCD screens use an inverter to control screen lighting, and a faulty inverter could dim the screen.
• Physical cracks on the laptop screen — A pretty obvious sign of a faulty laptop screen that needs to be replaced.

Why is the image on my screen distorted?

When you see distortion or discolouration on your screen, these errors usually point to issues with the parts on your laptop that work to display images on the screen. To understand why these errors appear, we should first look at how your laptop’s display works.

Just like every other process that happens on your laptop, different components work together to display images once you turn it on. This process requires the screen, screen cable, and the video card. Failure in any part in this process could lead to different kinds of visible errors that you need to tend to.

How a laptop displays images

Your computer delivers a seamless computing experience for you. With everything you do, it shows you everything almost instantly. This comes from the different parts of your laptop that work together to create the right display images on the screen.

It all begins with the video card, also known as the GPU. The GPU (and at times, the CPU too) first generates a constant digital image feed. This is fed through the screen cable and into the display output, that is the laptop screen. Every pixel on the screen is needed for this process as well. The image feed informs each pixel of the colour that it is supposed to change to. This is a nonstop process that shows you whatever you’re working on, watching, or playing.

So when any part in this process fails, it could cause all kinds of problems. One thing for sure though, it will all show up on your screen. We’ll have to do a bit of troubleshooting to find out what’s wrong with your laptop.

Differences in screen errors: broken screen or faulty video card?

Screen errors can look very similar but at the same time indicate some very different problems. A broken screen simply means that the image can’t be displayed properly on your laptop’s screen. But with a faulty video card, it won’t even be able to properly generate the right image feed to the screen. This means that it will show the same wonky image even on perfectly fine screens.

That’s how you can find out whether you have a screen issue or a malfunctioning video card. Use an HDMI cable to connect your laptop to an external monitor or TV. If the same distorted image shows up, then you likely have a failing video card.

For more handy tricks to test your computer on your own, read our guide “6 easy tools and tricks to test and diagnose your laptop“. We cover some tools and testing solutions to detect computer issues easily.

Can you fix display issues by yourself?

For both video card and screen problems, failing hardware can only be fixed by replacing it entirely. This usually involves taking apart your laptop and putting in new hardware. It can be quite a complicated process, depending on the model and design of your laptop.

Video card repairs

On most laptops these days, video cards are embedded on the motherboard. This means that it is a built-in part of the motherboard and cannot be removed on its own. It certainly makes it a lot harder to repair the video card.

There are a few exceptions though. Certain models of gaming laptops have detachable video cards that you can take out on its own for replacements or upgrades.

For regular laptops, you’ll either need to get the entire motherboard replaced, or get professional help from component-level repair technicians. These are both rather complex repair jobs that most computer users don’t have the experience and tech know-how to do by themselves.

Curious about motherboard repairs and why they’re so hard to do? Read our guide “Why motherboard failures are so hard to test and repair“.

Laptop screen repairs

Laptop screens are also fairly tricky to deal with. A lot of laptops these days are generally put together as one part. Parts of the laptop screen are usually glued together, where no screws are used at all. This is why we can’t replace the screen panel, or glass panel on its own.

Parts of a laptop screen

A laptop screen might look like a single piece of hardware that you can just unhinge and fit back on, but it’s not that simple. They do require a fair bit of assembly and involve many different parts. Let’s take a look inside:

• Screen — You see things on here. Usually LED or LCD displays for older laptop models.
• Back cover — Where the screen is seated, acts as protection as well. Also the top of your laptop when closed.
• Backlight — Used to light up the screen.
• Inverter — Controls the light for the screen for LCD displays. Discontinued for newer Macbook Air and Pro models with LED screens (uses the logic board to light up the screen).
• Screen hinge — Provides smooth opening and closing of the laptop lid. Made of solid metal.
• Webcam — The camera that you never look at because you’re looking at yourself on the screen.
• Wifi / Bluetooth antenna — Connects your laptop to the wifi. Seated on the back cover, doesn’t get much attention.

These parts are very delicate and take a great deal of care. Specific models that have touchscreen panels or high quality displays will typically be harder to navigate around. If you are keen on DIY and are pretty skilled at it, we of course encourage you to do so. If not, you might want to take your laptop to a repair shop instead.

Laptop screen repairs at Safemode Computer Service

Got a busted laptop screen or a faulty video card? We can help. Laptop screen damage may not be covered by your warranty or accidental damage cover, so you’ll need a third-party repair service for this.

At Safemode Computer Service, we offer free quotes after testing your computer in store (Ts & Cs apply). As a trusted service in Inner West Sydney, we are also among the top 3 best rated computer repair services in Sydney. Our experienced technicians can help with any computer issue and provide the right advice and solutions. Call us or come by our Inner West Sydney store today!

10 bad computer habits that could be killing your laptop

Modern laptops are lightweight, convenient, multitasking masters. These days they are made to last quite some time — that is until you break it. If you treat your laptop well and protect it from things that can harm it, you should be fine in the long run.

Still, you might find that your devices are breaking down quicker than it should. “What’s wrong with my laptop?”, you might ask. Sometimes, maybe it’s you. Bad computing habits can lead to computer failures that could harm your computing experience. This includes your productivity, data security, or even your wallet.

Guilty of bad computer habits? Here are 10 of the worst computer habits that can cause all sorts of computer issues and hardware damages. You might not realise that these things can do harm to your computer, or you might not even be aware that you’re doing it. Let’s begin.

1. Not restarting your computer enough

These days most people just shut the lid on their laptop when they’re done with it. This simply puts the device to sleep and is still ready for use at any moment when you open it up again. When we don’t fully turn off the laptop, stored cache in its memory still remains there.

Your laptop’s RAM works to get you a smooth multitasking experience. Cached data is stored readily available there, so when you open the app again it fires up faster. With this sort of non-volatile memory, the cached data only goes away when you shut down or restart the computer. So shutting down or restarting your laptop can be a pretty handy thing to do.

Restarting your computer from time to time can refresh the system and solve bugs if possible. So you might not want to roll your eyes when a technician asks you “have you tried turning it on and off again?”

2. Opening too many apps and background processes and never closing them

As we’ve learnt from above, apps take up CPU and RAM usage. When your laptop can only handle so much work, overloading it with too many jobs can slow down its performance. If you are not using the app, you might want to close it to free up the RAM for other apps that you are actually using.

Leaving the apps opened in the background not only slows down performance, but can also potentially cause software glitches. Take care of your system, and try not to push it to its limits. You can check what’s taking up CPU and RAM usage from the Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Apple Macs) and free up usage from there. Sometimes just clicking the “X” on a window doesn’t close it completely and it keeps running in the background. You might want to make sure you quit the app completely.

3. No regular backups

You might not think that backing up your data is essential for you, but anything could happen to your storage drive and you could lose everything. All hard drives do have a limited life span, so hard drives including traditional hard disk drives, solid-state drives, or fusion drives will eventually fail. They all have varied life spans, but will start to show some signs of failure once you’ve used them for a while. They will fail sooner or later, and you might lose files or they might get corrupted. As it gets more serious over time, a total hard drive crash may also happen.

Now we can’t always detect hard drive failures that easily, so it might be a good idea to be prepared before it happens. That’s where having regular backups can come in handy. You can choose from either online cloud storage, or backing up to an external hard drive. It’s also important to note that it’s better to have more than one backup, in the event that you have no internet or the external hard drive is inaccessible.

Be prepared and equip yourself with hard drive repair knowledge! A reliable and easy fix for hard drive failures is replacing the faulty hard drive entirely. There’s not really a way to just repair the drive itself, as it has already accumulated too many bad sectors. The drive is permanently damaged, even though we can’t see it on the drive. To learn more about hard drive replacements, read our guide here.

4. Leaving things on the keyboard

This is a common mistake that users make that could lead to laptop screen damage. Forgetting about things like pens or other stationery left on the keyboard and then shutting the lid like usual can damage the screen or the touch panel of the laptop.

While the gaps on the keyboard can be a pretty good fit for a pen or stylus, slipping your mind and shutting the lid can leave you with a pretty pricey bill. LED laptop screens are quite difficult to repair. They usually involve taking apart the whole screen and its back cover for a replacement. These days laptop screens are made thinner and thinner, to adapt to sleek modern designs. So glass-paneled screens are then easier to break even while repairing it.

5. Grabbing the screen to pick up the laptop

This is again another common cause of screen damage. Laptops are travel-friendly and quite light to carry these days, so some might just grab and pick up their laptop from the screen. This can hurt the glass screen and pixels inside from the pressure exerted on it.

Always pick up your laptop from the base. The laptop chassis protects the components inside, as an outer shell. It can withstand pressure much better than the glass-paneled screen.

Learn more about how to fix damaged laptop screens here. We cover the different kinds of screen damage, including how it differs from a video card failure.

6. Using the laptop on unventilated surfaces

Every computer has a cooling system that keeps it at an optimal temperature for normal functioning. This comes in the form of a fan and a heat sink. It disperses the heat generated by the CPU so everything works smoothly. Dispersed heat then goes out the vents of your laptop. These vents are usually on the sides, bottom, or where the screen connects to the bottom frame for Macbook laptops.

To prevent overheating, these vents should be kept clear. Using the laptop on cloth surfaces like on a bed or on top of blankets blocks the vents and the heat could build up inside the laptop. It can get very hot within 30 minutes of use. Overheating can damage internal components like the motherboard and the hard drive. Improper ventilation can also overwork the fan, as it has to keep going to disperse the heat trapped inside. The fan may also break in this case. So remember to keep your laptop cool on a flat and clear surface like a desk or a laptop stand.

7. Exposing to dust and extreme temperatures

Dust and rust is also a known cause of motherboard and keyboard damages. Manufacturers keep computers sealed in air-tight packs to ship out to retailers or customers, protecting the computer during shipping. Regular computer users don’t have the resources to pack their laptops in the same way, so it’s up to them to keep the laptop safe.

With that said, we don’t recommend keeping the laptop near an open window under direct sunlight or in a car on a hot day. A laptop exposed to heat or dust can create problems with dust buildup or overheating. Dust can get in the keyboard and jam or rust up keys. It can also get inside the laptop and rust up the motherboard or clog up the fan. To combat this, you can open up your laptop and clean it from time to time. Just use a lint-free cloth and an alcohol-based solution if you need to.

We’ve received a case of heat exposure where the laptop was left in a car on a hot day: The fan started to make rattling noises and the laptop could not successfully boot to Windows. Turns out the fan and hard drive was damaged by the heat. So make sure your laptop is always kept safe from heat and dust damage.

8. Exposing to liquids

Other than heat and dust, liquid spills can also do a lot of damage to a laptop. This kind of avoidable accident is one of the most common causes of keyboard and motherboard damage. Different kinds of liquid can also cause rust or corrosion of internal components. So you might want to keep your laptop clear of anything that could harm your laptop.

An open window during a storm can flood the laptop, as well as spilt drinks and soups. Leaving the laptop inside a bathroom or in humid areas would also generally be something to avoid. Even steam can cause liquid damages, as steam is a form of water after all.

Don’t know what to do with a soaked laptop? First of all, don’t panic. We can show you what to do to minimise the damage as much as you can. We also cover how liquid spill damage is repaired. Read our guide to laptop liquid spill damages here.

9. Eating over keyboard

Admit it, we’ve all done this before. These days our devices have become an essential part of our lives, for both work and entertainment uses. Eating over your laptop keyboard while you work or watch TV shows can be very convenient, but could also harm your keyboard.

Crumbs or liquid could get into your keyboard, which could either jam keys and corrode the connecting points between keys. Jammed keys could stop working or cause wrong outputs.

We’ve often found crumbs or liquid residue when repairing a reported keyboard failure, even when the user “had no idea how it happened”. That being so, you might want to think twice before putting down your meal before your laptop. Again, cleaning your keyboard with a lint-free cloth can be helpful in preventing keyboard damages.

10. Overclocking

This item comes with a little bit of a debate online, among computer enthusiasts. But for regular laptop users who use their device for personal use, we don’t recommend overclocking.

Overclocking is more suitable for advanced computer users or gamers. The process pushes the CPU to work harder than it is intended to, by modifying the laptop’s BIOS. It involves some pretty advanced technical knowledge to do so.

Moreover, pushing the CPU to its limit could also overexert it. This reduces the lifespan of the CPU. The CPU of a laptop is embedded on the motherboard, so when it does fail, the whole board will have to be replaced. This replacement is usually quite expensive, and might not be covered by the warranty. If you are a regular laptop user who is looking for a performance boost, you might want to look at the possibility of SSD upgrades or adding more RAM to your laptop.

Got a question for us?

From our experience in computer damages and repairs, we have learnt the different ways that end-users can damage their own devices. These are definitely things to avoid, if you’re looking to maintain your laptop’s lifespan.

Think your laptop’s acting up but don’t know what’s causing it? Look through our blog to see if any of our guides can help you. Or give us a call! Our experienced technicians at Safemode Computer Service can help you with any computer-related issue. Take your faulty laptop or desktop computer and come by our Inner West Sydney store for our highly-rated services. As one of the top computer repair services in Sydney, we offer computer diagnostic and repair services that are trusted and reliable. We are also a proud supporter of the Inner West community and do our best to do so.

Why you should be thinking about your computer’s repairability

As a computer user, you’ve probably owned a fair few devices over the years. When your computer starts to fail, you may see this as a sign or opportunity to buy a new computer. Rather than repairing the part that may be causing you trouble, buying a new computer may be exciting and all, but a simple repair may actually get you a long time on the computer. You might be able to get upgrades to boost your laptop’s performance as well.

All this depends on the repairability of the computer. These days a lot of new models come with flashy features and are more travel-friendly. However, these features come at the cost of the computer’s repairability. This benefits the brand, but not the consumer when they can’t get their computers repaired early into the life of the device. In this guide we will be looking at what makes computers harder to repair and how you should go about choosing a more sustainable device.

What makes computers harder to repair

Using glue over screws

Screws were more commonly used for laptop and desktop computer assembly. This changed with the manufacturing process of gluing parts together instead of screws. Laptop screens are often glued together these days, which makes it impossible to replace only the display screen. With these glued together parts, it’s very easy to break the screen while replacing it.

Other parts that are assembled by glue would also take longer time to repair or replace. The repair technician would have to take the time to melt the glue to take out the faulty parts for repair.

For example, Apple iMac screens are mounted onto its frame using strong double sided tape which make repairs very difficult. This comes with a higher risk of damaging the screen as well. This is also the case for touch screen laptops with screwless designs. Generally “thin” spells out “difficult and expensive to fix”.

Soldering

Traditionally, computers were bulkier and heavier, and actually well made. These days they adopt more of a thinner design for convenience. Assembly of components has changed from “through-hole soldering” to “surface mount soldering” to accommodate for newer designs. This is so that manufacturers can squeeze more power into smaller computers.

With this type of assembly, the computer’s durability is sacrificed. This reduces its lifespan. Having said that, there are still some very durable computers out there in the market, like those that are built as business-grade laptops.

Thin parts and design

The thin designs of laptops and its components make them delicate and challenging to navigate through, when we’re taking out parts to repair. They require more experienced and careful hands to prevent breaking parts that are working normally while repairing the faulty parts.

Some models of laptops are also designed in a way that is very lightweight and convenient for travel. This kind of design then loses a great deal of repairability. Such models like the Surface Pro and Surface Book are often deemed impossible to fix. These models aren’t really made to be opened up, and require a lot of force that will inflict further damage to do so.

Replacement part accessibility across brands

Branded parts from Apple, Dell, and HP have universal part look-up systems with part numbers that you can refer to when ordering. There we can easily find the right part for the specific computer model that needs repairing. They can also be ordered directly from the brand manufacturer or from other suppliers as well.

Other brands might not be able to offer such convenience, namely Acer and Asus. Both brands don’t have universal part numbers for computer components. This way, you can’t readily search for the part that you need for your computer. It would take a little bit more digging around to find the right component. Without part numbers, you’ll have to inspect visually to make sure that you’ve got the right one.

Users of Acer and Asus laptops usually have less repair options than brands that offer more accessible replacement parts. However, it is common that technicians do not always look up parts by part number because searching by part number could limit your choices for parts in the market.

High cost replacement parts

The high cost of certain replacement parts can make the computer’s repair less accessible as well. The cost of these replacement parts can be from how much the brand marks them to be, or that the part is made more advanced and powerful than other alternatives.

Premium brands or models such as Apple, Dell XPS 13, Dell Latitude, Lenovo X1 are more expensive to purchase and more expensive to fix. Simply because they have more expensive components and higher specs parts. If you are prepared to fork out a few thousand dollars to buy a laptop, don’t expect a $100 bill to fix it.

Apple is known as a tech company that makes premium products that run on Apple’s specialised software and operating systems. With that said, replacement or upgrade parts that they make are also quite expensive.

Apple also makes their own proprietary parts and screws specific to only Apple devices. This makes things harder for a regular consumer who does not own the right screwdrivers or tools to fix their Apple laptops. The use of proprietary parts might also give the consumer less replacement or upgrade options for their Apple Mac laptops or desktop computers.

Laptops that come with higher capacity batteries that last more longer than regular ones will also cost more to replace. These batteries are often found in Apple MacBook Air, MacBook Pro laptops and Ultrabook laptops. If the laptop you’re looking at purchasing has a user-replaceable battery, this is a sign that it will be cheaper to replace the battery. This is because it’s simply a matter of sliding out the old battery in place of a new one, something that you can just do yourself.

How repairs are done and how the computer’s repairability affects this

Computer repairs usually go like this: We test to confirm a possible hardware failure, order replacement parts if needed, then repair and do final tests. This promises a thorough diagnosis and a sure solution to the problem detected. A computer’s repairability does play a large part in the process, as it determines how the repair should be tackled. With a lower repairability, more work might be needed to take out other parts of the computer to get to the part that needs fixing. Let’s see how the computer’s repairability affects each step in the repair process:

1. Initial testing

When a computer is not working properly and disrupts usual performance, this may be a sign of a hardware issue. You can then run diagnostics on the device to find out what’s causing these issues. Sometimes these tests involve taking out the part to test on a different desktop computer. If the laptop is not made to be easily opened by unscrewing bottom screws, the process will be more complicated.

Popular makes from Apple, Dell, HP, or Lenovo are often easier to diagnose for problems by yourself. Manufacturers provide built-in testing utilities, better part look-up systems and after-sales support. Replacement parts are also easily identified and sourced.

If it’s easier for you, it’ll be easier for a computer technician to do the testing too. Though we technicians have access to better tools, we still partially rely on support from manufacturers to test and order spare parts. While we at Safemode Computer Service provide free quick testing and free quotes, it is common that some repair shops don’t do the same. The more complicated the tests are, the more you’ll need to pay.

Learn how to test for common hardware failure such as your hard drive or motherboard in our guides.

2. Ordering parts

When parts are not easily found or identified, it makes finding a replacement a little more harder. Replacement parts that cannot be identified via a part number will need to be found by looking with our own eyes. It can be a real inconvenience if you miss something and receive the wrong part after ordering. In some situations, even the manufacturing brand cannot offer any part replacement solutions.

For brands that make their own proprietary parts or screws, it can also take time to source the right tools and parts needed. This is especially for some Apple Macbook laptops that use proprietary pentalobe screws and Apple-only components. You can’t use widely-owned screwdrivers or any other component for replacement repairs. Usually you’ll have to find the exact same component or other compatible alternatives.

3. Repairing or replacing computer parts

Earlier we’ve learnt that a computer’s design can affect how the repairs are done. When a computer is hard to open up, or its parts are less accessible for repair, its repairability is brought down.

Parts of a computer usually aren’t assembled in the same way or position in different models. Some parts are fit in different places compared to other laptops. Parts like the screen, keyboard, and motherboard are unique to every laptop model, and its assembly would also require specific methods. Some easier repairs like RAM and hard drive replacements are pretty straightforward, but can also differ depending on how the part is fixed on the device.

Parts that are glued or soldered on to the laptop are more tricky to deal with. They take more effort to take out, compared to parts that are fixed with screws. Specific tools are needed for these processes, which regular consumers may not even own.

Thin and delicate parts in particular, are also quite challenging to repair. For less experienced hands, one slip could break other parts of the computer. Things like glass screens or thin keyboards could complicate the repair process.

What to buy if you want higher computer repairability

If you’re thinking about keeping your computer for longer, look out for ones that give you better repairability. That way, even when a small component fails, you can repair it easily and might not even need to break the bank. You can look out for this with a computer’s model and design. Popular tech repair site ifixit also offers reviews for popular computer models, which includes repairability ratings.

Screw adhesives

Components that are fixed with simple screws are great for repairability. You won’t need proprietary screwdrivers or tools to take things out. This makes things easier for the regular consumer to fix things. Without soldering or glue, these parts can be taken out quite easily.

Pick something that opens up

Before we get to the components, we also should make sure that the laptop can be opened up fairly easily. Screws will also benefit you in this case. A straightforward opening process will definitely make things easier. If the laptop requires stronger force to open up, there’s a chance that you might also break something inside.

Clever designs

Certain models have clear designs that allow better accessibility and ease when repairing things. Relatively modular and flat designs let you get to a single part effortlessly. You won’t need to take out other components to get to it.

For keyboard repairs, certain laptop models that have a tiny gap surrounding the keyboard also have better repairability. This small gap usually indicates that the keyboard can be taken out from the top. Usual keyboard repairs involve opening up the laptop’s back cover, then taking out everything else to get to the keyboard. By being able to take out the keyboard from the top, we don’t have to go through such a hassle.

What not to buy if you want higher computer repairability

Sleek computer designs that complicate things

As we’ve covered, newer sleeker models often contain flimsy parts that are glued or soldered on. These travel-friendly laptops may seem flashy and all, but having a low repairability may make things very frustrating when something does start to fail. It might not be worth it if you can’t fix things on such an advanced machine.

This also includes specific parts like Apple’s butterfly keyboard, an advanced and thinner keyboard design. Its design makes for a thinner keyboard, where less space is needed as the keys move less when pressed. While it does seem like an improvement, it also comes with a lot of issues like key jamming and failure. Its thin design makes it more delicate, and assembly could also hurt other components like the motherboard.

Touchscreen laptops

Many laptops now come with touchscreen. If the touch function is not a must-have for you, we suggest that you opt for a non-touchscreen laptop instead. A laptop touchscreen is made of two parts, the LED screen that displays images and a touch panel that is sensitive to your fingers’ touch. It is common nowadays that the LED screen and the touch panel are glued together and cannot be separated. This contributes to higher costs to replace either part because you will have to pay for both parts, not just one.

Laptops that aren’t made to be opened up

Models like Microsoft’s Surface Laptops aren’t made to be opened with simple tools. You can only open it up with a great deal of force that might inflict more damage to the laptop. There are usually no repair options for Surface Laptops. Macbooks that use proprietary pentalobe screws may also prevent you from getting inside without the right tools needed.

A final word

Green computing is something we certainly support, and repairing our electronics is a sustainable practice. Computers that are easier to repair or upgrade can give you a longer life on the device. You can keep up or improve your computer’s performance along the line. This means you can keep it for a long time.

When you don’t want the computer anymore, its high repairability can also be good for the environment. As long as it is simple enough to disassemble, recycling the computer will be easier.

Got a question for us?

Our technicians at Safemode Computer Service are always happy to help! We can assist with any repair problems and advise you with your repairs. With highly rated services across Sydney, we can offer check ups and quotes for free instore (Ts & Cs apply). Come on down to our Enmore store today for a chat!

What to do with a busted laptop screen

Laptops are built slim and sleek, which makes it great for mobility and accessibility. But how everything on the laptop is so compact makes it easy for one thing to cause an inconvenience for everything else. Components on a computer all have a part in delivering a smooth experience for the laptop user. Most of the time, once a part stops working, the entire process is disrupted.

In this case, a screen failure may root from different parts of the laptop. Each component plays a part in making images show on your screen. Without one, you’re likely to see visible changes to the screen. You’ll need to replace a faulty part for everything to go back to normal.

We will look at what causes certain screen issues in this guide, along with repair and replacement solutions. But first, let’s check out how your laptop display works.

How does a laptop display images?

Ever wondered how your computer shows you everything almost instantly? Different parts of your computer work together to create the right display images on the screen. The GPU (and sometimes CPU) works to generate a digital image feed. This is sent through the screen cable and fed into the display. It informs what colour each pixel on the screen should be. Then your screen will be able to show you whatever you’re working on, watching, or reading.

Like most things on a computer, if one part fails, the whole display process will likely face errors. All three components needed to display images on your screen can fail. To find the right solution to your screen issues, we will have to find out what’s causing them first.

Parts of a laptop screen

A laptop screen display might seem like a simple piece of hardware on first sight, but there are a few things that help visualise things. They include:

• Screen — Where you see images. Usually LED or LCD displays for older laptop models.
• Back cover — The back of the screen that protects the screen panel. Also the top of your laptop when closed.
• Inverter — Controls the light for the screen for LCD displays. Discontinued for newer Macbook Air and Pro models, which use the motherboard to light up the screen.
• Backlight — Lights up the screen.
• Screen hinge — Provides smooth opening and closing of the laptop lid.
• Webcam — The camera that you put a sticker over when you’re not video calling someone or taking funny selfies.
• Wifi / Bluetooth antenna — Gets your computer connected to the wifi. Hidden away on the back cover, almost never sees the light of day.

What laptop screen damage can look like

Screen damage can be put in two categories: physically visible ones that you can see without turning on the laptop, and ones that are visible only when a display is showing on screen. Either way, you’ll need a screen replacement to fix this.

Dropping or any hard force on the laptop can cause the screen to crack, or the back cover to break or come loose. The screen cable can also come loose or break, but this is very rare. When other parts of the screen like the webcam or wifi antenna need a replacement, you’ll still need to replace the entire screen.

Other faults that you may experience include, a bleeding image, black columns, or thin lines that distort the normal display. A flickering or fading screen can also mean you’ve got a screen failure. While a fading screen can also mean issues with the screen cable or motherboard, it’s more likely to be a screen failure.

What causes screen damage?

Usually by physical accidents or improper use. Screen damage is mostly caused by end-users. Dropping or stepping on it can get you different damages on parts of the laptop. One type of improper laptop use is grabbing the laptop by the screen’s edge instead of its base when moving it around. This puts pressure on the screen that it may not be able to withstand. Most screens like computer monitors, TVs, and laptop screens can last very long, as long as you don’t break it.

What a GPU failure can look like

A GPU failure is another type of display issue. It can look very similar to the image distortion caused by a screen failure. This would look like vertical or horizontal columns of the wrong shade of colour on the screen. The keyboard and mouse may also look like it’s not responding as well.

These types of image distortion still look very similar. How do we distinguish between a broken screen and a GPU failure? All you need to do is to connect your laptop to an external display like a computer monitor or TV screen. If the display works and everything is responsive, you’ve got a broken laptop screen. Otherwise, it’s a GPU issue. Because the video card is having problems with generating an image feed, your laptop won’t show images normally at all.

What causes GPU failure?

The video card is a microprocessor that is generally expected to last 2-5 years. Accumulating dust and rust inside the card can cause overheating issues that lead to its eventual failure.

Processes like overclocking or heavy gaming use will also put significant stress on the GPU. Be prepared to have to replace your video card if you enjoy gaming, as powerful cards don’t usually last very long. You can always upgrade to something better anyway.

Fixing display issues

Either the screen or video card will need to be replaced. For any issues related to the laptop screen, the whole thing will need to be taken out and replaced. This involves assembling the screen and fitting it back on the laptop.

For video card issues, you can choose to replace it or upgrade with a better card. This is only if you have one that can be taken out on its own though. Desktop computers and some gaming laptops have detachable video cards that can be replaced and upgraded.

Most laptops have their video card embedded on the motherboard, and a replacement on its own is impossible in that case. If you do have an issue with an embedded video card, there could also be a problem with your motherboard. It might be time to replace the whole board.

A word on modern laptop screens

Laptop screens have come a long way. Nowadays, people want thinner, lighter laptops that are convenient for travel. That’s the trend of laptop manufacturing these days. Laptops are made sleeker and thinner.

Laptop screens of newer models are usually all glued together as one part. That’s why we usually can’t just fix the screen panel on its own. LED screens, and especially Apple Macbook retina displays are delicate and usually glued to other parts. No screws or separate parts are usually featured in this design. So trying to put in a brand new screen panel on its own onto your current laptop might just break it. Some touchscreen laptops also glue the touch panel and screen together.

Laptop models that are hard to repair

The screens of high-end subnotebook laptops like Ultrabooks are known to be difficult to repair. This includes models like the Dell XPS 13 or HP Spectre x360. They offer a lightweight option that doesn’t sacrifice battery life. Because of how sleek it is, it’s difficult to put together all the glued parts without risking cracking the screen.

This is also the case for most Apple Macbook laptops, including the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro models. Apple manufactures their own screens, while brands like Dell or Toshiba make use of other branded screens. Their thin LED screens and retina displays are also usually glued together and can be hard to repair.

Back in 2015-2016, the known fault of the Apple butterfly keyboard was also known for causing screen cable issues. Users found that opening and closing up the Macbook was damaging the cable that connected the screen to the motherboard. This oversight resulted in a free keyboard replacement program offered by Apple.

Screen issues can sound like a pain to fix, but as long as you know what’s causing the problem, you can find the right replacement solution. Now let’s move on to how you can fix a laptop screen.

Replacing a laptop screen

Before doing so, you’ll need to buy the right laptop screen as a replacement. Of course, you’ll need to buy the exact same model so it’ll actually fit on your laptop. Even if a different laptop screen physically fits your laptop, the interface might not work properly with your motherboard. You can’t necessarily ‘upgrade’ to a better laptop screen.

Thinking about replacing a laptop screen by yourself? If you’re quite keen and good at DIY tech repair, it could be a good idea. You’ll need a few professional laptop repair tools to do so. Also, remember to open up your computer to disconnect the battery first too. Find specialised repair guides from tech site ifixit that can help you.

Laptop screen repairs can be quite challenging, so you might want to think about how familiar you are with tech repair before you do so. We’ve already covered how delicate this process is, and things could go wrong. Repairing an Ultrabook laptop screen might be too difficult to do at home by yourself.

Professional repairs

Since laptop screen repairs can be quite complicated, you might be thinking about going to a professional for help. Try going to a brand-authorised service provider first. There you can get specialised computer servicing for your laptop, usually free under warranty. You can check on your warranty from the warranty booklet that comes with your laptop, or you may also be able to find this from the built-in support apps.

If your laptop’s warranty has expired, or the service provider can’t help you, a third-party repair service can help you as well. Consider us, at Safemode Computer Service, to help replace your laptop screen. Located in Inner West Sydney, our experienced technicians can tackle problems from screen damage to motherboard failure. We are well-known for our excellent service across Sydney and can definitely offer you the right computer repair solution. Come by our Enmore store today for an appointment.

Reported Problems:

An Apple MacBook Pro Unibody 13-inch laptop was booked in with a strange problem. The laptop screen has lines sometimes, a blur duplicated image appeared on the screen, and the screen blacks out occasionally.

After a number of testing, we have determined that both of the laptop screen and LED cable must be replaced. Well preparation is the key for this job because this one will require a lot of time, skills and experience. Available spare parts are essential to complete the job right and important for testing.

Let’s remove the laptop bottom cover.

Let’s remove the laptop battery to stop power to the laptop.

Next, we’ve found that the laptop fan has some dust, let’s quickly clean it out. Using cleaning oil will help if necessary. Use a computer brush to clean out the dust.

Now we’ll disconnect LED cable from logic board, disconnect left speakers, then put the laptop to stand on its side.

We will then un-screw both hinges and carefully remove the display panel from bottom casing of the laptop.

Now we’ve got the display panel removed on this MacBook Pro laptop. The most difficult part is not yet to start.

Using a heat-gun, we’ll need to heat up the glass cover on the laptop display, take extra precaution here since over-heating it will cause damages on other parts inside the display. Not enough heat on the other hands will not help.

With a suction-cup, lift the glass cover up separating it from the display. Be careful here because the glass cover is fragile and can break easily if you use too much force. This process sometimes may break the glass cover so always make sure to have a replacement one in case.

Once that’s done, we can now remove the laptop screen and pull out its LED cable.

Check the screen details, make sure that you have a compatible screen and LED cable. Install the new screen and connect new LED cable.

Follow the same steps in reversed order to reassemble the laptop.

Now we’ve got an Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch A1278 laptop with new screen, new glass cover (if replaced), new LED cable, with internal fan cleaned. Let’s test it out.

So far so good, the problem is fixed and the laptop is working well.

Apple MacBook Pro laptops are designed differently comparing to others, replacing screen on these MACs requires a lot more work to be done.

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