HowToFixComputers.com

tchiseen · Member Joined: 25 Feb 2007 Posts: 1

what a great thread on this topic.

I'm having some problems, I recently got gifted a presario 2500 which was very poorly repaired by some twit in thailand or somthing, they'd ripped out the power jack and cut the wire on the charger so now it's just two wires coming out the end of it.
The odd thing is, it actually worked. it booted up and asked me if i wanted to start windows in safemode. it did it once, however, and now wont boot at all. I had the feeling it was something to do with the abs. rubbish wire stripping/soldering/hot glue job someone had done, so i took it all apart.
I have a few pictures of the situation the motherboard is in. I've looked into getting a new jack for the mobo, but re-considered it.

I'd like to know if anyone can help me to get this to work. I'm not too concerned about using this as a portable computer, although it would be nice, I don't want to have to spend too much... I have looked for docking stations on ebay australia, couldnt find any. which model of dock should i be looking for? If I wanted to, however, judging by the photos, would i be able to de-solder the board and purchase a new charger and get it to work? I'm also considering simply re-soldering the cut power cable onto the board, is this a good or bad idea?

Thanks very much for any help.

PICS -
http://www.imagebeaver.com/view.php?mode=gallery&g=222019

stargazer257 · PRO Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 65

I can't help you with the docking station (but with that mess, it may be your best option seeing as you don't want to go portable with it).

If you are handy with this type of repair, the cost of the replacement jack shouldn't be too much and may make it worth a try. Have patience however, whoever did the previous "fix" made your repair a bit more challenging, and iffy. So no guarantee that it will actually work, but at least you shouldn't be out too much $$ to try.

Best of luck to you mate.

marco1190 · Member Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

I have a Comaq Presario 2195 laptop that has a broken power jack. I went to a computer shop today inquiring as to how much it would cost to replace the broken power jack. The tech told me that they've had bad luck with replacing the power jacks, but that they'd put in a pig tail connector. The pig tail connector would basically be two wires soldered to the mother board. The wires would then be fed through the hole in the laptop case and connected to the female end or the power jack. I mention this because it might be what was done to your computer. The hot glue may have been to better support the wires in the case.

I've been reading threads on this site and have pretty much determined that I am going to attempt to repair my laptop by replacing the power jack on the laptop. HP provides excellent instructions on how to disassamble and reassemble the laptop, so my biggest fear is the soldering of the new component onto the mother board. I found a friend at work with the soldering iron, solder, wicking, and basic know-how, so I'm going to give it a try and save nearly $200 (if it works). Though I am taking a real chance on destroying my laptop, this repair, bolstered by the posts on this site, have intrigued me to the point that I have to try it. I ordered the replacement part on eBay for about $5.50 including S&H. Will probably attempt the repair this weekend. Wish me luck!

Marco

marco · Member Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

Well, I took apart my laptop this past Friday, piece by piece, screw by screw. It was a little more intimidating than I thought it would be. I had some difficulty getting the motherboard out after removing all the components and screws. I finally got it out and was able to desolder the old jack and solder the new one. That part wasn't as bad as I thought. After reassembling everything, I had about a 50% confidence that the laptop would power up without something not working right. However, fortunately, it powered up and is so far working great. The discussions on this forum were very helpful in giving me the confidence and know how to tackle this money saving task. Thanks!

Marco