Basic Guide To Notebook Repair

A notebook computer is actually a laptop computer, albeit smaller in dimensions and of a slightly lighter weight than the latter. The terms “laptop” and “notebook” are normally used to refer to the same thing. Like any machine or equipment, a notebook computer is subject to wear and tear and, over time, will inevitably break down. It is therefore always wise to have a basic guide to notebook repair to prepare you for this eventuality.

The first thing you will need to know about notebook or laptop repair, is that when trouble strikes, it happens in only three general areas:

  • The hardware, which are the physical components like the screen, keyboard, hard disk, serial and parallel ports, etc.,
  • The software, which are the application or interface programs (also called drivers) like your operating systems (e.g., Unix, DOS, Linux, Windows, etc.), word processor, worksheet, printer drivers, etc.
  • The firmware, which are similar to software in the sense that they are also programs, the main difference being that they are “hard coded” into ROM (Read Only Memory) chips rather than loaded into the hard disk, and run the basic functionalities of the computer. The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), which controls the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, etc.

The second thing you need to know is that when trouble strikes the firmware or hardware, you need to go to a computer technician because, in all likelihood, you do not have the expertise to fix the problem. The problem with a notebook computer is that when it was designed, the considerations for compactness and light weight necessitated the integration of most of the systems that are normally modular in a personal computer. Hence, unless you are really well-versed in the innards of your notebook, or a daredevil, you would not want to mess around too much with your notebook computer, unless what ails it is the battery or power cord (which you can easily test in the computer shop by simply testing if your laptop will work when you replace one or the other).

In which case all you have to do is buy a replacement, of which suppliers abound. The final argument on this issue is, if your notebook computer comes with a warranty, do not even think of opening it up, or else the warranty gets voided.

The third thing you need to know about repairing a notebook computer is when the problem is software-related; this is something you can generally tinker with. However, you have to read up on the troubleshooting guide that normally comes with the software.

The nice thing about software problems is that there is generally error-feedback that is generated (something that had to be done as diagnostics when the software was being developed, or else the developer would not know what the problem was to begin with), which gives you an idea of what went wrong and, if this is something that can be expected at the time the manual was developed, there is normally a “fix” that is included.

The other nice thing about software problems is that they are generally not unique, but rather a design flaw that results in errors that many, not just you, experience given a unique set of circumstances that prevailed at the time of the error. When this becomes prevalent enough, the company that designed the software normally develops “cures” or “patches” that you can download from the Internet which are normally self-extracting and executing.

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