Screen On Laptop Ruined By Liquid! Is It Worth the Fix?

Hi I have an Hp presario less than 2 years old. One morning I awoke to find the screen completely destroyed by something, most likely liqud. Would it be worth it to have this fixed or just buy a new computer.

Keyboard no longer works as well.

Thanks for your time,

Pax

I replaced an old laptop screen with one I bought very cheap on eBay, it was one that was for spares or repairs but screen was perfect.
30 mins after getting it my screen was fitted for a fraction of the cost in buying a new laptop. Make sure it's same model though....

If your keyboard has gone there is a chance your motherboard has had water damage too - it may corrode over time if it works now.

If you haven't already, you could try testing using an external keyboard and screen, see what happens. If the monitor doesn't work you may need to find the 'fn' key (by ctrl and alt usually) and the key with a little screen above it (f5 often), try pressing them together.

edit:
If it works I'd recommend what scots said above! Much cheaper than a official shop, especially with no warranty on physical damage anyway.

Suppose it depends on how much damage it's received but if I were in your boots....I'd just bite the bullet and buy a new one. The bucks you spend repairing it wont be worth it at the end of the day

reply to post by paxnatus


It really depends on the nature of the damage, the lcd panel itself is sealed, so liquid can't damage that, but it can seek through the casing and damage the circuit board inside the lcd (the one that converts the signal so the panel can display the image) and even the motherboard itself.

If this liquid was water, let it all dry out for days before you do much of anything, if it's something with sugar or similar like juice or soda, well, the damage isn't that easy to fix.

You can EASILY replace the lcd yourself but purchasing an lcd panel of the EXACT same dimensions. This assumes you can remove your plastic casing around the lcd without breaking it. This way you only replace the actual panel not the entire top of the laptop.

Replacement screens are cheap, we deal with thousands of them at work, as long as the dimensions are correct the lcd hinges will mount no problem. BUT, be weary of "refurbished" screens. We purchased a few demos to see which we were going to order for our netbooks and the refurbisdhed screens are thicker, there is an extra pane of glass over the screen, making it bulge out.

Of course, all of this assumes the laptop and motherboard are fine and it's merely the screen that is damaged. You might want to check with an external monitor to verify the laptop is functional before even looking at parts online.

reply to post by paxnatus


Unless you're a tech, have experience taking lappys apart, and replacing parts on the cheap, the cost of getting parts and risk associated isn't worth it. Get a new Laptop, and make sure you get the accidental damage policy where laptop gets totally replaced if an accident happens.

KEEP your HARD DRIVE!
Take the broke lappy apart and get the old hard drive out.
If there's information on that hard drive, you can buy a cheap external 2.5" harddrive enclosure, plug it in to a desktop system, or new laptop and retrieve all your old stuff. With an enclosure for the old drive, once you've retrieved everything, format the old drive clean to wipe off all the OS info, then use that drive as external backup.

Plug your laptop into an external monitor to verify that other than the LCD everything is working.

I agree it's not too hard or expensive to change out the screen if you have a little bit of ability with electronics or even just a good helping of common sense. You can most likely find a video or written guide if you go that route.

If the laptop works, and your only problems are the keyboard and monitor you could also just permanently use an external keyboard/mouse and monitor.

Personally, I would use this as an excuse to get a new laptop.

given you've probably ruined the motherboard its probably not worth repairing so take the hard drive out and put it in a caddy and put the unit up for sale as spares and repairs on ebay as someone will take a punt on being able to fix it and should give a good boost to the new lappy fund.

Thanks for all the advice! I will be more specific now. Half of the screen is readable. It has lines running horizontalin the background. The computer itself still works. All of the function keys and letter keys are working
With the exception of maybe four keys. I have reconfigured the screen so all the icons on the desktop are displayed displayed in the top half of the monitior.

I am very interested in replacing the screen. So if there are some good techies out there I am all ears!

At this point I don't have aznything to lose. Don't you think?

I really appreciate all the replies and the knowledge. .Everyone has their own thing. Mine happens to be medicine not technology so to speak!

Where should I start?

Pax

before spending money on a new screen attach it to an external monitor if that looks ok then perhaps the motherboard is ok but if the display on the external screen looks corrupt then its more than likely a motherboard problem and as for the keyboard you can sometimes get them cheaply on ebay and depending on the make / model can be quite easy to fit

What is the exact model and screen size of your HP?

Originally posted by TinkerHaus
What is the exact model and screen size of your HP?

Sorry, it has taken so long to get back to you. I have a CQ60-615DX, with a 15.6" screen. Im gonna take a picture and upload so you can see the screen.

thanks,
pax

reply to post by paxnatus


www.laptopscreen.com...


Here's the screen you need. This site also has installation instructions, etc.

FYI you need to be VERY careful when replacing this screen, if you choose to do so. You will have to be extra careful getting the old one out (often times you need heat from a blow dryer or something to warm up adhesives around the screen edges, etc, before removing it. I haven't worked with this particular laptop but I've replaced a Dell screen and plenty of iPhone/Android LCDs - Just go slow and be gentle or you WILL break something expensive.


Hope this helps, good luck with your lappytoppy!

You'd prolly be way better off getting buying a converter to make the hard drive useable in your desktop...then manually set the jumpers to not boot the laptop drive and still be able to retrieve the data from it.

It might be possible to find a new screen but depending on how old the computer is it is probably not worth it.