Laptop Charging Jack Repair

Laptop charging jacks fail for many reasons, mostly just from over use and abuse. Use caution when plugging in your laptop charger and don't be forceful, the internal pins can come loose (the soldier joints are usually very weak) and you won't be able to charge your laptop anymore, or worse, your laptop could short out.

It's important to allow someone who is very experience with sodering and jack repair to fix your laptops jack. Some companies have popular jacks in stock, others may retrofit a non-OEM jack into your motherboard.

If your internal pin is not visibly bent or loose, it may simply be your laptop charger. If you have a multimeter, you can check your charging tip to see if it is getting power.

Aftermarket chargers are prone to breaking, especially the Kensington 120w Universal Charger with SmartTips. The "Smart tips" are prone to breaking, and I think the only smart part about them is that Kensington charges $10 for a replacement tip. I have a friend who has been through 10 of the tips!

Laptop Hinge Repair

Laptop hinges on certain laptops are prone to cracking and/or breaking entirely. Some laptops are notorious for hinge failure, such as the Comapq Presario V5000.

Getting a laptop hinge repaired can be a long and hard process. Recently, I had the hinge break on my Gateway and had to send it in. It took 2 months for me to get my laptop back from Gateway, but I was offered a loaner to use while mine was repaired.

What I should have done is use a local computer repair company/person. If I had taken it to someone locally, they probably could have gotten the part within a week, and after getting the part in, they could have repaired it while i watched. On most laptops, it's easy to just remove the bottom cover and get to the hinge, on others the keyboard and many components must be removed.

You could also find out "How to repair a laptop hinge yourself", though I wouldn't recommend doing so unless you are experience with working on laptops. Laptops and desktop computers are two different worlds!

Dallas Computer Repair

Computer repair companys in the Dallas metroplex and the fort worth metroplex are a dime a dozen. Rates vary from $30 an hour to $120 an hour and up. The more you pay, the larger the company and the more reputable the company is, but generally the techs are about the same.

Choosing a computer repair company should be done wisely. Go with a company that has a good reputation, but don't go for a company that has a high price. A high price does not mean that they know what they are doing, more experienced techs and companys can charge less because they can complete the work faster.

There are many great techs and companies in the Dallas Metroplex to choose from, and one of the best ways to find them is through craigslist. Look for a company with a website, and using http://www.networksolutions.com/whois, check how long they have own their website (created by date). If they have had their website since for more than 4 years, more than likely they are a reputable company.

The dallas fort worth metroplex includes:

• Frisco
• Carrollton
• Dallas
• Mckinney
• Los Colinas
• Farmers Branch
• Coppell
• Grapevine
• Highland Park
• Plano
• and many other great citys
  

GeekSquad

When dealing with geek squad, it is best to take your computer to a best buy geek squad location to have it repaired. House calls with GeekSquad is very expensive as compared to just taking your computer in. That is only if you have already decided to use GeekSquad. I have heard cases of GeekSquad charged $70 to remove and install a new 56k modem (5 minutes of work) and then making the customer wait overnight before the "work was able to be completed". If you were to have GeekSquad come to your home and do the same job, it would cost over $100. If instead of using GeekSquad, you did it yourself or took the computer to an alternative repair place, you would be looking at $20-$30 including the price of the modem.

Using GeekSquad is only appropriate if you like wasting money, or if your company is paying for the repair/work.

Gurus2Go is a Rip Off

I had a reader contact me and informed me that Gurus2Go is a rip-off. They do not actually have computer technicians working for them, when you call them they call around and find a computer tech who could perform the job, and outsource the job to that tech. This can cause a lot of confusion and if you are thinking of hiring them you may want to consider another more reputable company such as GeekSquad. Check craigslist.org for local techs. That is how gurus2go is going to find a tech for you, so find the tech yourself and save a lot of cash!

Finding a computer repair company

When looking for a computer repair company, you have many options as far as who to choose. One of my favorite ways to locate someone for computer repair is through craigslist.

Many IT's and Networking administrators will offer their services to small businesses and residential customers through craigslist. It's very easy to find a good computer repair person on craigslist, but when dealing with individuals there is no warranty of guarantee, so when selecting someone to do home computer repair for you, it's very important to choose someone with a good reputation. Ask friends and relatives to recommend someone if they have used an individual or service recently.

There is always GeekSquad, but geeksquad is over rated and I have heard many complaints about them, though they are reputable and do offer a warrant, and are backed by Best Buy.

There are many smaller companys that are much cheaper than Geek Squad, you can find these also on craigslist and in your local yellow pages. If you have friends who are IT's, you might check with them and see if they would repair your computer for a small charge.

Be careful when choosing some companys, they outsource all of their work to techs that they may or may not have ever met.

Computer Repair Dallas

Computer Repair Dallas is your premier source for getting information on computer repair companys in the DFW Metroplex. We list, review, and post specials for computer repair companies in our metroplex. Don't hire a company blindly, know who has the best prices and deals. Know who is the most reputable, and who will rip you off.