Laptop Not Powering on or Battrey Not Charging

  My laptop will not power on is something that happens quite often. The other problem is that the battery will not charge up. The no power problem can come from a few different sources. First it may be a problem with the ac adapter. The ac adapter is also known as the brick due to its shape. This the part that provides the power to the laptop.

  The first thing to do is determine if the ac adapter is defective. You are going to need a digital multimeter.

  You will place the red and black probes on the plug end that will plug into the laptop. Usually on the back of the ac adapter it will indicate what the voltage, current and wattage are. If it does not show the wattage it can be determined by multiplying the voltage times the current. I have found that sometimes the voltage may be intermittent. This is caused by a broken wire going to the plug end. While holding the probes to the plug move it around and watch the voltage. If it is good and then it drops there is a broken wire. This can be corrected buy purchasing a new plug end. You will need to know what the inner and outer dimensions of the plug are. You find the information on the back of the ac adapter or with specifications that came with the laptop. If check on the internet using the ac adapter model number.
  If the ac adapter tests good, then the next problem may be the dc jack in the laptop. You can find various  pictures of dc jacks on the internet. Check out videos of dc jack repair on youtube.

 There are quite a few different types of dc jacks. They vary depending on the manufacturer and model of the laptop. There are dc jacks that solder directly to the motherboard. There are other dc jacks that are self contained and have a wire with a connector on one end that plugs in to the motherboard. The best way to find the dc jack is to go on the internet and search for the dc jack for your make and model of your laptop. When you find a reseller I would advise to check them out first by using resellerratings.com. at this link http://www.resellerratings.com/ . If you are using ebay or amazon check out the ratings for that seller. A couple of tests can be done to determine if the dc jack is defective. Try moving the plug a little while it is plugged into the laptop. Watch the power led on the laptop and see if it comes on and goes off with movement. If it does then the jack needs to be replaced. The other method is to dissemble the laptop far enough to get to the dc jack and measure to voltage at the pins going to the motherboard. You can try to go further in the circuit if you no exactly where to measure the voltage. Always be careful when taking laptops apart, because the plastic can be brittle and break easily. Batteries usually go bad when they have reached their life expectancy. This information is usually given by the manufacturer. Some batteries have to be installed to complete the circuit and if the battery is dead it may leave an open circuit. Sometimes you can measure the battery with a digital multimeter and some batteries have a button with leds to show how much power there is.
  There are also ac adapters available know as universal ac adapters. They may auto select the output voltage for the laptop and provide the necessary current. There are other models that have a selector switch to choose the proper voltage. I have read good and bad reviews by using these. I have heard of no problems and then on the other hand I have heard where the laptop worked and then all of the sudden the motherboard was bad. My advise is to always go with the ac adapter that is for that particular model. The engineers designed that certain voltage and current for the particular circuit.
  If the ac adapter and dc jack are ok ,then it can be a bad battery or the charging circuit on the motherboard may be defective. Try removing the battery and going right off the ac adapter 
   If all of these do not help and it is determined that the motherboard is defective it may be best to take the laptop to a professional. Most of the time it is not cost effective to replace the motherboard due to cost. Generally the cost of the motherboard and the labor involved exceeds the value of the laptop, unless it is fairly new and was an expensive model.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe. All Comments are always welcomed. 

Reparing LCD Monitors

   I have seen quite a few lcd monitors being thrown out in the trash or recycled. I have pulled some from the trash and opened them up to find out that they just had bad capacitors. You can tell because the capacitors are usually popped up on top and leaking in the center. I have also seen some where they are bulged out at the bottom of the capacitor. This is sometimes hard to see. Here is an example of damaged capacitors.

  I did some research on the internet and found that there were problems with bad batches of capacitors from the manufacturers. What you can do is determine the manufacturer of the capacitor and use google as the search browser to see if they are from a bad batch.
  What I do next is look at the capacitor to determine what the voltage of the capacitor is and the the microfarad value is. I also look at what the temperature value is. All of these are visible on the capacitor itself. I also measure the diameter and height of the capacitor with a caliper.

                  

  There are two examples of calipers above. The top is a standard caliper and the bottom has a digital readout. I my self prefer the digital readout as it is easier to read. These can be easily purchased at Home Depot ,Lowes or Harbor Freight.

  The most difficult part of the process can be opening the lcd to get at the carious boards inside. Some manufacturers use screws to hold parts together. While other manufacturers use the plastic catch and lock assembly with some screws. I would recommend looking on the internet and finding the assembly and disassemble process for the individual model lcd. Here are just a couple of videos to show how to open a lcd display. I would also recommend that you use some esd protection such as a static wrist strap so you don not zap any parts while handling the pc boards.

    
  The place that I go to once I know what the capacitor values are is Digi Key, because they always have the parts I need and the prices are very good. I have never had a problem with them. Here is a link to their website http://www.digikey.com/ so check them out.
  The other tools you will need is a soldering iron, desoldering tool, solder wick and the solder. I also use a Phillips Head screwdriver and a thin flat blade screwdriver. I did notice in some video that the person used a putty knife. I myself have never used one for this. There are also some plastic tools for this and can be purchased on the web.
  If you are replacing just a cracked lcd itself or an individual board ,then I would research on the internet the various resellers out there. I would look very closely at their prices and polices. I have seen where some have no return polices. One place I have found on the internet when looking at resellers is a website called reseller ratings. Here is a link to their site http://www.resellerratings.com/ this can be very helpful. You can find reviews with good and bad information, then make your choice. 
  I have repaired at least six lcd monitors this way and they are all still working properly. Sometimes you may also find a capacitor replacement kit for the individual lcd monitor. Just remember to go by the manufacturer and model number on the monitor itself.

 There are examples of how to open the lcd case . I would look for videos of repairing lcd displays on youtube.

  Well I hope this information helps anyone out. Thank You for reading and stay safe. All comments and additional information are welcome.

 

Microsoft Called Me Today

  If someone calls you on the phone and says they are from Microsoft don't believe it. Ask yourself why would Microsoft be calling me out of all the people in the world. Also how did they know my phone number. Yes they are trying to scam you and they sure are not from Microsoft. There are so many of these fake scams out there it's becoming ridiculous.
  These are just some of the people they try to convince you of who they are. They may tell you that they are from the help desk support. They may tell you that they are from the windows service center. Another one is that they are Microsoft Tech Support and they heard you had a problem with your computer. I also heard someone tell the person they are windows technical department support group or they are on the Microsoft research and development team. All of these are just some of the fake people or groups they try to portray.
  If this happens to you then you need to know how to report this scam. You should contact the federal trade commission at consumer information for telemarketing scams. Here is a link to their website http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/ . If anyone calls you never purchase any software or service from them, because chances are it's a scam. Ask them if there is a fee involved and then hang up.
  Another thing they may try to do is ask if they can take control of you computer to repair something. This is definitely a red flag. Once they get into your computer who knows what they may take, such as personal information. The thing to do is try and get as much information from them as possible and call the authorities right away. Also never give them credit card information or any other information, such as bank information.
  If you think that they may have gotten into your computer and infected you, follow these steps. One change your computers password. Two scan your computer with programs such as free Malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/ , Spybot 2.1 http://www.safer-networking.org/private/details/, combofix (not for windows 8 or 8.1 yet) http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/ . You should also make sure your virus software on your computer is up to date and scan the system. The best way is to enter the safe mode with networking and run these one at a time rebooting when necessary. Never click on anything, I would suggest to hold the power button in for 10 to 15 seconds and it should shut down.
  If you feel that your computer may still be infected, then I would look for a good reputable computer service center and take it in. Before you take it anywhere I would check for reviews on the service center just to protect yourself. You can also check by contacting the better business bureau.
  As a final note and the most important always have a BACK SYSTEM of some sort in place. You can use a back up service to the cloud such as carbonite. Just be aware of their packages. The other way is to have an external hard drive for the back up and use the back up program in windows 7 or 8.
  Thank You for reading and I hope this helps you. Any and all comments or additional information is welcomed. Remember to Stay Safe.