Category: Geeks r Us
Hi guys,
While traveling for Thanksgiving, one of my cousin's graciously gave me 2 computers that have issues.
One computer is a Sony Vaio, which I believe is older but in pretty good shape. There is a small scratch on the mouse pad attributed to normal use. The problem with this one is that it overheats. Not sure why? Don't really no if it is worth fixing.
Secondly, I received a MacBook (I believe it is a PowerBook G4.) I think this could still be a useful machine. Yes, you couldn't run windows on it, but you could install Lepoard. The issue is that I have no idea where to even find Lepoard. I bet you can still obtain it from somewhere. You would probably have to burn a disc. It needs either some keys replaced on the keyboard because they are sticking or a new keyboard plus a new HD supposedly. I haven't tested either of these machines, as they are at my house and I'm in college. My parents didn't want these to distract me from my studies. I researched the PowerBook HD replacements and they are pretty labor-intensive. I believe there are 40 screws holding the hard drive in place.
So, what could I do with the Mac? I plan on attempting to restore it. The Vaio should be a little easier, as it may just need a new power supply. Do you guys know of anyone who can teach a blind person how to work on a laptop?
Hello,
Both of the computers require some very involved work; since you got them for free I'd say go for it, but you should fully expect to break both of them whilst you learn how to take laptops apart and perhaps even put them together again.
The Vaio:
Personally when I encounter overheating computers, I dismantle them to the point where the heatsync can be removed, cleaned, thermal paste reapplied and then reinstalled. This is a non trivial repair for most laptops; you will most likely break some of the plastics whilst incorrectly removing them, break the CPU whilst reinstalling it, apply an incorrect amount of thermal paste which also results in overheating or forget where each screw goes when you put it back together, thereby breaking the plastics or scratching one of the pcb's.
The easier, but less effective solution is to buy a can of compressed air and spray most of it into the fan vents. This helps dislodge the inevitable dust buildup (Once you've opened a few laptops very few things shock you anymore) which will hopefully partially solve the problem.
If you want to take this root as opposed to the propper fix, I suggest balancing the laptop on your knees so that the dust is able to escape from the laptop; don't just spray it whilst its upside down on a desk.
If it is an overheating problem a new adaptor won't solve it; diagnosing faults is another important skill that you will hopefully develop over time.
The powerbook:
As you have been reading this is also not a streight forward repair. Quite a few of the g4 powerbooks have keyboards that are very easy to replace, but the hard drive will be much harder; again, I speak from experience here.
I'm not sure if Leopard (L e o p a r d) is purchasable from Apple anymore; however it will be available using alternate, more cost effective methods if you so desire.
I think the best approach with this one is to confirm that the drive is faulty before you try and replace it, so in summary:
Obtain a Leopard DVD.
If the keyboard is badly damaged plug a USB one in; a PC one will work fine.
Boot to Leopard by powering on the machine and holding down c as soon as you hear the chime.
Once booted, press command + f5 (Or windows + alt + f5 on a pc keyboard) to start vo.
Navigate to disk utility to inspect the state of the disk.
Note that disk life can sometimes be prolonged by letting disk utility 0fill the drive; in the case of bad sectors all this does is shift them into the g list so it's not really solving the problem, but it may be enough to get Leopard up and running.
If you do need to replace the drive, you will need a 2.5 IDE, preferably spinning at 5400RPM.
It would be inpossible for me to teach you how to fix laptops unfortunately. Knolidge comes with time, pacients and in my case quite a few broken laptops. It is possible though; there are some posts by me on some older topics where I talk about being frustraited that I couldn't fix laptops and I now really enjoy taking them apart - they nearly always work when I put them back together again which is always a bonus.
Both of the repairs are perfectly possible if you're a total, but I wouldn't suggest you tacle them unless you feel comfortable breaking both of the systems.
Cheers.
I may have someone help me out then.
I don't want to damage them; they could be resold for some value. Where could I find Lepoard?
Vaios are notorious for overheating. I call them lap toasters.
Really? I didn't know this.
Processors that are AMD tend to run hotter than Intel, I think.
Nathan.
Can't find Lepoard; sells for nearly two hundred dollars. Mac beginning to seem not worth restoring. Any suggestions?