Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Laptop LCD Screen Removal - Easy Step By Step Instructions

By Keri Cooper
When the LCD panel in a laptop gets cracked, there is not much more that you can do about it other than simply replacing it. The cost for the LCD panel itself will likely be fairly expensive. The process involved will be only slightly different between laptop makes and models, so these step by step instructions will apply to the vast majority of laptops.

Before you ever work on any of the hardware inside a laptop computer, always make sure the laptop is not connected to any power source and that the battery has been removed. Have you have ever noticed the little rubber dots along the plastic edge, bezel, of your laptop screen? Those are actually screw hole covers. Start by carefully removing these with the edge of a very fine flat head screw driver and set them aside. You could also use any fine pointed tool or the tip of a small knife. You can now access and remove the bezel screws.

Once the screws have been removed you can remove the actual bezel itself. This can be tricky because these need to be snapped out, and it often can make you think that you are pulling too hard on the bezel. It is usually best to start at the upper edge along the display screen until one corner has snapped out, and then work your way around the edge unsnapping the bezel as you go.

Once the bezel has been removed you will want to remove the very tiny screws along the frame of the LCD panel. These secure the LCD panel to the rest of the laptop. Once this has been done you will be able to lay the screen down and unplug the video cable. The video cable is a wide flat cable that will be around one to two and half inches wide or so. Many times this cable will have a piece of yellow tape over it.

Next you can remove the inverter cable. This usually has two wires connecting to a plastic end piece which clips into the inverter. There is usually one pink wire, and one white wire. The inverter itself is an elongated, narrow circuit board contained within a clear plastic cover. There may be a screw in the inverter will have to be removed in order to unplug the wires.

Some models may require the removal of hinge screws. If your laptop has built in wireless capability there will be an addition wire to remove from the back of the screen when you are removing the video cable.

When removing these parts and screws during this process, it is a good idea to set them aside in an organized fashion that will allow you to work your way backwards through these steps when it comes time to install the replacement LCD screen. Always be extra careful when handling the new replacement laptop LCD panel as these are easily scratched during the installation process.

About the Author

Keri Cooper always has lots of great how-to advice on computer repair. Keri holds numerous industry standard computer network and security certifications and has worked as a technician for several of the largest computer manufactures in the world. Keri is currently Senior Consultant for http://priceit.biz

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keri_Cooper

Watch TV Anywhere In The World On Your Laptop, At Anytime

By Lance Szela
Did you ever wish you had another TV? Do you have to fight over the remote to watch what YOU want on TV? Do you have a laptop computer or a home PC? Want to watch that BIG GAME but have no where to watch it? Why not convert that PC or Laptop into another TV? Watch Movies or TV anywhere at Anytime. Did you know that you could watch over 3,000 channels on your PC? Isn't it amazing how far technology has come?

Its pretty cool to watch TV via satellite with so much too choose from channel wise. It is like I have another TV in the house, only I can pick up my laptop and take it outside or anywhere I want. I can watch what I want, when I want. No bickering, no arguing, no problem. I never have to worry about ighting over the TV remotes or TV schedules.

Satellite for your computer you will gives me TOP-QUALITY STATIONS on my laptop. And guess what? I only had to pay a small one time fee and I never have to pay another cent. I didn't need any other hardware, it streams through my internet connection just like watching TV. All you need is an internet connection, of course the better connection I find will give you the best quality. It works anywhere in the World.

Can you imagine watching Satellite on your computer, it is perfect for sport watchers, like myself. You can watch the BIG GAMES LIVE. I know that my cable company wont do that unless I give them more money. There is a large range of events and games covered by this network and in all sorts of languages. So stop paying high-priced cable and satellite services for these special sporting events, Now you can watch them anytime you want.

Here are some of the benefits:

- It is Perfectly Legal

- It Works anywhere in the World

- No Extra Hardware or TV Card is Required

- Very Easy to Use/ No PC

- No Subscriptions or Recurring Charges....EVER

- No ADS or Spyware

- Works with all versions of Windows ...95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP/Vista

- There is NOTHING ELSE TO PAY...EVER!

Satellite for your computer has great feedback from customer's already enjoying this software. Read some of their comments. There are more than 1 million user's already. Like them, you will not be disappointed with this program for your computer.

Just think for the price of movie tickets for your family, you could watch over 3,000 stations on your Laptop or Home PC anywhere you want, anytime you want. This introductory price will not be around much longer, and with February 17th 2009 approaching, people will have to select another means to view their favorite TV programs that are broadcast on analog TV. You will need a Provider that can provide quality, and channels that you want. It is an Instant Download, no waiting for the mail to come, no shipping and handling charges, you will get immediate access to the Satellite once you have paid the one time low fee.

They even throw in some bonus items, like

- Unlimited MOVIE downloads...over 80 million movies

- Free Unlimited TV Shows - full episodes

- Unlimited MP3 Music Downloads...over 90 million

- Media Player, CD/DVD Copy Software

So what do you have to loose, you could continue to spend your money every month for another cable or Satellite provider. You can also continue to argue and fight over the remotes, OR you can check out satellite for your pc and enjoy TV where and when you want. For more information check out the site below.

http://inform4you.googlepages.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Szela

Lance Szela - EzineArticles Expert Author

4 Tech Must - Haves For Your Mobile Office

By C Elliott
Everything changes when you trade in your desktop for a laptop and your office for a hotel room.

Sometimes this is for the better: You're liberated from your cubicle and free to go where your work takes you.

But sometimes things change for the worse. Productivity suffers when you're in an unfamiliar place. The way a laptop keyboard cramps your hands is sometimes enough to keep you from getting the job done right.

Here are four technology "must-haves" for the mobile office, plus some tools that can boost your productivity while you're away.

* The Right Small Business Software

It isn't just downloading the necessary applications onto your laptop or PDA, it's also knowing whether the programs are suited to a mobile office. Is your email program built for the road or adapted from a bigger application meant for a corporate network? Do the programs work together on your laptop or do they freeze when your processor gets busy?

These considerations can become big issues when you're travelling. That's something Tab Stone, a doctor from Los Angeles, knows all too well. He installed a new email program on his laptop before leaving on a recent trip, but it wasn't suited for mobile use. He had to uninstall it shortly before takeoff, but that disabled his backup email program. That meant he couldn't download any messages to his PC. "I could not fix whatever was corrupted with either a fresh download or a copy downloaded from the internet," Stone recalls.

The latest: Contact-management software programs let you integrate data with your PDA, so you can download and synchronise contacts, calendar appointments and notes to your Palm Pilot or Pocket PC. There's also a web-based version for travellers who either lose their laptops or prefer to work from a desktop at their destination.

What's next? Look for more integration between applications for wireless users. Contact managers are already assuming the role of email program, address book and database. The next step is making it more accessible to people who are using cell phones or PDAs.

* The Right Hardware

I'm not talking about owning the newest laptop computer. I'm talking about hardware that's created for life on the road. Let's face it: A lot of the gadgets on which mobile professionals depend aren't made with travellers in mind. For example, when Joachim Martin's laptop battery ran out on a recent flight, a helpful flight attendant offered to recharge it in a "secret" outlet in the back of the plane. "The batteries charged," remembers the software developer. "But when I got home, they were dead." The power source had to be replaced. Blame the airline, the battery manufacturer or even the unfortunate business traveller for not knowing better, but this kind of thing happens often. Phone plugs don't always fit; neither do power outlets. And a lot of the gadgets we rely on are traveller-hostile, impractical or both.

The latest: Some hardware manufacturers are meeting the demand for traveller-friendly hardware with add-ons such as the Stowaway XT Keyboard. I've also been impressed with Microsoft's Mini Optical Mouse, which frees you from the restrictions of your laptop's finger-cramping pointer.

What's next? As the convergence between cell phones, PCs and PDAs continues, it wouldn't surprise me to see devices that offer the ergonomic comfort of a desktop with the portability of a PDA. It won't come a moment too soon for many road warriors.

* The Right Connections

Connections are everything to the mobile office.

Remember Stone, the doctor without email? He eventually accessed his messages through an unwieldy web connection. Spencer Field, who recently returned from a trip to Melbourne, can also tell you about email trouble. He learned upon arrival that the dial-up numbers to his internet service provider (ISP) didn't work. "I thought that was probably the end of my online access," he says. "As a last-ditch effort, I let my fingers do the walking and checked out the Melbourne Yellow Pages for a local ISP." He found one and signed up for a one-month email account which gave him access to local numbers on his entire itinerary.

It isn't just internet connections that matter, but also hooking up to other devices such as cell phones, PDAs and laptops. Technologies such as Bluetooth let you communicate with other devices in an office or hotel room without the need for cables.

The latest: According to a recent AT&T study, the top barrier to working from a remote location is access to a high-speed data connection. Fast wireless networks are springing up everywhere - in hotels, airport lounges and coffee shops. And even though Bluetooth got off to a slow start, the concept behind it - which is to lose the wires - is fundamentally sound.

What's next? It won't be long before Wi-Fi is as ubiquitous as cellular coverage and a majority of devices are Bluetooth-enabled. That's good news for those of us who work in a mobile office.

* The Right Web Applications

Web-based applications are so important to the mobile office that I've decided to give them their own category, even though they technically belong in the "software" section. The web is one of the most efficient ways for a mobile worker to gain access to a back-office system, intranet or database.

My ISP offers a rudimentary application that lets me check my email from the web. I can't remember how often I've had to use it because my email program failed to work properly. But I do remember the last time. I was stuck at a meeting out-of-town and my email account had sustained a spam attack - thousands of unsolicited messages - that would have taken hours to download. Instead, I logged on to the web and deleted them all in seconds. Were it not for the web application, I would probably still be downloading the spam.

The latest: One of the most innovative Web applications is GoToMyPC , which lets you access the desktop in your home or office through the web. Another useful application for mobile users is web conferencing services such as Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

What's next? Expect these applications to become cheaper, more reliable and even more sophisticated.

Christopher Elliott writes about small business travel and mobile computing, and publishes a weekly travel newsletter.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=C_Elliott

Avoid A Data Disaster On The Road - 5 Tips

By C Elliott
Information is what powers business trips. It's one of your most precious assets and you should take every step to keep it safe.

Take it from someone who has left his office without synchronsing his laptop and PC, who has wiped out days worth of work because he neglected to install a backup system and who even has lost clients because he ignored the importance of good, reliable information.

Don't make the same mistakes I have. Here's what a career on the road has taught me about computer data:

5 Tips for Travels

• Start every trip with a synch Making sure your PDA and PC are both up-to-date is pretty easy. Generally, you just slip the handheld into its cradle and the computer does the rest. Synchronising one PC with another isn't as straightforward. I've tested every conceivable tool, including the one that came with my computer operating system, and they can be tricky. But it's definitely worth learning, because once you leave the office, I guarantee you'll be glad you updated your laptop.

• Don't trust your computer Memory sticks that plug into your laptop are essential to the integrity of your data. And with some units now carrying up to 5 gigabytes of data (which equates to an awful lot of documents), you can fit all your essential files onto one small stick. Andrew Steele, a media consultant to charities and non-profits in Great Britain, routinely does a double backup. It recently saved his trip. "I had a laptop power supply fail," Steele recalls. "So even when the battery was finally exhausted, I could carry on without embarrassment on borrowed computers."

• Stay in touch with the office There are several useful applications that let you connect to your computer or network from afar, including Microsoft's own Remote Desktop Connection. I like these options because you can catch up on any information that you may have forgotten to synch up before you left. My biggest gripe with these programs is that they tend to be slow — particularly with a dial-up connection — making large data downloads impractical. But if you couldn't synch up before your trip, they can be a real lifesaver.

• Collect information — and back it up Normally, small business travellers are good at collecting business cards, sales leads and receipts. But this valuable information doesn't always make it back to the office. My record keeping was so inadequate when I started travelling on business that I missed numerous charge-card payments. I ended up losing money because I couldn't get reimbursed.

• When in doubt, switch to paper This is obvious advice, but it's so obvious that we sometimes forget it's an option. We've become so dependent on our technology that we don't remember that we could just write the information down. My partner used to make fun of me when I printed out the names and addresses of people before leaving on a business trip. Why do that when everything was on the computer? Well, there are still some things paper can do that a PC can't. Like operate without batteries. So when my laptop ran out of juice and I switched to paper, I didn't look like a fool.

Christopher Elliott writes about small business travel and mobile computing, and publishes a weekly travel newsletter

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=C_Elliott

3 Criteria You Must Adopt To Buy A Quality Laptop or Notebook Computer For Mobile Computing

By Peter Lim
Laptops or notebook computers are being built upon technology that is advancing at a rapid speed. While they are getting smaller and smaller, they are considered costly products because there is a limit to how low prices can drop where the technology to build them is improving all the time and hi tech research and development costs money.

Generally, the improvement in laptops have been targeted at narrowing the gaps between what laptops can do and what its closest cousin, the desktop computer can do. In fact, the bulk of developments in laptop technology has been concentrated on not only narrowing the gap between the performance of laptops and the desktop computers, but in some cases it has been to develop laptops that have functions and capacities that far exceed those of desktop computers.

This has led to a newer trend among computer users. Many are opting for laptops rather than the desktop computers as laptops fall in price, narrowing the price difference between a cheaper desktop computer and a laptop.

Together in this fast developing technology, the desktop computer is also trying to find its place in competing with laptops. It is no wonder that we see most desktop computers also shrinking in terms of size for its newer models, with the concept that their smaller footprints will present the same if not better computing power and saving of space and less heat generated.

What would you look out for in your quest to get the best laptop for yourself, seeing that there is so much in common between laptops and desktop computers?

Here are just three important developments that you can adopt in selecting your laptop in differentiating them between the laptop and the desktop computer.

1. The use of dual Core laptops or notebook computers

Dual core systems are considered advanced systems, with dual core chips built by Intel and AMD. Dual core systems allow for fast and heavy graphics computing, and for most purposes will meet your needs for computing speed and also for heavy gaming where realistic graphics are required. They also come with better graphics card such as the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT graphics card.

2.Wireless Modem and Cellular Phone Modem

With hot spots being established for wireless connectivity, and where the need to use a cell phone or mobile phone where such hot spots are not available, the feature of a cellular phone modem in a laptop will ensure you can be connected either by wireless modem or by the cellular phone modem. This is very useful for mobile computing.

3. Sufficient Battery Life

Look at the battery life provided with your laptop. As you will be moving around with the laptop, sufficient battery life of 2 hours or more will be reasonable for most cases. You really do not want to find your computing use to be interrupted abruptly when the battery runs out in the middle of an important computing session.

So when you are selecting a laptop for its ease of mobile computing, look at these three features above. Consider the use of fast chips or dual core chips in the laptop, consider the presence of wireless modem and the cellular phone modem and more importantly consider the battery life of the laptop. With these 3 key features, your mobile computing experience should be an enjoyable one.

Buying a laptop or a notebook computer online can be an enjoyable experience.Hundreds of Australians have been shopping laptops and notebook computers online in the comfort of their own home - bidding in the full security of an online store and getting the best prices for the laptop of their choice with vast discounts at Aussie Laptops and Notebook Computers or visit http://aussielaptops.reviewadvisor.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lim