The Number Field

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my computer had become even more unreliable than I was used to. I don't shut it down when I take to and from school, I just put it to sleep, but it had taken to shutting down spontaneously even after I had put it to sleep. Although this seems like just an inconvenience, it made me worry about the overall health of my four year old laptop.

I eventually traced my problems to the battery system, and discovered that my computer had lost its ability to charge the battery. Because of that, the battery had run down to the point where it couldn't even supply the minimal amount of power to keep the computer live while asleep. I borrowed a friend's computer and charged my battery, and solved the problem temporarily. However, I still couldn't use the computer for any length of time without plugging it in; my battery is old, and doesn't hold much of a charge anyway. During further investigations, two different technicians diagnosed the problem as a bad logic board, and said that repairs would cost several hundred dollars--enough that it would probably make more sense to buy a new computer instead. With Sunflower on the way, it is not the time for me to be making a major outlay like that for myself, but I would also have a hard time without my own computer. So I continued my research, and found the wonderful site iFixit . I learned that there was a small chance that the DC-in board was causing the problem, and I could replace that myself for about ten percent of the price of the logic board repair.

Opening up a computer, especially a laptop, is a scary thought, but mine is long past its warranty and iFixit provided step-by-step instructions. I opened it up, switched the part, and closed it back down, with no extra screws remaining. When I plugged it in and turned it on, the battery began to charge again! While the computer was open I tightened up some miscellaneous screws in the computer chassis. As a result, I am now able to use a replacement battery I bought last year and hadn't used because it seemed to fit loosely into the compartment. The battery wasn't bad--the connector was just too loose!

I'm pretty happy. For one thing, I didn't ruin my computer. But even more than that, I breathed new life into my whole setup.