Replacing my laptop touchscreen again

[Xist]

So, the laptop that I bought in May of 2,013 had two screws work themselves loose. The hinge started wobbling and I realized that I had a couple of screws loose, so I bought new ones, and one came right out.

The hole was stripped!

I read that my alternatives were to try Lock-Tite or to take everything apart and to tap out larger holes. The screw managed to work loose before the Lock-Tite dried!

Apparently, the system separated so much that the power supply cannot make a connection, and the battery stopped charging.

I worked six days last week, including a couple of hours of overtime, but we just got busy a week ago, and I am only waiting on my third paycheck (besides the Guard) since May, so I am trying to be careful with my money. I have been using my father's laptop, but the internal fan died, so I use an external one, but the USB ports come loose extremely easily, so everything stops working regularly. Somehow, the $2 Walmart mouse cord got into the $40 laptop cooler and broke a fin. My other fan had a crushed USB connector.

Acetone did not remove the Loc-Tite, so I think that I will try a screw extractor next. The thing is, now I have a cracked touchscreen!

The laptop is a HP ENVY TouchSmart 15-j053cl Notebook PC and this is the replacement screen for the non-touchscreen version: Screen for HP Compaq ENVY 15-J053CL TOUCHSMART. Replacement Laptop LCD Screens
$57.99 plus $7.50 to ship.

I cannot find it now, but they had the touchscreen version for the same price, except they made it very clear that it is non-touchscreen! This one is $90, but it does not say if it is touchscreen or not: Screen For HP 720550-001 15.6-inch LED Full-HD (1920 x 1080)

HP sells the part for $400! The only other place that I found it is: HP Envy 15 J105US Laptop Screen Touch Glass with Digitizer Assembly 720550 001 | eBay $200 for the digitizer glass for your Acer iPhone!

I can send it in for the extended warranty, but I kind of want to remove the Lock-Tite first!

Also...

Apparently, the laptop was available with a full HD screen (mine is only 1366x768!), but it insists that I need to match the resolution! The only explanation that I could find was that it might wear out my processor faster!

The thing is, having a small screen, I tend to use it with my full HD external monitor. If the screen itself were full HD, I would not use the external monitor, so it would tax the graphics chip less, right?

Well, I do not need the touchscreen capabilities, I never wanted them, and I disabled them months ago! Can I upgrade the screen, though?

The timing is fun, I have my final showdown with my ex-girlfriend tomorrow, hopefully I have a full work week, I have drill Friday evening, through Sunday afternoon, and then have a full work week next week. While I am ordering parts, I think that I will order new hinges for my laptop, that makes more sense than trying to tap out the holes, and maybe a replacement fan for Dad's laptop. The stove and kitchen light stopped working, my passenger window does not roll up completely, and I still need to get and install the correct ballast for the overhead light in my bedroom.

I sound busy! Just a few more cute animal .GIFs!

[freebeard]

Sounds like wearing out the processor is the least of your worries. I doubt that's even possible.

Apple's stuff is sooo expensive.

Good luck with your upcoming week.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

So, the laptop that I bought in May of 2,013 had two screws work themselves loose. The hinge started wobbling and I realized that I had a couple of screws loose, so I bought new ones, and one came right out...

I can send it in for the extended warranty, but I kind of want to remove the Lock-Tite first!

I usually keep a laptop for 4 years before giving it away to whoever is in need of something that works. I've found that consumer-grade laptops aren't designed to hold up to more than 2 years of abuse, so I buy entry-level business. Most everything I've posted in the last 3 years has been on my Lenovo x220. I'll probably replace it at the end of the year when I see something cheap on Slickdeals.

All that said, you need to get the laptop fixed under warranty. Why spend money when you have already paid to have someone else fix it?

Apparently, the laptop was available with a full HD screen (mine is only 1366x768!), but it insists that I need to match the resolution! The only explanation that I could find was that it might wear out my processor faster!

It's best to run a screen in native resolution, which means to set the display resolution to the actual number of pixels the screen has. Choosing a different resolution causes a slight amount of extra computation to skew the image into dimensions that are not native to the display. It won't wear out the processor, but it will distort the image.

The thing is, having a small screen, I tend to use it with my full HD external monitor. If the screen itself were full HD, I would not use the external monitor, so it would tax the graphics chip less, right?

Whichever display is set to the higher resolution will tax the graphics chip more. More pixels = more computation.

I have my final showdown with my ex-girlfriend tomorrow, hopefully I have a full work week, ...maybe a replacement fan for Dad's laptop.

What does final showdown mean? I don't think the fight will be fair considering you have military training.

My only advice on the subject of women is that life is too short, and your younger years even more so, to waste even a moment with someone you aren't wildly excited to be with. If you don't want to be with your ex, then don't even have a final showdown. Just respectfully tell her you won't be keeping in contact and move on. If she attempts contact with you, ignore it. Believe me, it's hard to do, but you'll be rewarded by making yourself available to better opportunities, and being in a healthier place to respond to those opportunities.

I suggest you do fix your Dad's laptop fan. That's a nice thing to do, and should be relatively cheap. Often times the fan can be buried deep within the laptop and may require as many as 50 screws to finally get to the part, but lay out the pieces in a pattern that helps you remember how to reassemble. Make sure you reconnect all of the little connections, because nothing is more frustrating than going 50 screws in, getting everything back together, and then finding out there is no audio because you forgot to re-attach a tiny wire.

[ksa8907]

I bought a $450 acer in fall of '09 when I started college. Upgraded from 3gb ram to 4gb and installed windows 7 64bit. Its a little slow, but gets the job done when I want to be mobile and not on my phone.

Next laptop will have a ssd.

[vskid3]

I would find a forum specializing in your laptop model to get more help regarding the HD screen swap. Some laptops are a plug and play swap, others are pretty much impossible.

I had an Alienware M11x that the screw posts for the hinge broke off the inside of the lid (common issue for the first gen). A glob of epoxy solved that problem, I think it was more solid after fixing it than it was when new.

I agree with redpoint about business class laptops. I'm a big fan of the Dell Latitude E6400. Mainly metal construction (magnesium, I believe), one screw holding the bottom plate that allowed access to replace anything besides the motherboard. I would much rather pay $4-500 for an off lease Dell Latitude or Thinkpad that's a year or two old than for a new consumer grade one.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by vskid3

I would much rather pay $4-500 for an off lease Dell Latitude or Thinkpad that's a year or two old than for a new consumer grade one.

I'm still using my T61 Thinkpad from about '07 or '08. Upgraded to an SSD a couple of years ago, otherwise all I've done is to clean out & re-lubricate a noisy fan.

If you mostly use an external display, as I do (24" 1920x1600, vs the native 1680x1200 or so), then I'd say just use xrandr to turn off the laptop display. You won't over-stress or wear out your graphics processor, 'cause electronics just don't work that way. Only way you might see problems is if you're running it hard enough to cause the temperature to spike, and that's not likely unless you're doing serious gaming or similar.

[Xist]

The "final showdown" was my ex taking me to small claims court for repossessing the car when she refused to get insurance. I explained that here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post466414

I am not sure that it was a fair fight, she made her argument, I made mine, the judge asked if she had anything else to say, and she said "No, Your Honor" so quietly that he told her to speak up. Then he asked if she was sure, because I contradicted her testimony.

"No, Your Honor"

Purchasing business laptops is interesting, I had not heard of that. I have bought my last few from Costco because they come with a two-year warranty, but I think that I will purchase my next one from Fry's electronics, because they repair their computers in-house, which is hopefully faster than sending it in.

Hmm... Fry's shows 230 laptops:
Everyday (132)
Two-in-One (39)
Gaming (37)
Chromebook (9)
Business (7)
Ultrabook (6)

I currently play World of Warcraft once or twice a week. It is not the best use of my time. If I have an good opportunity to socialize, I definitely choose people over pixels. I imagine that a business machine would run it just fine--or maybe perhaps possible business stuff. I might like that, too!

They have two business laptops for a thousand dollars each and they both look good. One has more memory, a faster processor, and a larger hard drive, while the other one has better graphics, so that is interesting.

I already used the extended warranty once and only have one more use. I can fix this myself without spending too much and resume using it quickly, instead of waiting on a warranty, and then I would still be able to send it in if something worse happens.

Besides, if I can install a 1920x1080 screen instead of the current 1366x768 one, that would be great! The site did not warn that it might be incompatible, just that it might put too much strain on the graphics processor, which seems illogical to everyone so far.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Xist

I have bought my last few from Costco because they come with a two-year warranty,

Remember if you purchased with certain credit cards they also extend they warranty.

[freebeard]

I can fix this myself without spending too much and resume using it quickly...

You might want to do that until you've paid off the court's judgement.

[Xist]

This is a tool they sold in a five-pack at my grocery store. I saw it in the tiny hardware section, but it was obviously not supposed to be there. I wanted to try acetone first and did not know how much the package was. I found it on the bottom shelf of a small "As seen on TV" display. When I opened it, I worried that the smallest bit was too small, but this is a larger screw than most of the laptop screws. It worked just enough for me to barely grab the head with pliers and start rotating. As you can see, it drilled out the entire head, but it worked!

My ex complained that she lost time from her externship and work. Ha! She blocked me on Facebook! That is hilarious since she harassed me and I ignored her!

I was just checking because she was supposed to start working as a dental assistant in January. I imagine that she would have blamed me had she somehow been able to graduate.

It is a bit frustrating that I missed work in order to be ordered to pay a large sum of money, but I sure hope that today is busier than yesterday, even though every Tuesday has been worse than the preceding Monday! However, last Monday was one of our best days ever!