# Netbook advice please -- repair/replace



## HareBrain (Sep 17, 2014)

For the last few years I've used a brilliant little 10.1" Samsung netbook for my out-of-house writing. It's small, and has a brilliant keyboard, with the best typing feel of any laptop I've tried. I only use it for writing on MS Word: I'm not interested in any other functions.

The screen is now getting a bit dim, and it's also just developed a habit of going blank (white) if I increase the brightness too much, meaning it's only really usable in dim light.

I've been advised that this could be the screen itself, or a dying graphics card. Anyone here got any opinions on this? I'm not really techy enough to try replacing the screen myself. The local shop have quoted me £69 for investigating, which will involve trying a new screen. If that works, I'll have paid about £110, I reckon. If it doesn't, I'll have paid £69 and got nothing -- if it's the graphics card, it won't be economical to repair.

Now, I can get a new one -- there are still a very few around -- for £270. Given that my current one is about five years old anyway, with all the risk of HDD, motherboard failure etc, would I be better off doing that? I haven't seen any newer machine that suits my needs better (or that I'd be able to load my old copy of Word onto) and the keyboards all feel like crap. (But if anyone knows of something similar and more modern that feels good to type on, let me know.)

Thanks.


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## Zoe Mackay (Sep 17, 2014)

The trouble is that Netbooks were a niche that only existed for a short while - essentially, one use case went to ultra-books like the Mac Air, and the other went to fondleslabs like the iPad (other fondleslabs and ultrabooks are available). Having said that, repairing a five year old laptop-type device feels like a complete waste of money - if it's been well used, it's unlikely to stand up for too much longer. So my instinct is to suggest replacing it now, and getting another five years, rather than trying to hang on and maybe not being able to source one. 

It's a bit sad, actually. I still use my eeePC fairly regularly, for just the purpose you do.


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## Kylara (Sep 17, 2014)

I will ask the OH what he thinks and hopefully will be able to ETA what he says.

You could always build yourself a new one from scratch with components that you want  (doing that for my dad, but it is a desktop mini case with big monitor designed for his heavy Photoshopping/video editing/astro-photography stuff)

ETA: yay edit window and quick response from OH:

He says - Screen problem but only the back light. There is a bit of hardware, the inverter that could be on the way out - not sure if you can get that separately but probs can. Mobos rarely go. Capacitor rot is near enough unheard of nowadays. Hdd failure, well learn to back up - no excuses  If they like the laptop and they mentioned the key action and writing is all they do, they wont enjoy the feel of anything else, why upgrade? If you ain't going to enjoy the feel of writing there be no point 
Fix = Replace the inverter. If its a 5 year old laptop the gpu is integrated into the cpu probs so not such thing as graphics card.
(he looked up your netbook and then said this) atom processor, so yeh the gpu is onboard and its an imagination power VR something or other. fun fact the gpu driver for that is written in ASM.
Faster to replace entire lcd, but then the cost of that replacement might be higher (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/REPLACEMEN/?tag=brite-21) most of that cost will be labour. Replacing a screen like hour to do? So don't pay more than 30 labour etc so in all your looking at a 60 quid repair for the whole lcd (ish)

ETA again - after he asked what the shop had quoted:

LOL. Nope. Totally taking advantage of people's lack of knowledge. Tell them if its an atom its an intergrated gpu they dont have a 'gfx card' and its a BGA part so that's a new main board. If its the n150 is this http://netbookitalia.it/images/stor...emblaggio/samsung_n150_motherboard_lato_b.jpg http://www.ascendtech.us/samsung-np-n150-ba92-06749a-motherboard_i_mbsaba9206749an.aspx and a new main board is $60 IF it's that notebook (this is the one he thinks you have http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HZG2O2/?tag=brite-21)  but in that ilk - cheap as chips. But brightness lends its self to be a lcd / inverter problem. There ain't no amps on that mainboard


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## HareBrain (Sep 17, 2014)

Wow, thanks Kylara.

The netbook is actually this one, I'm not sure if this changes anything?



Kylara said:


> You could always build yourself a new one from scratch with components that you want



Ha ha ha!



> He says - Screen problem but only the back light.



I don't know if this will change his advice, but I'm not sure if he got both parts of my problem. The dimness of the screen is one thing, and I understand how that would be the backlight, but I can live with that. The problem that threatens to make it unusable is the way the screen suddenly and completely whites-out when I put the brightness above a certain level (and the level at which that happens is falling). Past this point, the screen continues to get brighter but there's no image. On coming back down again, I have to go a couple of stops below where it whited out before the image comes back (but then I can go up a couple of stops before it happens again). So it seems to me it's the pixellated stuff on the LCD (stop me if I'm getting too technical!), rather than the blacklight, which is the issue. But I don't know how these things work so it might be the same.

I also think the shop guy might have said graphics chip rather than card.

Anyway, I'd be grateful if you could check if his advice still stands, to get the LCD replaced, given the above info. Cheers.



(And thanks Robert for the advice too.)


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## Kylara (Sep 17, 2014)

Sure HB 

Ok, so have sent him your reply and the link to your netbook and here is his reply 

I see, I assumed the backlight amp dieing so past a point would clip, but if the drive to the panel is going...the full lcd seems like its on the way out.

(I will copy this with the time stamps because it is quite funny (he is at work but finds this sort of thing insanely fun) and also fairly scary lol  )

(5:18:41 PM) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Replacement-Samsung-NC10-10-2-LCD-Screen-SIMPLE-/270409188777
(5:18:48 PM) 60 ish squid for a new one
(5:19:02 PM) that's with 0 looking might be cheaper
(5:19:14 PM) http://goo.gl/9drrcZ only £35

(I just love how in less than a minute he did a big search for cheaper ones! It's nice when you know what you are looking for eh!?)


He then said that replacing the lcd would most likely fix the problem. 

(and then my OH being my OH I got sent this! (5:24:01 PM) LOL http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Samsung-N...t=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item1c4610e4a4 25 quid starting bid, http://goo.gl/kQe5v4 £22 (second hand versions of your netbook  ) imo just buy a replacement used one - they might be broken, they might not but only £25, a used replacement is literally cheap as chips  )

So there we go - new screen should fix it - same advice as above RE labour costs


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## HareBrain (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks Kylara! I think I'll go for a new screen (once I've found the exact part number) as they're about thirty quid and the fitting videos make it look a doddle. And that'll save me transferring everything across.

Thank the OH too. And give him a "like"!


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## Mirannan (Sep 17, 2014)

This depends on what other hardware you already have; but one possible route to cheap and cheerful word processing, if you already have a tablet, is to get hold of a case and Bluetooth keyboard combo for the tablet. Ones specifically fitted to the particular tablet exist for most common makes and a few of the less common ones. As an example, I bought a Nook HD+ tablet a year or so ago and recently got hold of a case/keyboard combo for around £25.


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## Kylara (Sep 17, 2014)

Mirannan said:


> get hold of a case and Bluetooth keyboard



I have the ultimate version of this - Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet (the older Android version) which has an incorporated keyboard folio case - it is an actual keyboard that connects via USB to one of the ports and the tablet sits in the folio case and stands up  - looks like a little laptop. Excellent piece of engineering  here is a pic http://the-gadgeteer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/TPTKeyboard6.png


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