| Problem |
Explanation
|
£ inc vat |
| Hourly rate |
Work charged per
hour.
|
£48 |
DIY
|
Before taking your
laptop to a repair shop it is best to carryout a
couple of simple tasks:-
1) If possible back-up your important data. Use a
memory stick or write to CD/DVD or external hdd. If
this is not possible take a little time to write
down exactly where your important data is filed
(this helps a technician to retrieve the data).
2) If you are powering your laptop via a UK/Foreign
three pin plug adapter - don't - try to buy a
UK lead that avoids the use of any plug
adapters. Some adapters are poor quality and do not
work properly.
3) Sometimes a laptop will not start not because
there is anything inherently wrong but simple
because its "flux capacitors" aren't in tune
(or whatever!!). Remove the battery and then replace
it. Try switching the machine on. By resetting the
machine it sometimes starts working.
4) If your laptop appears to work - all the lights
flash on and things buzz along- but there is no
display - It is sometimes possible to get the laptop
to display on an external monitor. Simply plug the
monitor into the laptop's VGA connection and turn
both on - (sometimes you will have to toggle the
laptop's FN keyboard button simultaneously with the
laptop's monitor keyboard button). This will at
least allow you to use the machine.
|
|
| Initial Booking in
fee |
To try and
ascertain what is wrong. Not charged if
work carried out
|
£30 |
| EXPRESS SERVICE |
When a laptop is
booked in for repair it goes into a queue to
await the services of a technician - usually
within 48 hours. However, if you are in a hurry
we can start work on your laptop immediately
provided you agree to pay an extra charge over
and above what we would normally charge
|
£48
additional express service charge |
| Overheating |
Laptop crashes
soon after start up. This could be because the
inside is clogged with dust and fluff,
overheats and crashes. We dismantle the laptop
and clean the inside.
Another factor
maybe poor design. Some laptops run hot.
Changing to a slower processor can help.
Buying a fan cooler to sit the laptop on and
which is specifically designed to cool laptops
can also help.
|
cleaning from £48+ |
| File system error |
Blue screen error
which can indicate the file system within
windows has become corrupted and requires
fixing. Usually a relatively simple fix,
however, the fault could also indicate a
possible problem with the hard drive which
caused the files to become corrupted in the
first place.
If the hard drive has become damaged with a few
bad sectors it is sometimes possible to fix
(re-magnetise) these sectors using special
software. The fix is only a temporary measure to
allow the customer to backup important data. The
hard drive may continue to operate for months
but it also may fail within hours. Such repairs
carry no guarantee beyond the fact that the hard
drive should operate long enough to effect data
backup.
|
£30
or
£48 |
| Windows reinstall |
Software problems
may require Windows to be reinstalled. |
£59 |
| Hard drive failure |
Can usually be
diagnosed by the sound of constant ticking (death
rattle) as the hard drive "head" crashes against
the revolving discs. The problem with this tale is
that not only does the drive have to be replaced
but so does Windows. There is also the labour
charge in removing and replacing the hard drive. |
needs a diagnosis
for a quote |
Nvidia Graphics
Failure
|
Huge numbers of
laptops (and desktops) are abruptly dying due to the
failure of the Nvidia graphics chip soldered on the
computer's motherboard. In
such cases the laptop, desktop or Macbook suddenly
stops working. Subsequent attempts to power back
on result in a failure to boot or a failure to
display video or both.
Apple has extended their usual 1 year warranty
to 4 years to
cover this issue. Sadly nearly all other
manufacturers have tried to avoid their Nvidia
problems. If your laptop has failed and
has an Nvidia graphics chip (usually indicated by an
Nvidia sticker next to the mouse pad), we
suggest you check with the shop where you purchased
your defective machine (you will need the original
purchase receipt) - some shops will help even if the
machine is years out of guarantee. If not, we may be
able to repair the laptop. Unfortunately, experience
has shown that such repairs only last a limited
period of a few months and in our opinion not worth
doing.
|
£79
|
| Power to Motherboard |
Battery fails to
charge and then laptop stops working even when
plugged into the mains. Usually caused by the
power socket on the motherboard becoming
damaged/detached from the motherboard . Repair
of the power socket requires completely
dismantling the laptop and replacing the power
plug on the motherboard.
|
£72 |
| Broken USB sockets -
broken audio sockets |
Similar story to
above -same conditions. The USB sockets become
detached from the motherboard. Very labour
intensive repair, although in this case its much
cheaper to simply buy a PCMCIA USB card adapter
(around £20 or less) and use the USB sockets on
the PCMCIA card adapter. Same applies to audio
sockets - buy a USB audio "pocket/card" = £12+- |
£72 |
| A/c adapter broken
tip end socket |
Instead of
replacing the adapter - the adapter's tip can
sometimes be replaced. Unfortunately, the
quality of tips (manufactured from far away) is
such that they are likely to break if not used
carefully and as a consequence we are reluctant to
carry out this repair unless it is the only
solution. We have tried to find better tips but
have been unsuccessful and as a consequence only
give a 30 day warranty to tip replacements.
|
£30 to replace tip |
| A/c adapter not
working |
We carry a large
stock of adapters and can usually supply what you
may need. Prices range from £30 depending on type.
Best bring in your laptop so that we can ensure we
supply the correct adapter and all is working
satisfactorily.
|
usually £30 |
| Broken screen |
We can usually
replace broken screens. The cost will depend on
the size but is usually around £120 (inc vat and
all labour costs) for a 15" screen
|
<<< |
| Backlight |
This is when the
screen fails to illuminate. The laptop continues
to work and the images on the screen can just be
seen but its extremely dark. We can usually
replace the backlight. In many cases the
backlight does not illuminate, not because the
backlight itself has failed, but because
the power inverter is defective.
|
£72
|
| Inverter |
Power inverter repair (symptoms as above). Price
can vary according to the cost of the inverter
|
usually around £60 |
Back up
|
Obviously its best
that you back up your work before bringing in a
PC/Laptop/mac for repair. If you wish us to
backup we will but we will charge
|
usually
£40
but could be less if its small
|
| Data Recovery |
If your hard
drive fails, the data can be retrieved but in
some cases this involves specialist equipment
and can cost several hundreds of pounds. We do
not carryout such work However, in many cases
although the drive is inoperable, data can be
retrieved relatively easily and we can help
|
from £48+
|
| Virus/Spyware |
If your laptop
has problems due to a virus or spyware we can
sometimes remove the "malware" although
its far more effective and usually simpler
and cheaper to wipe the hard drive and reinstall
Windows. We can do this. If you wish us to
backup your data there will be an extra charge
(see above).
No money?
Try the free security package from
MicroSoft - MSE
- its actually not bad considering its free
We sell a full
security package from KASPERSKY for £25
|
Virus removal from
£48
£59 For a windows reinstall
|
| U-buy-we fit |
We don't have any
problem with customers sourcing the part - such as
a screen from the likes of eBay and asking us to
fit the item. Please be advised that it is you
that is making the diagnosis and we only act as
your agent in fitting. Payment maybe asked for
before we commence work We do not warranty parts
you buy elsewhere. You will still be required to
pay our charges even if the part you supply us
does not work.
| description |
time/£ |
| Fit a
replacement screen |
£30 |
| Fit an
identical replacement motherboard.
This is just fitting and ensuring the
laptop turns on. It doesn't include
resolving software issues. |
2 hours |
| Fit a
replacement keyboard |
£30 |
|
£48 per hour |
| Liquid damage |
Very common. If it happens to you:-
- Unplug from power (if
connected)
- Turn the machine off
immediately.
- Remove battery
- If liquid has come from
atop, turn upside
down. If the liquid has ingressed from
underneath DO NOT turn upside down.
- Mop up excess liquid
(toilet tissue is OK and normally near to
hand). DO NOT be tempted to turn the
laptop on until it has been dried out.
- Do NOT use a hair drier to
dry the machine - we have seen many cases of
melted keyboards as a result of this.
- Have a technician (or
someone who knows how) open the machine up and
clean and dry the inside.
Speed is of the essence. For
water based incidents (water, tea, coke etc),
corrosion starts almost immediately therefore the
quicker the cleanup starts the better the outcome.
Even by taking these precautions the laptop's
motherboard or keyboard could have been
damaged by the spill. Usually the hard
drive has enough resilience in its construction to
avoid being damaged by a minor spill and
therefore your information is most probably safe
but its not always the case particularly if there
is a lot of liquid involved. Notwithstanding all of the above, we
have a reasonable success rate in bringing liquid
damaged laptops back to life. |
£48+ depends on
liquid & how long it takes to clean |
| Insurance report |
Many people
have home contents insurance that cover
mishaps such as accidental damage. Sadly, the
system is often abused and as a consequence we no
longer write reports. |
not available |
| Storage Charges |
We have limited space and cannot be
expected to store items for longer than 3 months.
When booking in an item for repair customers will be
asked to sign a Booking form which states that any
equipment left with us for longer than 3 months will
be recycled. When we have completed our work we will
advise you. At this point, customers are
requested to promptly collect their equipment -
remember - after 3 months your equipment will be
recycled and you will not be able to reclaim it. |
Free for the first 3 months, thereafter
£1 per day until it is recycled |
