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anyone ever done it? my mom just got a laptop for a hell of a deal, then we realized the usb port is fucked, looks like 2 bent pins, but 1 may be broken, didnt pay that close of attention... called a local laptop repair place, and they told her they couldnt replace it cuz its soldered to the mb, that she could replace the mb, or they could order some deal for a couple hundred bucks, but she doesnt have enough pc knowledge to understand/remember what that option was...



the not being able to replace it cuz its soldered sounds to me like they are trying to get a more expensive service.. ive never dont shit with a laptop, even used one much... so i dunno the first thing about working one, however i have done my fair share of soldering and replacing components on boards..



so if any of you got any experiences working on laptops let me know if its feasable to replace the usb port..

The way laptops are built it most likely is soldered to the board... and the problem isn't the soldering it's probably in getting THAT particular part. They probably can't get it.

Replacing parts on a Laptop MB is a pain in the ASS. Can it be done. yes. Would it be cost effective to do so? no.



Most manufacturers trash boards that fail QC. Repairing them cost more money than making a new one.



However, there is another option. For about $50 (or so) you can get a PCMCIA device that has 2 "extreamly fast" USB ports on it.



Check out this link:

http://www.usbgear.com/usa/item_423.html



Most Computer Shops will not do soldering on a mb, cause they don't have scematics of that particular MB. They would ship it back to the manufacturer for that kind of repair. Even if the Manufacturer would do that, it would cost way too much money.



Hope this helps.



Apollo

PCMIA is the way to go...Repairing or replacing the USB is really not gonna happen simply because it will be to much to fix or a company wont do the work

Buying a laptop is kinda like buying a car like a Porche. If something goes wrong you will pay out the ass to get it repaired. They figure if you can afford that kind of item you can afford to pay the big repair costs too. Not to mention working inside of a notebook isn't much fun.

do it all the time... I've done lots of soldering on laptops, desktops.. monitors... fixed my friends keyboard after he had a fit of rage when I kicked his ass in WC3.... that was fun..



Just gotta have a steady hand when working on M/B's and especially when yah gotta replace surface mount components.... those are a total bitch!

Originally posted by Dark

PCMIA is the way to go...Repairing or replacing the USB is really not gonna happen simply because it will be to much to fix or a company wont do the work



I definatly have to agree with apollo there, get a PCMCIA USB2.0 card, that will solve it all at a cost effective price. :thumbu:

yeah, it looks like pcmcia to the dual usb is the way to go... anyone know if there is some sort of universal usb port replicator that we could plug into one of those usb ports for ethernet, the pcmcia dvd drive, etc... ive looked around quite a bit for a port replicator specifically for the vaio pcg-sr17 but havent found one...



thanks for the input

Well most Laptops have 2 PCMCIA slots (not all thought). I'd say get a Ethernet PCMCIA and a USB PCMCIA as well. Should work with minimal issues.



But there is a USB to Network adapter...



http://www.usbgear.com/usa/item_50.html



interestingly enough, I found that on the same web site. However, that thing is way expensive. I'm betting you could get a Ethernet PCMCIA card for cheaper than that. (of course that is assuming you have 2 slots)



Have fun,

Apollo

What's nice for using a laptop around the house is a wireless ehternet adapter and a switch with a wireless port on it :)