Nightmare Laptops from Hell

[Vicenarian]

Ok, inspired by a number of threads, I have decided to propose the compilation of a list of laptops that are a PAIN to work on, for various reasons. It could be something like having to take out the motherboard to access the hard drive, or having to take apart the entire machine in order to change a keyboard, or similar.



Here's a proposed format:

- MANUFACTURER
- MODEL
- REASON FOR DIFFICULTY OF REPAIR



Anyway, I'll start:

Dell
Inspiron N4010
Replacement of hard drive requires removal of motherboard



As more models are added, I'll update teh list

 

[OldSchoolPC]

HP Pavilion DV
Pretty much the entire DV line has graphics overheating issues in my experience. Haven't seen any from the last 2 years models with that problem though.

 

[14049752]

This is all relative, really. I don't consider the N4010 to be that difficult to take apart, it's just annoying that it's that way. To be honest, this really just seems like a thread that'll end up in minor grievances about laptop design in general.

One thing I'm really not liking, though, is the trend toward flush glass on top of the lcd...or bezels that require the entire display assembly to come off to replace the screen or inverter. Or the trend of making systems almost screwless. I don't have models, because I don't have any specific examples right now.

 

[pcpickup]

HP Pavilion DV
Pretty much the entire DV line has graphics overheating issues in my experience. Haven't seen any from the last 2 years models with that problem though.

I second for theses being among the most hated. I have seen a lot of these come through my store with that issue.

 

[4ycr]

Excellent timing I have one in from of me just now.


- MANUFACTURER - E systems
- MODEL Sorrento 1
- REASON FOR DIFFICULTY OF REPAIR
It currently overheats and has hard drive problems. This computer has no back access panels. The keyboard is easily removed but it has a metal plate below it so you can't access anything quickly.


- MANUFACTURER E systems
- MODEL 1212
- REASON FOR DIFFICULTY OF REPAIR
Crucial and Orca both got the DIMM slots wrong and no other info is easy to find

 

[tempusfugit]

This is all relative, really. I don't consider the N4010 to be that difficult to take apart, it's just annoying that it's that way. To be honest, this really just seems like a thread that'll end up in minor grievances about laptop design in general.

I think this is more of a warning thread.. Most non-mac laptops you would expect to be able to pop out a hard drive in under a minute. This could be helpful to check before quoting customers that you'll have the new drive in and windows 7 installed in 30 minutes.

The HP DV series is quite the opposite of this issue.. ya, they suck, but you should be able to diagnose bad gpu in under 5 minutes.

 

[Vicenarian]

I think this is more of a warning thread.. Most non-mac laptops you would expect to be able to pop out a hard drive in under a minute. This could be helpful to check before quoting customers that you'll have the new drive in and windows 7 installed in 30 minutes.

yeah exactly, this thread is more or less a way to warn technicians of possible difficulties. For example, some of the newer HP laptops (envy series I think) have a plush (sp?) glass screen bezel that is almost impossible to remove. It's crazy. If someone called me for a screen replacement, I generally give them my flat rate. However, if it was one of those laptops, I would probably quote more

 

[joydivision]

I've had that problem with the E1212, it is a very cheap and nasty PC full stop.

Some of mine:-

Acer one with SSD - RAM upgrade involves removing the motherboard and the SSD is a none standard IDE one.

HP DV series - graphics chip problems.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

HP Pavilion DV
Pretty much the entire DV line has graphics overheating issues in my experience. Haven't seen any from the last 2 years models with that problem though.

Yeah that was fixed a while ago..specific to 3 model ranges of DVs.

Waaaaaay too many different models of laptops which are a pain in the arse to try to list in a thread.

 

[kevinjhaag]

Any Apple products that use Adhesive to hold screens. They are a pain most times for me at least. I have found a lot of apple products difficult to work on due to their design. I think thats why I like to work on them the most because of the challenge sometimes. Then again, its a great design and good for us; because its to hard for end users so they have to take in for repair.

 

[Marius]

Basicly ALL of them is a pain in the butt...Once i had to dissasemble a whole laptop (Asus F5RL) just to replace the f'n battery
At the end of the day i took a "side-cutter" and cut a nice round hole in the plastic-cover ( part of the Laptops "cover" hidden by the keyboard-cover)...now i just need to dissasemble the keyboard and whalla...there sits my batt

 

[twincountycomputers]

any model where the memory, modem (if it has one), wireless card, and hard drive isn't accessible by removing a door.

seriously someone should design a laptop where the only thing on "top" is the keyboard/touch pad/lcd hookups and everything else is on the bottom. then make the bottom one big door that comes off with 10 or 12 screws. I've seen some macs made this way

 

[compnet]

any model where the memory, modem (if it has one), wireless card, and hard drive isn't accessible by removing a door.

seriously someone should design a laptop where the only thing on "top" is the keyboard/touch pad/lcd hookups and everything else is on the bottom. then make the bottom one big door that comes off with 10 or 12 screws. I've seen some macs made this way

Most laptops are 1-4 screws for memory, wifi, hard drive, 3-6 for keyboard. Seems a lot better than your idea.

Have you changed a keyboard on a mac made the way you're talking about? You know, the one where you have to remove the motherboard and then take out another 30 screws holding the keyboard in? Never thought I'd hear someone referencing a mac for ease of replacing components.

 

[16k_zx81]

Anything with the word APPLE in front of it

Just did a 'keyboard replacement' on a 2010 macbook pro.

TINY connectors on the boaqrd, a bunch of VERY RANDOM SCREWS - philips, tri-head and star-bit all on the same machine. Fiddly, microscopic parts. Just a nightmare to work on. Fortunately I had the tools but tri-head screwdrivers particularly are hard to come by in a pinch.

Oh and you have to replace the entire top chassis to do the keyboard, which is stuck to it with about 50x 2mm screws.

And screen replacements? Bah! Hate macbooks.

Im not saying they arent beautifully engineered - they are. However, consideration for techs that need to work on them is woefully absent.

GRRRRR

.

 

[kevinjhaag]

Anything with the word APPLE in front of it

Just did a 'keyboard replacement' on a 2010 macbook pro.

TINY connectors on the boaqrd, a bunch of VERY RANDOM SCREWS - philips, tri-head and star-bit all on the same machine. Fiddly, microscopic parts. Just a nightmare to work on. Fortunately I had the tools but tri-head screwdrivers particularly are hard to come by in a pinch.

Oh and you have to replace the entire top chassis to do the keyboard, which is stuck to it with about 50x 2mm screws.

And screen replacements? Bah! Hate macbooks.

Im not saying they arent beautifully engineered - they are. However, consideration for techs that need to work on them is woefully absent.

GRRRRR

.

I think they do it on purpose to discourage end users from dissembling their machine. Which is nice for us because we get the work. You worked on a unibody macbook by the sounds of it. If you think macbooks are sort of a pain to work on; ipods, iphones are not any easier. All I can say is the factory adhesive is strong! I actually think the macbooks are easy compared to their desktop models. The half egg-shaped imac was just a stacked mess of parts and a mess of wires. But I like to work on them all. Just wished I got more of them.

 

[Martyn]

HP
625

You have to virtually disassemble the whole laptop to replace the screen.

 

[twincountycomputers]

Most laptops are 1-4 screws for memory, wifi, hard drive, 3-6 for keyboard. Seems a lot better than your idea.

Have you changed a keyboard on a mac made the way you're talking about? You know, the one where you have to remove the motherboard and then take out another 30 screws holding the keyboard in? Never thought I'd hear someone referencing a mac for ease of replacing components.

Sorry, haven't replaced a keyboard in a mac like that, keyboards should come off easily with just 3 or 4 screws

 

[anonymous Mac Tech]

Anything with the word APPLE in front of it

Just did a 'keyboard replacement' on a 2010 macbook pro.

TINY connectors on the boaqrd, a bunch of VERY RANDOM SCREWS - philips, tri-head and star-bit all on the same machine. Fiddly, microscopic parts. Just a nightmare to work on. Fortunately I had the tools but tri-head screwdrivers particularly are hard to come by in a pinch.

Oh and you have to replace the entire top chassis to do the keyboard, which is stuck to it with about 50x 2mm screws.

We have a school district we service that has 5000 white unibody macbooks. We usually haul in 30-40 of these things a week for service and usually a dozen or so of them will need top case replacements for various reasons (missing keycaps, drops, spills). I do so many top case replacements I have it down to 30 minutes or less. Of course this is when I focus without interuptions. Sometimes I just don't want to move that fast or just want to piecefully sit and zone out while my hands do something then it takes 45 minutes.

 

[ell]

I think this is an excellent idea to give us some "warning" not to quote too low for pain in the @#$ models, and maybe procedure advice comments, but maybe we should create separate threads for each category, say one for models with complicated hard drive access and another for models w/complicated screen replacement , etc.

 

[Tucson Techie]

Certain HP laptops like the DV6 require you to remove the entire LCD assembly to replace the LCD because the two screws on the botton are too low to reach with a precision screw driver. So the entire top palm rest and keyboard have to come off before you can remove the bezel. Ridiculous.

I second the votes for the Dell N's and the pointless difficultly of getting to the hard drive. Not that it's so hard but it's one of those things where you wonder, "What is Dell thinking of? Are they becoming as vapid in laptop design as HP?" And the answer is, Yes, they are becoming just as bad as HP.

One of the Dell Studio series, can't remember which, has the wonderful design where they put the hard drive right next to the CPU/GPU heatsink, so that the hard drive now becomes a 2nd heatsink and runs hot as ---.

Older tablet notebooks, hate 'em.

Although my personal favorite laptop brand, Sony Vaio, some of them can be tricky to work on. Same with older Thinkpads, great computers, but sometimes a pain to work on as they're built like tanks and screw-crazy.

Oddly enough Toshiba's seem to be the easiest and most consistently built. Architecturally pretty well built computers, tech friendly.