How to repair broken touchpad connector on motherboard

In this post I explain how to repair broken touchpad cable connector on a motherboard.
Let’s say you were fixing a laptop yourself and accidentally damaged the touchpad connector or any other similar connector. The problem is the touchpad connector soldered to the motherboard and it’s impossible to replace it with regular soldering tools. Also, these connectors are not sold separately which makes the replacement even more impossible.
Let’s try to repair it. We’ll do it using the same technique as for fixing the keyboard connector.
On the following picture you see a typical touchpad connector. The connector has а white base (permanently attached to the motherboard) and locking tab (moving part).
In order to unlock the connector you lift up the left side of the locking tab. The locking tap opens up at a 90 degree angle and releases the touchpad cable. After that you pull the cable from the connector.


On the following picture you see the damaged connector. I wasn’t careful enough and separated the locking tab from the base.
Unfortunately there is no way to attached broken tab back.

Here’s how I fixed it.
Insert the touchpad cable back into the connector. The touchpad cable has contacts on the bottom side – the side which is facing the motherboard.
In order to work properly the cable contacts have to touch contacts inside the connector but it’s not happening when the locking tab is missing.

Find a small piece of plastic. It has to fit inside the connector and be thick enough to fit tightly between the four metal hinges and touchpad cable.
Insert this piece of plastic into the connector. Make sure the touchpad still seated inside.

On the following picture you see the connector “fixed”. It doesn’t look the same as before but nevertheless the cable secured inside.
The piece of plastic applies pressure on the cable and it makes good connection with the contacts. The touchpad works again!
Now you can secure the connection with tape.
This simple trick fixed my touchpad.

Here’s another type of touchpad connector.
The locking tab is broken and also separated from the base.

Position the broken tab the way it was plugged before but do not push it into the connector yet.

Now insert the cable. In most cases it goes under the tab.
Push the cable all the way into the connector.

While holding the cable, push the tab into the connector.
Even though the locking tab is broken, it should secure the cable.
Again, apply some tape over the connection to secure it.

Most common hardware problems

In this post I will summarize most common laptop hardware related problems and give some suggestions how to troubleshoot or repair them.
Problem 1.
Computer doesn’t turn on at all.

When you plug the AC adapter into the laptop, there are no lights turning on at all. When you push on the power button, nothing happens. The laptop appears to be completely dead, makes no sounds, no indications of life.

Possible problem:
– The AC adapter failed and the battery has no charge left. In this case test the AC adapter with a voltmeter. If it’s dead, replace it with a new one.
– DC jack failed and the motherboard doesn’t receive any power from the adapter. In this case the DC jack has to be replaced.
– Motherboard failed. The motherboard has to be replaced, if it’s not too expensive. Otherwise get ready to buy a new computer.
Here are some tips for testing AC adapter and DC jack.
Also, make sure to read step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting dead laptops.
Problem 2.
Screen is blank.

The laptop turns on, power LED lights up, cooling fan works but nothing appears on the screen. The screen is completely black and blank. There is no image on the screen at all.
Possible problem:
– This can be memory failure. It’s possible one of the memory modules failed. In this case you can try reseating memory modules to make sure they are making good contact with the slot. You can try removing memory modules one by one and test the laptop with only one module installed. You can try replacing memory modules.
– If reseating/replacing memory doesn’t help, try removing the hard drive, DVD drive, modem, wireless card, keyboard, etc… In other words, disassemble the laptop to bare minimum and test again. If the laptop still doesn’t turn on, most likely you have failed motherboard or processor.
Read this guide for bare bone system troubleshooting.
Problem 3.
Laptop turns on and off repeatedly.

The laptop turn on without showing any image on the screen. After a few seconds it turns off by itself. Then it turns on and off again.
Possible problem:
Most likely this is motherboard failure. You can try reseating/replacing memory as I described in the Problem 2. If it doesn’t help, probably the motherboard failed.
Problem 4.
Laptop makes noise while running.

The laptop turns on and everything works fine, except it makes some constant weird grinding or rattling noise.
Possible problem:
In most cases this noise is coming from the cooling fan or hard drive. Take a closer look at the cooling fan.
If the fan doesn’t spin but the the laptop makes noise, probably it’s coming from the hard drive. Back up all personal data as soon as possible and replace the hard drive.
Also, you can remove the hard drive and stat the laptop. If the laptop still makes noise, most likely it’s bad fan.
Problem 5.
Laptop shuts down or freezes.

The laptop runs properly but after a while it freezes or shuts down without any warning. When it happens, the bottom feels hot. Also, the cooling fan runs louder than usual.
Possible problem:
Most likely this is heat related issue. It happens because the fan heat sink is clogged with dust and the processor not cooling down properly. Cleaning the fan and heat sink from dust should fix it.
Here’s how you fix heat related problems.
Problem 6.
Battery not charging properly.

The battery stopped charging properly. It doesn’t charge at all or charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter plug inside the power connector.
Possible problem:
– Failed battery.  If it doesn’t charge completely try reconnecting the battery first. Also, try running the laptop just from AC adapter with battery removed. If it runs fine from AC adapter, most likely it’s either bad battery or failed motherboard. Try replacing the battery first.
– Failed DC power connector. If the battery charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter tip inside the connector, most likely this the DC jack failed.
Here are some tips for charging problems.
Problem 7.
Screen light fails.

The laptop starts properly but after a while the screen light turns off. The image still appears on the screen but it’s very dark.
In some cases the screen light never starts and all you can see is a very faint image.
Possible problem:
Most likely it’s either failed screen inverter or backlight lamp (CCFL) failure.  When either one fail, the backlight stops working.
In order to troubleshoot this, you’ll need some spare parts: either new working inverter or known good backlight lamp.
Read how to troubleshoot backlight failure.
Problem 8.
Strange or garbled image on the screen.

The laptop turns on properly but has a distorted or garbled image on the screen.
Possible problem:
– The graphics card failed. First of all, test your laptop with an external monitor or TV. If you see the same garbled image on the external screen, most likely the graphics card failed.
– If the problem appears only on the laptop screen, this can be related to one of the following: poor connection between the video cable and motherboard or screen. Also can be failed video cable or screen.
Here are examples of failed video and explanations how to narrow down the problem.
Also read why display shows strange colors.
Problem 9.
Some keyboard keys stopped working.

Some keyboard keys do not work at all or type wrong characters.
Possible problem:
Most likely the keyboard failed and they are not repairable. Read how to replace the keyboard.
Problem 10.
Keyboard has missing or broken keys.

A key got separated from the laptop keyboard.
Problem solution:
If a key separated from the keyboard, it’s still possible to fix it.
If you have many keys missing, probably it makes sense to replace the whole keyboard.
Read how to attach a key back .
Problem 11.
Repetitive beep sound on startup.

You turn on the laptop but there is no video on the screen. Instead, it starts making repetitive beeping sound. In some cases you can “fix” the problem temporarily if you press on the keyboard keys.
Problem solution:
Most likely you have stuck keys. In this case you’ll have to replace the keyboard.
Problem 12.
Liquid spill.

You spilled something on the laptop and it’s stopped working.
Problem solution:
Liquid spills are very dangerous and unpredictable. If it happened, turn off the laptop ASAP, remove the battery and do not use it until all internal parts are inspected for liquid damage.
It’s sill possible to make it work again.
Read how to deal with liquid spills.

Liquid spill repair tips

In this post I provide a few liquid spill repair tips.
IMPORTANT: If you spilled something on your laptop you should stop using it right away, even if it appears to be running good. Right after the spill you should turn it off, unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. The laptop should be disassembled as soon as possible and all internal parts should be inspected for liquid damage.
Liquid spills are very unpredictable. Even a small liquid spill can cause serious damage.
IF YOU SPILLED A SMALL AMOUNT OF LIQUID
Let’s say you spilled less than a teaspoon of liquid on the keyboard and it stopped working properly, but anything else works fine.
In this case it could be enough to remove just the keyboard to evaluate the damage. Turn off the laptop, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery. Now remove the keyboard and take a closer look underneath.


Search for any liquid presence under the keyboard.

– If you see liquid on the motherboard, you’ll have to disassemble the laptop completely for the further inspection.
– If the motherboard appears to be completely dry, do not disassemble it any further. Replace the keyboard with a new one. Hopefully replacing the keyboard will fix it.
IF YOU SPILLED SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF LIQUID
If you spilled a lot of liquid on the laptop, turn it off right away. Unplug the power adapter and remove the battery as soon as possible.

Most likely it will be necessary to remove the top cover and inspect the motherboard for the damage evaluation.

Search for any liquid presence on the back side of the top cover and motherboard.

If the motherboard is wet, remove it from the laptop and inspect the other side.

HOW TO CLEAN UP LIQUID DAMAGE
Wipe it out liquid with a soft cloth. Ideally, use an air compressor to dry the motherboard.
Be very careful wiping the motherboard because it has too many small components.
If you find any corrosion, you can clean it up with a toothbrush and 91%-99% isopropyl alcohol.

Make sure the motherboard (or any other internal component) is completely dry before testing it.
IF YOU SPILLED SOME LIQUID ON THE SCREEN
If you spilled liquid on the screen, wipe it out clean as soon as possible. The liquid might get inside the screen and damage it.
In one of the previous post I explained how to clean the screen with liquid damage. Believe me, it’s not easy. But if it happens, just replace the whole screen.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE LAPTOP AFTER CLEANING
You’ll have to assemble it back together step by step.
First, assemble just main components: motherboard, CPU with the cooling fan and RAM modules. Now turn it on and test basic image on the screen.
If it turns on and you can see the image, start adding other parts one by one and test after each step.

If the laptop doesn’t start after cleaning, take another look at the motherboard and other components. Maybe you missed a small damaged area. Try cleaning it again.
If it still doesn’t turn on, most likely the motherboard (or other component) is damaged.
HOW TO RECOVER DATA FROM HARD DRIVE
Let’s say the laptop is dead and you cannot do anything to make it work. You still should be able to recover personal data from the hard drive. I assume the hard drive wasn’t damaged by liquid.
You can access data using a USB enclosure.

How to recover files after OS crashed

In this guide I explain how to recover files from a laptop (or desktop PC) with crashed, failed, damaged operating system.
WHEN CAN YOU USE THIS RECOVERY GUIDE?
1. The guide will work if the OS is damaged but the computer hardware still works fine.
2. The guide might work if the hard drive has some minor damage, like a few bad sectors.
PREPARING FOR RECOVERY
For this recovery I’ll be using a Ubuntu CD (Linux OS). Also, you can create a bootable Ubuntu USB flash drive. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a Linux guru for that. The Linux interface will be very similar to Windows OS.
You need another working computer to download and create a bootable CD or USB drive.
1. Download the latest version of Ubuntu OS here. When you click on the download button you’ll start downloading an ISO image.
2. Burn this ISO image on a CD or create a bootable USB stick. It’s explained on the same download page, just scroll a little bit down.
3. Find the target drive where you going to save recovered files. You can use an external hard drive or USB flash drive. The target drive can be formatted with any common Windows file system: FAT, FAT32, NTFS.

DATA RECOVERY PROCESS
STEP 1.
Boot your laptop from the Ubuntu CD or USB.
If the computer keeps trying to boot from the internal hard drive, you’ll have to enter the BIOS setup menu and change the boot order. Set your CD/DVD drive or USB stick as first device in the boot order. Safe changes and restart the computer.
From my experience, Ubuntu OS works fine with most laptop and desktop PC hardware and you shouldn’t have any problem booting it to the desktop. It may not work if your computer hardware is too new.
STEP 2.
The computer will start booting from the CD or USB stick.
Now read carefully!
After some time a welcome screen will pop up. On this screen you can choose your language and choose between two options: Try Ubuntu and Install Ubuntu.
Select Try Ubuntu. The Linux OS will run directly from the CD or USB stick without changing any files on the hard drive.
STEP 3.
Ubuntu OS will continue loading and after a while you’ll boot to the desktop, as it shown on the following picture.

STEP 4.
In order to access the internal hard drive, you click on Places in the top toolbar. You should see your internal hard drive in the drop down menu under the Computer.

STEP 5.
When you click on the internal hard drive a new window will open up. In this window you’ll see all files located on the hard drive.

STEP 6.
Now plug in your target drive into the computer.
Another window will pop up. In this window you’ll see files located on the external drive. In my case I have no files on the external drive, that’s why the window is empty.
You can move windows same way you do it in Windows OS. Arrange both windows as you like.

STEP 7.
Finally, drag and drop needed files from the internal hard drive to the external drive.
After the transfer is done, you can unplug the external drive and use it on any other computer.

IF YOU HAVE FAILED HARDWARE
In case if your computer hardware failed, you should try recovery with external USB enclosure.

How to fix motherboard with failed NVIDIA chip

In this post I explain how you can fix a motherboard with failed NVIDIA graphics chip. This repair might apply to some HP/Compaq laptops and probably some other brands. If this repair works for you, please mention the brand and model number in comments after the post. This will help other readers.
This method should work for the following models: HP Pavilion dv2000, Pavilion dv6000, Pavilion dv9000, Compaq Presario v3000, Presario v6000, HP Pavilion tx1000, Pavilion tx2000.
By the way, I just fixed my son’s Xbox 360 with red ring of death (error 74) using exactly same technique.
MOST COMMON PROBLEM SYMPTOMS
1. Laptop turns on with garbled video on the internal screen and external monitor.
2. Laptop turns on but there is no video on the screen or external monitor.
MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM
The graphics chip soldered to the motherboard. When the laptop runs hot for a long time, the graphics chip separates from the motherboard and video fails.
HOW TO FIX FAILED CHIP
Before I tried baking the motherboard in an oven or use bubble-wrap. But today I’m going to fix it using a heat gun.
Basically, I’m going to heat up the graphics chip with a heat gun to solder it back to the motherboard (reflow). I think this method is more reliable and the repair should last for a while.

WARNING!
There is no guaranty this method works all the time. While doing this repair you may damage the motherboard and make it unrepairable.
Proceed at your own risk and don’t blame me if after this repair you’ll get a very expensive door stop.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing this repair, take your laptop to the repair shop.
HOW I FIXED THE MOTHERBOARD
First of all, you’ll have to disassemble the laptop and remove the motherboard.
In my example I’m using a motherboard removed from HP Pavilion tx2000.
In most laptops the graphics chip located under the CPU heatsink (and it has NVIDIA logo on it), so there shouldn’t be a problem locating the chip.

I’ll be using an Ecoheat heat gun EC-100.

In order to figure out how to position the heat gun and for how long, I tested it on a penny with a small piece of solder on the top.
The heat gun has a switch on the handle. There are two positions for the switch. Position 1 – slow. Position 2 – fast.
I used position 1 – slow.
I positioned the heat gun about 1 inch away from the penny and turned it on.

After about 40-45 second the solder started melting. After 50 seconds the solder melted completely.

To protect the motherboard from the heat I used a regular cooking aluminum foil. I cut off a piece of aluminum foil and folded it a few times to make my protection shield thicker. After that I cut off a square opening right in the middle, same size as the NVIDIA chip.
If there is thermal grease on the chip it has to be removed. You can remove thermal grease using alcohol swabs.
It’s not necessary to make it perfectly clean. Just make sure there are no large chunks of the grease on the chip.

UPDATE: Some people mentioned that I should have applied some liquid flux underneath the chip for better results. I’ll definitely do it next time when I have to fix another motherboard.
I found this video explaining how to apply liquid flux under the chip. This video was made for Xbox 360 motherboard but should apply to any laptop motherboard too.
Finally, I positioned the heat gun above the NVIDIA chip about 1 inch away and turned the heat gun into the position 1.

After 50 seconds I turned it off and let the motherboard cool down for about 20 minutes.
Don’t forget to apply new thermal grease on the graphics chip when you install the heat sink.
Some laptops use thermal pads instead of grease. If that’s the case with your laptop, make sure the thermal pad positioned correctly.
After I assembled the laptop back together, the video started properly!
The NVIDIA graphics chip problem fixed!
Will it last for a long time? I don’t know. Still testing.

Why laptop turns off or freezes?

My computer runs very hot and eventually turns off or freezes – this is one of the most common complaints I have been receiving from my customer for many years.
Why it’s happening? Is there an easy fix for that?
Most likely this problem is heat related. Take a look at the following picture.


Any laptop has a cooling module which includes two parts: the heat sink and cooling fan. When it works, the processor (CPU) heats up and the heat sing heats up too. At some temperature level, the fan kicks in and cools down the heatsink.
The problem starts when the cooling module collects too much dust inside. The dust kills normal airflow inside the cooling module. Eventually, the processor overheats and the laptop turns off unexpectedly or freezes.
This problem can be fixed by cleaning the cooling module.
Cleaning the cooling module.
Some laptops give you an easy access to the heatsink and fan. In laptops like that you can access the cooling module through the bottom cover.

In my example I had to remove the cooling module. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to remove the fan and access the heatsink.
In some models you can remove the fan without separating the heatsink from the CPU.
After I removed the fan, I found a thick layer of dust inside. Cleaning it up will fix the overheating problem.

Apply thermal paste on the processor.
You should apply new thermal paste before installing the heat sink back in place.

Remove old thermal paste from the processor and heatsink using alcohol swab.
WARNING: In some models the heatsink also covers the graphics chip. The part of the heatsink which covers the graphics chip might have thermal pad on it instead of regular thermal paste.
Do not replace thermal pad with thermal paste! Do not apply thermal paste on the thermal pad! Just leave thermal pad alone and apply thermal paste only on the processor.
I usually use Shin-Etsu paste which is relatively cheap and performs well.

After applying new paste, install the cooling module back in place. Do not forget to connect the fan cable to the motherboard!
What if the cooling module cannot be removed easily?
In some laptops the cooling module is buried deep inside the case and cannot be easily accessed and removed. In order to remove it you’ll have to disassemble the whole laptop but it’s only for experienced users.
In this case you can use the following technique. It’s not perfect but works very well.

Buy a can of compressed air or use a compressor.
1. Blow air into the fan grill on the bottom.
2. Blow air into the fan grill on the side.
Switch direction a few times until all dust is gone. Most likely this quick cleaning will fix your problem too.

Screen shows strange colors

The screen started showing strange or wrong colors. What could be wrong? I’ve been asked this question many times and today I’m addressing the issue.

In this post I explain some basic troubleshooting techniques in case if your screen started showing strange or incorrect colors.
You have to know how to disassemble your computer in order to use following troubleshooting techniques.

TEST WITH EXTERNAL MONITOR
The main troubleshooting step is testing the video output on an external monitor (or TV). You can connect your laptop to an external monitor using VGA cable, DVI cable, HDMI cable or S-Video cable, it depends on a type of connector you have.
Most models have a VGA connector, so it would be the most common way to connect.

Some laptops detect external monitor automatically and start showing image on both screens right from startup.
Other models can detect the monitor but display image only on one screen (internal or external). In this case you’ll have to switch video between internal and external using the Fn key and one of the F* keys in the top row of the keyboard. This combination varies for different brands, for example it’s Fn+F5 for Toshiba, Fn+F4 for HP, Fn+F8 for Dell, Fn+F7 Lenovo etc…
WHAT VIDEO ON EXTERNAL MONITOR CAN TELL?
If both, the internal screen and external monitor (or TV) show strange or incorrect colors or any other image distortion, this is the graphics card failure.
If only the internal screen shows bad video but external image appears to be normal (as in my example), the problem is somewhere inside the laptop display. This could be bad connection, bad LCD cable or bad LCD screen.
Let’s narrow down the problem one by one.
TRY RESEATING LCD CABLE CONNECTOR ON MOTHERBOARD

The screen receives data signal from the motherboard via LCD cable. If the LCD cable not making good connection with the motherboard, it might cause image or color distortion on the screen. Try reseating the LCD cable connector and see if it fixes the problem. Make sure the LCD cable connector plugged correctly.
In most laptops the LCD cable connector located under the keyboard bezel (aka keyboard cover). If it’s not there, most likely you’ll find it somewhere under the keyboard.
WIGGLE THE LCD CABLE
The LCD cable runs inside the display panel, under the screen. For this test it’s necessary to disassemble the display, so you can access the cable.
A pinched or damaged wire inside the cable also can cause color distortion.

Wiggle the cable while the laptop is running. If moving the cable affects image on the screen in any way (it starts shown different colors, lines, or image clears to normal, etc…) most likely the cable is defective and has to be replaced. Try replacing the cable.
On the other hand, if moving the cable doesn’t affect image at all, most likely the cable is good and you have a failed screen. In this case you’ll have to it with a new one.
APPLY SOME PRESSURE TO THE DISPLAY
Try applying some reasonable pressure to the top part of the display assembly. Squeeze it with your fingers.

If the screen starts showing different colors, lines, or clears to normal when you squeeze the top part of the display panel, most likely this is screen failure. In this case you’ll have to replace the screen.
Also, you might be interested in the following posts:
Troubleshooting backlight failure.
How to test screen inverter.
Bad video on the screen. What is wrong?
Fix video problems.