17 replies to this topic

[KathiMI1]

Does anybody know how to open up a Dell Inspiron 600m for repair? I don't want to start taking out a bunch of screws that hold something else together. I have to get to the AC plug to see if I can reseat it. Also, anybody know how to get repair parts? I contacted Dell, but they just want to sell me another AC adaptor. It's not an adaptor problem... it's a connector problem. Kathi P.S. Love the 600m (for my kids)!

[Doug]

Hi, Look up your machine at the Dell Website using the model and Service Tag information. They may actually have an "exploded diagram" showing how to open the case. Best Regards

[KathiMI1]

I was already there. Couldn't find anything except parts they sell (extra battery, AC adaptor, memory, etc.) Was I looking in the wrong place?

[KathiMI1]

dough.

You're the greatest. I went back to the site and really dug around. I found this url http://support.dell....f...&~subcat=86 where Dell lists repair info on all their systems.

Unfortunately, I'm looking at a system board replacement so... I'm going to see if I can be creative with my repair.

[Doug]

Best of luck to you! Lots of people get stuck believing that Laptops can't be repaired.... Nonsense! But it is not for the faint-of-heart. The Dell Support Forums are Excellent! I highly recommend that you post about your proposed project there. I'm betting that you'll get replies from others who have done the exact same project and are ready to tell the world about it. Best Regards

[bizarrebob]

^^^ lol tell me about it. takes about 2 hours to strip a laptop. luckilly i have a PC now.

[davesanders]

Uh-oh, I have a Dell Inspiron 600m with the same problem -- the AC connector plug inside the laptop is wobbly/loose, it only makes a connection if I wiggle it the right way. Sounds like this may be a common Inspiron 600m problem...

Kathi -- did you figure out a solution to this?

Anyone else have this problem?

Thank you!
--Dave

>>>Kathi wrote:
"I have to get to the AC plug to see if I can reseat it. [Dell] just wants to sell me another AC adaptor. It's not an adaptor problem... it's a connector problem."
"Unfortunately, I'm looking at a system board replacement so... I'm going to see if I can be creative with my repair."<<<

[KathiMI1]

I haven't attempted to fix it yet. Just about the time I was going to take on the project, my dimension 9100 started getting blue screen errors (well, I mean... more than before). I thought I'd just get my 8100 up and running as a backup, but it has the same problem. I'm suspecting motherboard trouble on both. Ugh! I'll post here as soon as I have time to open one up. I have three 600ms and two have the connector problem. All three have an issue with the battery not holding a charge. I read on some other site that this was a known problem as well. I'm not about to open up a battery and do stuff inside though.

[KathiMI1]

Well, y'all motivated me to take another look at the laptop. I thought it might be a good place to store my files off the 9100. Guess what! The hard drive has an error. The other two both had to have the HD's replaced in the first 3 months. This was the only one that didn't. Now it's not under warranty. I started to run CHKDSK on it, but the battery didn't hold any charge (we have been charging all the batteries off the third laptop that sorta works) and it shut down on me. I can't run it on AC since the AC connection already broke... I can't believe I'm saying this, but after so many problems with 5 different dell computers, I think I'm going to take a stab at building my own. Hope there's a forum for that, cause I know just enough to be dangerous. Sure wish some of these Dell parts were interchangeable. I'm still going to take a stab at laptop number two. It has a new hard drive but no AC connection. If I can get it working, I'll invest in a battery that holds a charge. Of course, we'll have to share the one remaining AC adapter that still works. The other two stopped working right after the warranty too! Am I expecting too much to expect a laptop to last more than a year?

[Doug]

Hi KathiMI1 Most of us here get excited about the idea of a new build computer and will cheer you on. Depending on what you want, and how much you have to spend, there are some great bundled deals out there right now (always are really). Browse TigerDirect, ZipZoomFly, and NewEgg TigerDirect treats "new build" folks really well and provide a variety of assembly and trouble-shooting protocols free online at their site. Laptops break. enough said? On the otherhand, I received a factory-insurance declared Total Loss machine because the Dell insurance agreed to buy the people a brand-new machine and it was even an upgraded model. So I got the old Inspiron 8100, in pieces. It wasn't pretty. and once I got it booted, I found the Hard Drive so infected with malware that I had my first experience with HighJackThis! (Why didn't I just reformat and reinstall the OS? Well, "recovering the data" for the original owners was the "price" I paid in exchange for getting to keep the machine. It's just over 4 years old, performs like a champ. Tops out on all performance measures and I'm very happy with it and the price I paid. So.... Laptops break, but some get fixed, and I believe that more should be fixed, except for the exhorbitent prices that big-box Geek Tech's charge the moment you say the word "laptop". On your New build.... Write down what you want your machine to be capable of. Then decide on a Budget limit. Post that information, if you like. You're sure to get a ton of suggestion. Best Regards, Doug

[KathiMI1]

I probably approach this backwards then. I go shopping for "great deals" and then decide if I'll be happy with the results. I think it paid off big time this go around, though. You're right about www.newegg.com. I got some great deals on a hard drives. But my real steal was at www.overstock.com. I actually found a Dell dimension 8100 motherboard for under $50! I know the saying "you get what you pay for" but even if it doesn't work, I'm only spending $50 for computer hardware experience, right? Once I get my old Dell running so that I have a place to transfer all my important files, I'll take a deep breath and dive in with a new build. Here are some really basic (and probably stupid) questions I need to answer before I know which direction to go. Maybe you or someone else can chime in with an answer. 1. If I want to build a computer, is it possible to recycle a Dell case... and is the answer the same for desktop or laptop? Or do I have to start with something generic in order to use generic parts? Along the same lines, what parts of a Dell can be recycled into a generic build? I know the HD is always a keeper, but what about all the other stuff like fan, cmos, etc? I am finding out that many of the motherboard components are soldered on rather than being a pop-in. Is that a Dell thing, or is it more common than I realize? I'm referring to things like the keyboard controller and stuff like that. 2. I know memory can be recycled (as long as the non-ecc/ecc and other stuff is right), but what determines where those notches are cut out on the sticks? Is it propriatery "notch it so it only fits ours" tactic or are the notches consistent with the memory stick type? As you can see, I'll have a big learning curve to accomplish this task but I'm excited to take it on. I'm going to make this a family project and have each of my boys be responsible for removing and reinstalling a "sub-assembly" of the computer. That way each boy will intimately know one part of it and I have someone to remember where all the screws came out of!

[Doug]

Hi KathiMI1, You seem to be setting this out as a fun and exciting adventure, and in my opinion, that is a wonderful tone to keep in play. At this moment, I have a 9 year old Dell running. I got it from the dumpster behind a local business several years ago. I've changed out, Hard Drive, optical drives, floppy drives, RAM, video card, sound card, network interface card, and dialup modem and added a fan. Of course I've also used separately acquired monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and peripherals like printer and scanners, as they have been "found". What I haven't touched, is the motherboard/cpu components. Dell does allow for some "limited" upgrading of CPU, but only within their own specifications. I'd be saying something similar if I was referring to to HP, Compaq, NEC, etc. There is always a flavor of limitation that is proprietary to each brand, but it is generally limited to the CPU/CMOS/motherboard/and sometimes power supply. The other PCI and drive elements can be freely exchanged. Your selection of RAM must be matched to what the motherboard calls for. Similarly, your selected CPU must be of a socket and form that is called for by the motherboard. When it comes to the Tower Case, you are dealing with matching up mounting holes, screws or connectors, and spacers that seat the motherboard. Proprietary brands "may" have their own special spacers and connectors, but often they face the same choices that you must make. Most Motherboard are of the ATX form, so manufacturers have to accomodate to that fact. Beyond that, they design their case to pretty much allow the fit of the original equipment that they design into the model of machine they are selling. That means that the owner/user will have limited choices in what expansion they may want in the future. Fortunately, the case/power supply is a relatively inexpensive item. The major consideration is providing enough room inside to accommodate the number of drives, PCI add-ins, and cooling features. So again, you need to decide what you want your machine to be able to do and what equipment you will have to include to accomodate your functioning goal. Then go get the motherboard/case/power supply that will make that possible. Starting from a pre-existing or "branded" case may place unwanted restrictions on your future choices. Yes, motherboard components are soldered together, and making changes is likely to be well beyond the technical and practical ability of a first-time builder. Actually, there are probably very few folks out there with the technical ability to replace a capacitor. But further, if a motherboard has experienced bulging or leaky capacitiors, it is most always cheaper to just get a new motherboard. As to RAM, your motherboard selection will determine what RAM and how much you can use. yes the little "slots" determine what fits where, but the important feature is the type of RAM. There are several types including DDRAM, SDRAM, and others. There are speed ratings usually designated like these examples: PC133. PC2700, PC3200, PC4200, etc. Size (256mb, 512mb, 1024mb) is important, but different from type and speed of the actual stick of RAM. Each is matched to the needs and abilities of the Motherboard. Building a machine is not the sole province of technical wizards who are over-clocking or building highly specialized extreme performance machines. Anyone can assemble a relatively ordinary machine that would be competative to and often better than what can be bought off the shelf. And doing the building yourself, can save a bit of money, though you may look back and commiserate, that you could have gotten a similar machine "on sale" and saved money. However, a real advantage in your self-built machine, will be in your knowledge of what you have, including the quality of the components and the purpose/use goals that you built the machine to meet. Read up on what others are building. Google is your friend here. Read and have your boys read, read, read. Oh, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Best Regards Edit: Can a laptop be "home-built"? Sure, but the form and specifics get more limiting and harder to pack into a prebuilt case.

Edited by dough, 15 September 2006 - 11:49 AM.

[KathiMI1]

Thanks, Dough! I'm convinced now to at least try my hand at a build although some of the stuff you threw at me challenges my knowledge base. I spent that last hour taking apart one of my Dell 600m's. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the connector was easily fixed by simply plugging it back in! So much for trusting Dell's support line when they said I needed a new motherboard. I also swapped out the HD and it's running great. One problem, though. There is a real flimsy piece that normally connects the display to the main body. It was broken off on one end (my 9 yr old probably dropped it) and that proved to be fatal in disassembling it. Good news is, now that I've had my practice at it, I'm going to take apart 600m number two and see if it's as easy to fix. Then I'll just have to buy another A/C adaptor and battery, since two of my three chargers have stopped working and all three batteries no longer hold a charge. Sure wish they had fallen into that battery recall! I bought all my laptops during that time, yet since my batteries say JP-0Y1338 instead of JP-0Y1333, they don't qualify. Have to wonder, though, since all three lasted under a year.

[KathiMI1]

Well, I hit another snag. I decided to take the A/C connector out of the laptop that was more beaten up and put it in the other one that had fewer problems. I found out that several of the prongs that hold the A/C connector to the board had broken off. Others had been horribly bent in the original installation by Dell. One A/C connector cannot be transferred to another because prong debris remains in the board where it got loose. So much for salvaging the 600m. As for building a new computer, I decided to finish changing out the motherboard on my old Dimension 8100. As you can see by my post #317413, I'm a better housewife than computer geek. Worse yet, I just confirmed that my newer Dimension 9100 also needs a new motherboard (see my post #317065), so I'm dead in the water. I haven't given up on building one but I sure have a big learning curve ahead of me.

[siatnan]

hello Kathi, U could also take the ram off one of your 600m to use it in another. You can find the ram under the laptop in a little compartement. Just unscrew it and add it to the less damaged laptop. Also, don't give up on building your machine. You will find that repairing an old machine is much harder than building one from scratch. you will get all those fresh components and install them carefully one at a time and get a clean machine. Choosing the components is actually really fun as well. A lot of sites explain what kinda CPU matches motherboards. If u ask me, getting to run a washing machine and sorting color/temperature blahblah is much more challenging then building your own PC. =) If u need help just ask and I'll advise you as much as I can. Nico