HP Repair manual

[kleinma]

http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/biz...odTypeId=12454

Take note of step 4 and 5. The descriptions are right, but the images are clearly backwards.

Perhaps the captions should read:

Step 4: Rip out hard drive, making sure you break the sata and power connector in the process
Step 5: Whoops

[moonman239]

http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/biz...odTypeId=12454

Take note of step 4 and 5. The descriptions are right, but the images are clearly backwards.

Perhaps the captions should read:

Step 4: Rip out hard drive, making sure you break the sata and power connector in the process
Step 5: Whoops

I saw that. Maybe they should create a video and save the HTML page for those who can't - or don't want to - watch the video.

[dilettante]

Simpler version of HP Repair Manual: Throw away, buy another brand.

Never again HP, never again.

[kleinma]

Simpler version of HP Repair Manual: Throw away, buy another brand.

Never again HP, never again.

I don't have a major problem with HP. They don't make the best stuff, but certainly not the worst. I have a harder time in general dealing with Dell. For example, when I repair someones machine under warranty with HP because of a bad hard drive, HP will send me a replacement drive, plus a set of restore discs and I get it within 1 business day with return shipping label to send it back. With Dell, I get the exact same experience, except they won't send me restore discs unless they are paid for. The last Dell warranty drive I got came with a "system image" preinstalled that didn't even have all the drivers for the laptop hardware. Not to mention the fact they have taken an old page out of Apples book, and decided in their new laptop line to install the hard drive under the top plastics, so you need to take out 12 screws from the bottom, the top plastic near the LCD, the keyboard, and finally the palmrest plastics where the touchpad is, just to get the hard drive out. Versus the older models (and most other mfgr brands) where 2-4 screws in the bottom gets the drive out. It is just rediculous.

I am keeping an eye on some of the smaller brands like Acer and Asus, to see what kind of quality laptops they are getting out, but obviously everything is pretty much going the ultrabook route, which I am sure will make things that much harder to repair once again.

[dilettante]

My beef with them goes back to two products, one desktop and one laptop.

In both cases they knew of a flaw in the products that could only be repaired by replacing the (ASUS made) mainboards. In both cases the consumer cost for this was more than the cost of the original product. In both cases they dragged their feet and finally announced a warranty repair very quietly at the same time the warranty on most of the things was about to expire.

I got lucky on the desktop and found out about the warranty repair after trying to find any fix for 3 months. I got it done at a nomimal charge, but 1 year later the same failure occurred on the new mainboard and of course no help. I was not so lucky in getting in under the wire on the laptop.

Never again HP, never again ASUS.

I have two Acer desktop/towers that have seen regular service for 4 years now with no incident, and a Toshiba laptop going strong at 2 1/2 years. But I suppose they're all a crapshoot.

Ouch. Laptops hiding things like the HD and RAM for top-access? Sure makes the work touchier and repair/upgrade times longer. Tablets look scary to work on too, though most have SSDs that are pricier to upgrade and come maxed out on RAM.

[kleinma]

I am worried about working on ultrabooks as well. Computers today are almost being made as if they should never be opened. Apple is notorious for using all kinds of sticky tape inside to keep things together and once you have to peel it up, you can never get it back exactly how it was.

The good old days of a few screws to undo are pretty much gone, although so are the days of upgrading and fixing computers. Most of the time, people are more inclined to throw them away and start again.