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Laptops are complicated pieces of equipment but repairing one may not be as expensive as a laptop repair technician may lead you to believe. It is important to carry out thorough research before embarking on a laptop yourself. Ensure that you have a few basic items to assist you rather than making the common mistake of grabbing anything nearby. A Laptop is not an inexpensive item to replace so it is worth avoiding unnecessary mistakes.

This article is intended as a rough guide of tips for laptop repair, there is plenty of information out there on the internet that will help with specific enquiries. Make sure you ask all the questions before you begin to attempt a repair yourself, if you don't do the research you may be charged more for someone to correct the mistakes that you have made. Should you decide to undertake a repair be sure that you have a good understanding of what needs to be done, if you don't have the first idea seek professional help.

Before you begin it is sensible to make sure you have long nosed tweezers, an electric static discharge mat, a Teflon wedge, needle nose pliers and Phillips head screwdrivers size 0 & 1. Take a back-up of everything on the hard drive before beginning the repair, just in case. It is best if possible for the repair to take place in a room without carpet.

One word of advice if you are playing around with the LCD the backlight inverter can give you quite a nasty shock if the laptop is powered up. So ensure that the laptop is switched off and unplugged from the mains. It is also sensible to remove the laptops battery and hard drive before beginning a repair.

Obviously if you are a novice to laptop repair you will probably not own anti-static gear like wrist straps etc, if there is a likelihood of you carrying out laptop repairs regularly it may be worth investing in the anti-static gear, rather than killing off your laptop and having to dump it in the rubbish.

When carrying out a repair do not disassemble the laptop unless it is necessary to do so. Try to ensure the environment you are to work in is clean and make sure that you have the correct tools. Before beginning the repair make sure that you test the machine properly, you need to have the correct symptoms to diagnose the fault. If you need to remove any parts of the laptop take care to keep the parts in a safe place where they won't get damaged. When removing screws keep them with each part they have been taken from, this will help when reassembling the laptop. When fitting the laptop back together use the correct size screws for each part, this will prevent you ending up with screws that simply do not fit the holes you are left with. Before disconnecting connectors make sure that you have had a good look at how they work, it is worth making notes for yourself as you carry out the repair as it will help jog your memory.

by : Jenny Austin is an expert in Laptop Repairs, for further information on SEOSource:

Latest MSI lightweight notebook. U120 series is light enough, slim enough, thin enough and has the manageable keyboard and monitor as well as optional 3.5G network card to enable you to make short work of your business and go on your journey.

In addition to the optional 3.5G network card enabling you to easily surf the internet, MSI U120 is even "WiMAX Ready". Presented at CES, MSI built up a WiMAX wireless environment to allow people to experience the outstanding WiMAX wireless performance with U120 at the show. U120 is the outcome of MSI's constant efforts in technology research and development for its endless progress.

While all major NB manufacturers have thrown themselves into production of 10" netbooks, MSI, as the maker of the Wind Netbook U100 and the pioneer of netbooks, continues development and introduces the world its U120 to face the challenge from its competitors.

Sam Chern, MSI's marketing director, said that MSI's 10" Wind Netbook, after launching in 2008, have successfully become the hot items in stores all over the world, especially in developed countries such as Europe, the US and Japan. Recently, MSI introduced the latest U120 series on the market with more advanced specifications and vivid appearance that have become the best helpers on business trips.

While sharing some features in common with U100, including being light, slim and thin, having the properly sized keyboard display and fitting into in an A4 bag, the U120 looks different from the round-edged cute U100. The U120 is the epitome of professionalism. The mix of two different color tones through Pearl White and Cool Black highlights the U120 series' unique netbook design. Besides, the preloaded Face Recognition System makes U120 the netbook safer than ever.

The U120 adopts Intel's latest Atom platform to support a hard drive of up to 160GB. As to wireless connection, U120 supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and 3.5G wireless transmission (U120H only).

General tips to select a laptop ( notebook ) computer suited your need and budget.

Generally, notebook computers are categorised as follows:

Entry-level notebooks - When the main consideration is the budget. In general, they usually meet the minimum specifications required for the operating system. They are also not as reliable as the other categories of notebook computers because many reliability or high-performance features are sacrificed to fit a small budget. If you are one who prefers reliability & performance for a period of three to five years, it would be more worthwhile to invest a little more in a higher quality notebook.

High Performance notebooks - These are notebook computers that do not stinge on features & capabilities. They, of course, are also a pricey lot. Price aside, these notebook computers are created for the tough road warrior who is also a power user of the computer.

Highly Mobile notebooks - These are notebook computers that focus on mobility and style while trying not to compromise on features. They can be expensive as it would naturally cost more to design and build a notebook computer that is smaller, more reliable, more robust, and more resistance to the accidental bumps and drops.

What should I look out for when selecting a notebook computer?

1. Comfort

Inspect the keyboard layout of the notebook computer. Make sure the layout is the same as the current keyboard that you have been using all this while. Look out especially for the keys "@", "/", "\", "%", [Home], [End], [Ins] and [Del]. If they are not at the "usual" places, you would need to face a learning curve after you have bought the notebook computer.

Try to type on the keyboard and see if the keys are too wide or too close together. If they are too wide or too narrow, it could put a strain on your hands if you type a lot using the keyboard.

2. Processor Speed

Unless you are a super power user, it actually doesn't matter whether or not you get the latest available processor. Processing speed is now so fast that the human brain cannot even imagine the difference between a 1.4GHz processor and a 1.7GHz processor. When selecting the processor, choose a recent model and not the latest model unless your budget fits the bill. Otherwise, it's alright to choose a slightly slower processor as you would not feel a visible difference in the processing speed. Spend your money on more RAM and storage space.

3. RAM or Computer Memory

This is one area you don't want to compromise on. If you are using Windows XP Home, 512mb of RAM is a good minimum to start with. If you are using Windows XP Pro, 768mb or 1GB of RAM is recommended for optimal performance. Beyond that, let your budget do the talking.

4. Display Memory

Most entry-level computers share part of the RAM for video display memory, which also explains why entry-level notebooks are cheaper in a certain way. This also means your memory performance is somewhat compromised and you won't have as much RAM as you want for your notebook computer. For example, if your notebook has 256mb of RAM, and the computer specifications for video display states 64mb of shared memory, it means that you only have 192mb of RAM available for the operating system to use. Generally, this translates to a slower performing notebook computer.

The high performance computers usually have a separate display memory card built-in that gives the high performance, while the highly mobile computers may also deploy a shared memory strategy for display memory, similar to entry-level computers, due to the need to keep the form factor small.

If you budget allows, go for a independent display memory of at least 128mb.

5. Hard Drive Storage

The cost of hard drive storage have come down quite dramatically these days. And 60GB/80GB would be the minimum norm for most computers. Plan to have at least two partitions ( C: drive & D: drive ) for your harddrive. Store only programs on your C: drive and all your data on your D: drive. Refer to my article on "How to protect and optimize your computer" at http://discovervalue.com/pc_security_check for more details on what to do with your hard drive.

6. Other considerations

After the first 5 considerations, other considerations are optional. Example,
- whether to have a DVD multi-format writer drive or a CDRW-DVD ROM Combo drive
- whether to have two USB or four USB ports
- whether to have any firewire ports
- whether to have your USB ports available in front, at the side or behind, etc.

How to prolong the lifetime of your battery?
. Use the original charger.
. Charge the battery after it automatically powers off , then full charge the battery.
. Avoid erroneous usage of battery, such as heavy pressure, short circuit, fall off and so on.
Advantages of lithium ion rechargeable battery
. Reduces the weight by half and volume by 20% to 50% compared to the same capacity nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride battery.
. Reduces the number of battery required since lithium ion battery can provide three times the voltage of Ni-Cd and Ni-MH battery, which contributes to miniaturization of electronic devices.
. Unlike nickel-cadmium battery, lithium ion battery have no "memory" effect, the effect which causes charging capacity to be reduced by repeatedly charging and discharging to insufficient levels, therefore, partial charging is possible.
. Lithium-ion is a low maintenance battery, an advantage that most other chemistries cannot claim. There is no memory and no scheduled cycling is required to prolong the battery's life. In addition, the self-discharge is less than half compared to nickel-cadmium, making lithium-ion well suited for modern fuel gauge applications. lithium-ion cells cause little harm when disposed.
. Most lithium-ion batteries for portable applications are cobalt-based. The system consists of a cobalt oxide positive electrode (cathode) and a graphite carbon in the negative electrode (anode). One of the main advantages of the cobalt-based battery is its high energy density. Long run-time makes this chemistry attractive for cell phones, laptops and cameras.
. There is only one way to charge lithium-based batteries. The so-called 'miracle chargers', which claim to restore and prolong batteries, do not exist for lithium chemistries. Neither does super-fast charging apply. Manufacturers of lithium-ion cells have very strict guidelines in charge procedures and the pack should be charged as per the manufacturers "typical" charge technique.
. A certain battery may be designed for small size and long runtime, but this pack has a limited cycle life. Another battery may be built for durability but is big and bulky. A third pack may have high energy density and long durability but this version is too expensive for the consumer. Battery manufacturers are aware of customer needs and offer packs that best suit the application.