Laptop repairs
Over twenty years repairing, servicing and supporting laptops — HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, Acer and the rest. Any hardware or software problem.
Why laptops fail more than desktops
Laptops are far more prone to failure than desktop PCs, and it comes down to space. The circuits on a laptop motherboard are much finer grained, they occupy both sides of the board, and the components soldered to them — RAM, capacitors, mosfets — are all smaller.
Add a tightly enclosed board and you get a machine far more sensitive to heat and power fluctuation than a desktop. At the lower-priced end of the market, manufacturers don't put much emphasis on cooling or well-filtered power.
The most common repairs I see on laptops are overheating and power problems.
Is your laptop running slow?
Every laptop slows down over time, and there are many reasons it happens. Maintaining laptops and notebooks regularly is what prevents the catastrophic repair later.
We offer a fixed-price laptop checkup covering the areas that actually matter — and a free diagnosis and quote before any of it, with no hidden fees. We know how long a job should take, so quotes are driven by the result rather than the hours.
Common laptop repairs
The faults we're called about most, and what usually causes them. Open whichever sounds closest.
A laptop that suddenly shuts off or has difficulty starting is most likely one of three things:
- A failed power adapter
- The hard drive has failed, and the notebook is hanging while the disk initialises
- The motherboard has failed
If the operating system or other software is constantly rebooting, that's usually a blue screen error under Windows. Most often it's caused by computer viruses or buggy device drivers.
A common one. The jack takes the strain every time the charger is plugged in or knocked, and on many models it's soldered straight to the board. If the laptop only charges at a certain angle, or not at all, this is usually why.
A very common problem. Most laptops are cooled by a single fan that draws air from underneath and blows it across the heatsink fins. If the surface you're working on is dusty, that dust builds up and clogs the airflow.
Work on clean surfaces and elevate the laptop where you can — it makes a real difference. More on overheating laptops.
Things we can fix
Hardware or software, and the older machines other places turn away.
- Laptop power issues
- Damaged motherboard
- Hard drive replacement and recovery
- Upgrade RAM memory
- Replace laptop SSD drives
- Repair damaged screen
- Repair damaged battery
- Overheating laptops
- Laptop Wi-Fi problems
- Diagnose motherboard faults
What laptop repairs cost
Free diagnosis, then a fixed price before any work starts. Nothing goes ahead until you say so.
All prices include GST. Parts are quoted separately and shown to you before anything is ordered. Figures shown are indicative starting prices, pending Digby's confirmation.
Other things we fix
Computer repairs
- Slow computer and laptop repairs
- Broken screen replacements
- CMOS battery replacement
PC repairs
- Windows update problems
- Network and print issues
- Windows not booting properly
Service checklist
- What a full checkup covers
- Fixed price, nothing hidden
Computer technician
- Update software packages
- Diagnose and resolve IT issues
- Email setup
Apple Mac repair
- Hard drive replacement
- SSD drive replacement
- Damaged screen
Not sure what's wrong with it?
Describe what it's doing and I'll tell you the likely cause and roughly what it costs — before you commit to anything.