Out of Warranty Laptops
Repairs on Out of Warranty Clemson Recommended Laptops
If you have a Clemson recommended laptop that is out of warranty and you did not purchase an extended service contract, here are some repair options / ideas:
1) If your hard drive fails, you can purchase a new hard drive. It can be purchased from an office supply store, an online vendor such as Amazon, or the Clemson Computer Store. For a fee, the CCIT Support Center can install and image the new hard drive for you – and attempt to get data from the old one (depending on how ‘dead’ it is).
2) If you get a ‘fan error’, first try blowing out the fan with some canned air (which can be purchased in any office supply store). If that does not fix the problem, you can bring it to the CCIT Support Center for a new fan. The cost of the fan plus labor will be around $150 depending on the cost of the fan.
3) If your power supply/AC charger breaks, you can buy one directly from the vendor or from a third party online store. Be sure to purchase the branded adapter, i.e. Lenovo, Dell, or Apple.
4) If your battery will no longer charge, you may want to purchase a new one on-line or from the laptop vendor. Again, be sure to purchase the branded battery, i.e. the same brand as your laptop.
5) If your laptop will not turn on (even though you have a working power supply attached), it is likely that your motherboard needs to be replaced. We do not recommend having that done – it will cost over $600. Sometimes we have been able to find good deals on Windows laptops. You can purchase a low-end new laptop for less, which will be better than your laptop (since it is more than three years old).
6) If your wireless card, Ethernet card, or Ethernet ports do not work; we recommend purchasing a PCMCIA card or USB device to replace that functionality (rather than replacing the motherboard or giving up on the laptop). All of those devices can be purchased rather inexpensively from an office supply store.
7) If your screen breaks, you can attach the computer to a monitor and turn it into a ‘desktop’. There is a port for a monitor on every Clemson-recommended laptop.
8) If your software ‘breaks’ or you’re not sure of what is wrong, bring your recommended laptop by the CCIT Support Center and we’ll be glad to image it or help diagnose the problem. There is a fee for hardware estimates if the issue is not software based.