Hey Folks,
Got an interesting one for you guys (and gals presumably) which I'm looking forward to and hopefully members of this fine community will enjoy also.
My Girlfriend did own a Compaq Presario 1246 and used it throughout university until the day she spilt my fave brown liquid over the keyboard and it bit the dust. Fortunatly it was insured and the PC I type this on now was the result. Great. Thats that then. Well it was until the otherday when I opened the cupboard and there it was. My knowledge of PC's has grown greatly since then and I know I dont stand a hells chance of repairing it, I do however feel confident in replacing the motherboard with HD, CD ROM etc. This is where I need my fellow DALlers help, people in the biz and anyone who has used one of these laptops. She had kept all the documentation and nowhere does it describe how to get into the machine for upgrades, so is this possible? I'd like to fit a little more than just replace the 4.3 gig HD that was in there as standard. Same with the CDROM, whats stopping me putting a DVD RW in there? This attitude made me think, can I upgrade everything in the laptop? I am happy with getting it running again (presumably buying old laptop internals without screen should be reasonably priced, am I right?) but wondered is it possible to fit new componants in an old case? Maybe Im getting ahead of myself. Can anyone tell me where I can buy old Compaq laptop componants and possible upgrades?
Ive searched around but cant really find just what I need within the UK, any help would be apreciated.
Thanks peeps Steve

Hi Steve,

Upgrading or repairing laptops is an entirely different kettle of fish to doing the same with PCs. Almost all of the parts in a laptop are made specifically for that manufacturer and, in most cases, specifically for that model range.

In order to replace the motherboard (to repair it rather than upgrade it), you'll need to source exactly the same model. Second-hand laptop motherboards of the right model are generally very hard to find because, particularly on older models, they're difficult to remove and then they're hard to sell on because they're so specific so most computer component shops won't bother to take them out and have the hassle of waiting a couple of years to find someone that wants them.

Graphics chips are a similar story - they're easier to get to but they aren't generic cards like you'd find in a PC - they are chips that are usually specific for that laptop.

CDROM drives can be replaced with DVD drives if a DVD drive was available for that model range and are generally easy to replace but you've got to find one first. Alternatively, you could source an external DVD drive (for any PC or laptop) if the laptop has a free USB port.

Hard disks are generally easy to replace and so is the RAM. These are the most common parts to be replaced in a laptop and do not normally need to be specifically from the same model. There are USB hard disks available on the D-A-L Trader (click the Auctions tab at the top of the page) that would also give you more storage space without the need to open the laptop up.

To be honest, a laptop with a motherboard full of Coke will normally have damage to other parts as well (processor, graphics chip, keyboard, etc) and, due to this and the difficulty in replacing the board, they are normally just chucked in the bin when that happens (which makes sourcing replacement parts even harder!).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I hope it helps

Well Ive opened it up and I may have over exagerated the extent of the spillage. To look at none of the componants have any sign of dried on fluid or anything. When it happened only a small amount of liquid was spilt and a pop was heard, I think maybe the battery went. When I plug the power cable in the power light lights up but the charging light does not light up. I was told by the original user that the laptop would only ever power up if the battery had a charge.
Replace the battery then? As you said the battery is an expensive part just to find out that something else isn't functioning. I do want to continue I've seen replacement motherboards in the us for 40 dollars. Anyone know of a site in the UK that specialises in replacement laptop parts or old PC bits?
Thanks for the reply hopefully I'll find a solution.

Despite what the original owner said, try to power up the laptop with the battery removed.

The D-A-L Trader and Ebay are good places to look for parts at sensible prices.

$40 is a good price for a motherboard - you'd pay more than 10 times that price for a new one from Compaq if they still stocked them. The pop that you heard was probably one of the circuits on the motherboard shorting out, i.e. "frying", which is why I think it's likely that the board would need replacing. Now that you've got the laptop opened up, can you see enough to work out how the motherboard would come out?

I didn't mention anything about batteries in my last post but, as a rough guide, you should be able to pick up a new one for between £50 and £100. I always use www.battery.co.uk for laptop batteries - they give a very good service and their web site is easy to get prices from. Once you've got the price for a new one, have a look on Ebay to see if you could get a second-hand one and see what the difference in price is. Bear in mind though that regular traders in second-hand PC and laptop parts will very rarely give a warranty on batteries.

You've said that there are no obvious signs of liquid getting into the inside of the laptop but the problem with spillages into laptop keyboards is that those keyboards are often mounted on some kind of a tray, meaning that the liquid could have actually trickled anywhere around the top of the laptop before it dropped down inside. Have a good look all around, remove the RAM if it's mounted underneath the keyboard, remove the processor and the graphics chip. Place them all on cardboard or a rubber mat or anything else that won't conduct too much static and then place them, along with the rest of the laptop, in front of a radiator overnight. If any removable components (such as RAM) got even slightly wet, you need to make sure that the slots on them are totally dried out. Same goes for the battery chamber - the connectors at the end need to be dried out.

Let us know how you get on

Hello again,
Firtly thanks for continued interest, it gives me hope. The laptop came apart like a dream and the seperate parts were labelled with part codes making it extremly easy to identify and find, even this old laptop bares fruit in this country. (I wish it was that easy to identify the motherboard in my big boys pc!) I will attempt your sugestions but I feel £80 for a battery is a hell of alot, I'll look around for second hand.
Thanks again and I'll update as soon as, cheers!

No problem - will look forward to hearing from you again

Originally Posted by DJNafey

No problem - will look forward to hearing from you again

Thanks man, looks like e-bay is the way, should find a working replacement let alone spares for cheaper than a new battery!

Glad to hear it

If you do decide to replace it completely, stick the old one on the D-A-L Trader auction site for £20 and I'll buy it off you