Linked by Howard Fosdick on Mon 31st Dec 2012 20:26 UTC
Last month, I explained
why I use generic desktops and laptops running open source software.
They're reliable
and inexpensive. But this presumes you can fix them. I believe that
even those with no
hardware training (like me), can identify and fix most hardware
problems. To prove it, here's a quick guide. Feel free to
add whatever I've missed.
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Member since:2010-11-06
Member since:2011-06-14
I actually fixed one PS3 found from the trash and a laptop in a similar way. However as with freezing a hard drive it usually doesn't last for very long. Especially if the machine is running very hot. In some cases it may last for years but usually just few weeks before you need to repeat the treatment and eventually it loses it effect completely.
Member since:2011-01-28
WereCatf,
It might be an urban legend, but it sounds plausible to me. That is how they manufacture the boards in the first place. However I don't think I've ever come across any mainboards that were shoddy enough to have cold solder joints in the first place. If it were physical damage, it would be apparent on the laptop.
It's possible that the reassembly itself fixed the problem rather than the oven. Laptops often have poor connectors which might need to be cleaned and reconnected a few times at just the right angle. But in any case I applaud martijn's success.
Member since:2005-06-29
That sounds exactly like the urban legend that has been circulating around for atleast ten years now, and therefore I'm gonna call bullshit on that.
It sounds like urban legen, but does the trick often. My colleague has restored many video cards and motherboards this way (although some of these have lasted only few weeks afterwards).
Some causes:
1. tin whiskers, sometimes building up between (and shorting) contacts, will melt
2. heat may fix cold solder joints
3. heat may restore lost contacts in some chips (old NVidia 8400/8600 mobile GPU chips come into mind)
Member since:2006-01-26
That sounds exactly like the urban legend that has been circulating around for atleast ten years now, and therefore I'm gonna call bullshit on that.
Bullshit or not - I may try this on an old laptop board I have that seems to have a cold solder joint issue.
It only turns on and stays on when I push down the front left wrist rest - and I've taken it down to the bones and reassembled it with no luck. I've concluded there's a short somewhere on the mainboard that twisting the case ever so slightly "repairs".
Member since:2011-01-28
umccullough,
Hmm, that's odd. Ideally you could run it when the case is off and identify exactly which component is causing the problem. But with laptops this could be a challenge.
I've soldered a new power connector into a laptop where it had been damaged, but I'm not sure I'd ever feel compelled to stick one in the oven. 
Member since:2006-05-30
Well, similar method fixed an XBOX Elite that was RROD. Reflowing the solder is a short term fix though, if the root cause of the issue isn't addressed. It's usually something to do with excessive heat and lack of cooling. The XBOX, I re-greased the CPU/GPU heat syncs and it booted and ran last time I tried it (but as we have a newer model now, it was mainly a project to experiment with console maintenance rather than anything else.)
News
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The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.
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Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on 05/24/13 21:41 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:04 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:01 UTC
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.More News »
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Member since:
2006-02-15
That sounds exactly like the urban legend that has been circulating around for atleast ten years now, and therefore I'm gonna call bullshit on that.