Project Wiederaufbauen

[Mitternacht]

All you people should know by now that if a project starts with "Wieder," it's gonna be a good creation by Mitternacht. :D Now for the torture and abuse story:

My teacher bought her daughter a Gateway Labtop. After 1-2 years use, the screen got cracked somehow, and it needed a new screen. It sat for 1-2 years, and yesterday this one jack-off in my class tried fixing it, and the amazing part was that my teacher trusted him. She gave me the labtop.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1377.jpg
After he was mad at it, he threw it on the floor. Now in addition to a screen, I need the lower part of the case.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1378.jpg
A bin of parts that need reinstalled.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1379.jpg
The screen I need:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1380.jpg
Need new hinges.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1381.jpg
Here's the hinges (one siezed up, one broken and one broke hinge cover; other cover MIA):
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1382.jpg
It comes wiht built-in Wireless Internet; that's nice.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1383.jpg
Going inside...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1385.jpg
I love how interesting the inside of labtops are. See the heatsink?
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1386.jpg
The processor is offset, and the heat tube on top of the contact plate takes the heat, and transfers it over to copper fins.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1387.jpg
A vent in the bottom of the PC sucks air up, and then thows it through the copper fins.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1388.jpg
Something I've never seen before: the processor...
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1389.jpg
...is removable. In a labtop?
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1390.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1391.jpg
My guess it's a Pentium 4; 478 pins, and 2 missing in a corner.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1392.jpg
Similar in size to a Pentium 4
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1393.jpg
Except one pin is offset; I guess that designates it as a labtop P4.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1395.jpg

I'm gonna look around for another Gateway like this, one with a bad motherboard. I could use everything else. The Processor and RAM, if it's better, the HDD, if it's bigger, and especially the screen. This is gonna be a good mod.

I didn't look into it, but I bet this might be, if not, one of the first labtop overhauling mods. I know of an iBook being dyed, but that's simple; this is gonna be a "rebuild"

*WINK WINK* (Don't ask me what the name stands for in German; come on; it's obvious, :D)

[squilliam]

You're a couple months ahead of me.
My Laptop overhaul wont be for another
2 to 3 months...

+rep for being faster than me

[chaksq]

Mmm... laptops.

Laptops are fun to mod. I just wish I had one that was usefull. I have about 4 that are completely useless. Anyway good look with you repairs/mods amek it look cool too.

[LiTHiUM0XiD3]

laptops can be fun...... cept when u own a decrepit POS emachine..... like myself :( ..... way to go with braving the super small confines of a laptop lolz

[Mitternacht]

way to go with braving the super small confines of a laptop lolz

After taking my sister's Vaio apart and adding a 100GB hdd inside, it didn't seem so bad. Before, labtops were forbidden territory to me, because I thought they'd all crack if opened; not all of 'em though.

My thinkpad is a labtop I'll never open; no reason to. It has a cool flat black finish.

[Drew]

I love laptop mods, they scare me to death.

+ rep for bein brave.

- rep to the nobber that slung the laptop. tut tut tut.

[Mitternacht]

Good news. I got the power cord from my teacher today, and it boots up. Yessssss! Atleast that fall it took didn't damage any hardware inside. It dual-boots between XP Home and XP Pro. 1.4 Ghz processor, 1MB Cache, 512 MB RAM, integrated 802.11b/g. This is truly a good labtop.

Before all of this,I was at work pondering upon some ideas. I'm not gonna replace the bottom of the case. I'm gonna delete the speakers, and bondo over the plastic holes, and the plastic that's missing. I also am gonna bondo over the Gateway logo on the lid. It's gonna be painted red/black with a tribal dragon design painted and slightly airbrushed on the lid. It's gonna be one sick labtop when I'm done with it. I might even consider making it an in-car PC if I don't sell it. I'll need an in-dash touchscreen monitor, which is expensive. But hey, only time will tell.

Any input on the design ideas are welcome.

[DaJe]

Please, call it a "laptop", not a "labtop" >_<

[Maz]

I think he might just have a head cold

[Ichbin]

Please, call it a "laptop", not a "labtop" >_<

Lol, theres always that one person to say what everyone else is thinking.


The laptops at www.ibuypower.com also have removable processors. I didnt remove mine, but i noticed you were able to.

[Mitternacht]

Please, call it a "laptop", not a "labtop" >_<

Dude, I'm too used to calling it that. lol

[intergalacticman]

do you understand that laptop modding is really hard?
most of the parts are proprietary and its small
but pull it off and itll be sweet.

+rep 4 the effort man

[Mitternacht]

Might as well try to revive this.

I'm installing XP on it as I am typing; the hard drive is formatting now. Because of the Mustang, I got an idea to use this as an in-car PC. Check the fuel pressure, tune the ECU, have gauge readouts on it and record runs and graph different settings through the engine's RPM range. I'm still debating to make it an all-out mod like I was planning and repair the screen and keyboard, or if I should just have it kinda hidden under the seat with a wireless keyboard/mouse combo, and throw in a monitor in the dash. Maybe a touchscreen if I can manage to find a nice one cheap.

Now that I think about it, I can have an aftermarket radio with an audio input, and have that input jack running over to the PC to play music on the 60 GB HDD. The lower radio slot can hold the LCD screen, if its a flipout.


Edit: In fact, http://www.xenarcdirect.com/product.php?productid=16136&cat=0&page=1&featured

[Mitternacht]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110185156641&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=001

All-riiiight.... Time to shift into second gear with this laptop project!

[Mitternacht]

Just got my camera back. Here it is, all repaired:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1913.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1914.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1915.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1916.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/gigaglytch/DSCN1917.jpg

[cured]

wow man this is cool. do you have room in your car :\

[Mitternacht]

wow man this is cool. do you have room in your car :\

Haha, yes underneath the seat to hide it, but when in use it'll just be on the passenger seat.

[Mitternacht]

Gave the labtop away as a gift. Project aborted.