Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

12. Leaving the display open, place the computer on a sturdy surface sup-
    ported by two books or small boxes.
    This allows air to circulate all around the computer. Leave the computer
    and all of its separate parts to air dry for at least 24 hours. Do not use a
    fan or (horrors) a hair dryer to attempt to fast-forward the drying process.
    This is more likely to cause problems than solve them.


13. Reassemble the pieces you have removed.
    Only do this a day or more later, after assuring that everything is dry
    and no dried puddles of sticky acid are anywhere on the machine.
    Remember to ground yourself before touching any circuitry or modules,
    and begin the power-up process with the battery first and the AC adapter
    second.

If in doubt about the safety of any part, you’d be better off replacing it

instead of using it. Replacing a battery (perhaps $50–$100), an AC

adapter (perhaps $30–75), or even a hard disk drive (about $200–$300)

is always cheaper than replacing a motherboard.

When a CD or DVD Won’t Go Round and Round........................................

If a CD or DVD won’t play well with your machine, two basic reasons are usu-

ally why: mechanical problems and computer resource issues. Remember

that a CD or DVD drive is one of the few moving parts of a laptop (along with

the hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, and the internal fan), and machines

usually have a finite life. Sooner or later the tiny motor that spins the disc

or moves the tray in and out may fail. Or, the moveable rails and tray may

become warped by heat or knocked out of kilter by bumping into another

object or by being dropped. These causes are mechanical problems.

The other issue is that CD and DVD drives are among the most demanding

of the computer’s electronic resources: They require electrical power and

a clean and generally uninterruptible channel for data (especially when the

drive is being used to writea disc). Problems here are the causes of resource

problems.

Suffering slipped discs.........................................................................

The most common mechanical problem is caused by an improperly inserted

disc; in second place is a failure of the CD or DVD drive itself. Get in the habit

of carefully inserting the disc into the tray. The hole in the disc should be

seated perfectly centered on the spindle; if the disc isn’t centered properly,

Chapter 3: Things That Go Bump In the Night (or Day) 35