Where can i buy a screen for my laptop?

comunifan

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Jan 20, 2005
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i have a gateway laptop
Model: MX6450
15.4''
and it has the screen broken, i need to buy it.
I need some help about where can i find it.

thanks.
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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i have a gateway laptop
Model: MX6450
15.4''
and it has the screen broken, i need to buy it.
I need some help about where can i find it.

thanks.
Most technicians around here, agree that it's easier and cheaper to just buy another laptop.
Maybe if you can get it to the US, it would be worthwhile, but apparently not, here.
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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The screen is the single most expensive replacement part on a laptop, so as Rocky so correctly indicates, you might prefer to buy a new laptop (and maybe buy manufacture's hardware insurance for a couple of years), instead of investing on a machine which may have some age anyway.

On the other hand it's not a heavy bulky part... just a thin sheet. So, if you have a technician you feel confident he can install it... : Gateway Computers & Home Electronics: Laptops, Notebooks, Computer Monitors, Desktops would be the only source I could imagine for a gateway replacement... and then you'd need to sign up with a mail forwarding service like EPS or similar and have it shipped almost as a document and hope it will slip thru DR customs as such.

... J-D.
 

MotorCity Mike

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Apr 9, 2004
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There are some replacement screens for that model on ebay for about $195....that doesn't include shipping or installation.

MCM
 

andrea9k

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Apr 17, 2004
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Try writing/calling these people if you are in Santo Domingo area:

Analistas Asociados S A
Av R Betancourt 1312-B
Santo Domingo
(809) 535-0909
Email: analistas.asoc@internet.net.do

They are slow and sometimes kind of expensive, but it would be worth to at least know how much would it cost to repair it. From there, you can make your decision.

BTW, Dell has very good prices on basic models :D

Good luck

Jess
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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I had my toshiba P-35 laptop give me the problem from hell. The power jack from inside broke from constant pulling and moving of the power cord. Yikexxx. This jack (power input) is connected to the mother board. Now thats a major problem because my warranty had expired. To repair the jack you either have to buy a new jack from toshiba and have it installed. Which means the whole laptop had to be unassembled into tiny pieces and risking a major damage to other components or (plan B) replacing the whole motherboard. Either way, the repair was going to cost me an arm an a leg. So what did I do? I opened the damn thing myself but very carefully, taking digital photos to see which screw goes where etc. I read internet info on opening up the laptop and did everything in an orderly fashion. I didn't want to be left with 10 screws left over in the end. Finally I took the motherboard out and examined the jack. Turns out the input DC in to the motherboard part was broken. Its a bad design from toshiba and seems like many people were having such problems with these models. The power jack would break after some time. So I thought about it for a long time and then did some of my own modifications to the jack to prevent it from breaking the input power joint again. I cut off the metal wire that was soldered to the mother board. This was a rigid connection and with constant movement of the electrical input power connector to the laptop's input motherboard connector, it was breaking the connection to the motherboard input point. The solder would break off and connection would be disturbed. So I put in a flexible wire about 1/2 inch long in place of the rigid metal wire to motherboard . This way I would have flexibility and the joint will not break off as it did before. Lets see if my ghetto method would hold for a few months. The laptop is working fine as of this moment.
The moral of the story is this: if you have a laptop and something major breaks down which requires an expensive repair, then try to have it repaired locally and see if it could be fixed using the same old part or some dominican modification. My laptop is alive because I have done some of my own modifications to adapt to this country's resources.
AZB (also an electrical engineer)
 

mvisnja69

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Oct 22, 2004
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I had my toshiba P-35 laptop give me the problem from hell. The power jack from inside broke from constant pulling and moving of the power cord. Yikexxx. This jack (power input) is connected to the mother board. Now thats a major problem because my warranty had expired. To repair the jack you either have to buy a new jack from toshiba and have it installed. Which means the whole laptop had to be unassembled into tiny pieces and risking a major damage to other components or (plan B) replacing the whole motherboard. Either way, the repair was going to cost me an arm an a leg. So what did I do? I opened the damn thing myself but very carefully, taking digital photos to see which screw goes where etc. I read internet info on opening up the laptop and did everything in an orderly fashion. I didn't want to be left with 10 screws left over in the end. Finally I took the motherboard out and examined the jack. Turns out the input DC in to the motherboard part was broken. Its a bad design from toshiba and seems like many people were having such problems with these models. The power jack would break after some time. So I thought about it for a long time and then did some of my own modifications to the jack to prevent it from breaking the input power joint again. I cut off the metal wire that was soldered to the mother board. This was a rigid connection and with constant movement of the electrical input power connector to the laptop's input motherboard connector, it was breaking the connection to the motherboard input point. The solder would break off and connection would be disturbed. So I put in a flexible wire about 1/2 inch long in place of the rigid metal wire to motherboard . This way I would have flexibility and the joint will not break off as it did before. Lets see if my ghetto method would hold for a few months. The laptop is working fine as of this moment.
The moral of the story is this: if you have a laptop and something major breaks down which requires an expensive repair, then try to have it repaired locally and see if it could be fixed using the same old part or some dominican modification. My laptop is alive because I have done some of my own modifications to adapt to this country's resources.
AZB (also an electrical engineer)

Well, AZB, good job. No offense, but power jack is one thing and sensitive LCD screen another. If screen itself is in one piece, there are still so called 'drivers' chips around screen. If they are bad, you will see some or all stripes over your LCD. Mostly new screen is needed.
Inverter is there also, it do the hi-power electricity for light bulb. (for backlight). If your screen is all black, try to take a closer look under different angels. (Power on your laptop of course). Gently press screen here and there, can you see any of picture? Do this in very light environment. If so, your inverter or light bulb is broken. Easy to fix with original parts. Still question how to find them in DR?
Try to connect your laptop with external monitor. Use FN key and some of these function keys (F3, F4 or so...) to activate external monitor. Do you see picture? If yes, you can find (buy) one regular monitor and continue to do your job. Quick, cheaper but not complete solution.
Like others I would recommend new laptop. Even if you replace your screen, you will wait no long for next problem. Weather in DR is problem. We have easily more than 95% of relative humidity in DR, and reading tech-specs of our computers we can learn that all of this electronic stuff are made for maximum 85%. So average lifetime of one computer here is one year.

Best regards.
 

slrguy

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Oct 17, 2006
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How much do basic laptops cost, to buy there, in DR? I'm curios...local purchases, not shipping in from USA.
 

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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dr1.com
How much do basic laptops cost, to buy there, in DR? I'm curios...local purchases, not shipping in from USA.

Don't do it. You will pay 40-60% more than in the USA and will not find a new model laptop. They will all be old models, older processors etc.

The only place you might find a current model laptop is in the new Mac store on Pastorisa in Santo Domingo. They appear to be brining in the latest versions.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Don't do it. You will pay 40-60% more than in the USA and will not find a new model laptop. They will all be old models, older processors etc.

The only place you might find a current model laptop is in the new Mac store on Pastorisa in Santo Domingo. They appear to be brining in the latest versions.
Macs in the states are expensive. How much in the DR?
 
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scotpgot

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May 26, 2004
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I agree - new laptop

I went through this situation a little over a year ago. The screen on my laptop was cracked.

I talked to the local computer guy here, and he said he could change it, but needed the part. I did some research on the net and they were running between $600-$900 (about half the price of the whole laptop).

The problem is the match has to be EXACT. Even within the same model, they change slightly from month to month. So even if you buy the screen for the same model, it's not a guarantee that it'll fit.

I really didn't want to buy a new laptop, so I ended up taking it to the States. I went into Best Buy and after a few phone calls, they let me know that they wouldn't fix it because it was "cost prohibitive" or something like that. Imagine! It was so ludicrous to fix it, they wouldn't even take my $1000!!!

If you're intent on fixing it, maybe you can give some more details other than just "broken". Is it cracked? Do you have no picture at all? Is it flickering?