Well I have decided to write about my Dell today. I bought a Dell 4150 almost 10 years ago. I guess it has been a pretty good laptop for the most part. One of the issues I had when I first started using laptops was the fact that I didn’t know how to work on them. I had built numerous computers and upgraded others but laptops were a mystery to me. I was actually afraid to open one of these babys up. This was probably a little strange given that I was an electronic technician in the Navy and also worked for Lanier Business Products for a while after getting out. This fear was somewhat overcome when my internal dialer gave up the ghost due to a power surge. I priced what it would cost to have it replaced and decided I would give the installation a shot. It is not only the cost of the work but I would have to do without my computer for longer than I was willing to part with it for.

I ordered the part and managed to download a service manual. I got a link from a moderator somewhere. These service manuals are invaluable. They tell you exactly what to do. I replaced the dialer with no problem. Being an electronics technician was certainly a help but there is nothing really difficult about replacing the dialer. Mainly just knowing what to take apart first and what screws need to come out. It was a piece of cake.

A few years later I lost my LCD panel. Well I don’t have to tell you, that was going to be expensive. This time even the part was pretty high. I found a shop down in Austin that sold replacement parts for Dell laptops and got a panel for a much better price and went to work. I must say that the panel was a little more challenging but doable and I am still using that computer to this day.

I have another computer as my main computer but the faithfull old Dell is now hooked up to my TV. I have a bluetooth keyboard paired with it and I can surf the web in brilliant 42″ color any time I wish from my easy chair. We surf the web together as a family and add Netflix movies to our instant queue and then watch them on our Playstation 3. Ain’t technology wonderful!!! Thanks for listening.

Gary R Turner