I Fixed my Laptop with a Blowtorch

I purchased an HP DV9334us laptop in June 2007.  A couple of months ago, the video started to cause me problems.  First, Windows would lock up when I used the NVidia driver.  I found out that if I install the generic Windows video driver it would boot up and function normal.  Then one day, the laptop would not show anything on the screen.  The keyboard lights still came on and I could hear the laptop start up Windows, but I had no video.

While I was looking for places that would fix HP laptops in town, I stumbled across a lot of forums about people having this problem.  And then I ran across YouTube videos of people fixing this issue.  I started watching one video and figured I would just follow along and fix my laptop.

 

Make sure and watch the whole video before you start.  I dove in and started taking stuff apart and 10 minutes in I find out that the fix is to actually heat up the GPU with a torch.  This was intimidating for me and I wouldn’t’ve believed that it worked if I didn’t just accomplish it myself.

When I used the mini blowtorch on my NVidia chip, I circled around the chip similar to how the guy in video did, but I started to smell hot electronics almost immediately.  And there was a little smoke.  I’m not sure if my torch was hotter than his or not, but I only gave it two more quick laps around the chip and then I stopped.

My laptop can now boot-up with video and I was able to install the NVidia video driver again.  So, at least temporarily, this fix has worked for me.  I had to buy some tools and parts since I didn’t already own a torch or even thermal grease.  But, it looks like the laptop repair would’ve cost me at least $125.  And the parts only cost me $36.25.  So it is worth buying the tools and doing this yourself, if you’re up for the task.

Tool	Location	Cost
Butane micro torch	Menards	$24.88
Thermal compound	Radio Shack	$6.49
Isopropyl alcohol	Grocery store	$0.89
Butane fuel	Target	$3.99
	TOTAL	$36.25

 

After screwing everything back together, I only have 1 extra screw.  I really did a poor job of marking which screws I was removing.  Since this turned in to a 2 day project, my memory didn’t help me as much as I was counting on.  You’ll understand what I mean if you attempt this.  It’s obvious where the screw holes are, but it’s difficult to remember which layer of the laptop that the screw gets screwed in.  I noticed while I was screwing stuff back together, the motherboard did have holes labeled (HOLE 6 in this picture).  I could’ve jotted down which holes had screws in them.  And then I could’ve used a magic marker to label the holes on the other layers.

If you would rather not attempt this fix yourself, at the very end of the YouTube video, the guy offers to perform this fix at a flat rate of $125.  Shipping may be included too.  This is a good deal if you end up getting another year or more out of a laptop that is still fairly young.

PS – If you attempt to do this yourself and you end up being one screw short, email me and I’ll send you my extra!