t21 died........now what?

[Daluvman]

Help, my t21 (800mhz,20gig,256mb) started to shut itself off without warning. I took it into a local computer shop and they suspect a bad mother board. They are telling me that it is going to cost more than I paid for the t21 on ebay. Any suggestions on where to send this t21 off to or are they right in saying it would be cheaper to just buy another laptop. Any body interested in a slightly used T21?

[Toe]

If you can find another MoBo for cheap, fix it. Otherwise It might be cheaper to buy another used one......


-Toe-

[Nolonemo]

You could get a used mobo on eBay and swap it out. You would want to be comfortable with taking things apart and putting them back together, though.

eBay search:
T21 +(motherboard,board,mainboard)

[Thinker]

Help, my t21 (800mhz,20gig,256mb) started to shut itself off without warning. I took it into a local computer shop and they suspect a bad mother board. They are telling me that it is going to cost more than I paid for the t21 on ebay. Any suggestions on where to send this t21 off to or are they right in saying it would be cheaper to just buy another laptop. Any body interested in a slightly used T21?

You have two options. One of them is to do as Toe and Nolonemo have suggested and try to find a used MOBO for the T21 at a good price, then install it yourself. Bear in mind that this is not a trivial task, so you will need the Hardware Maintenance Manual (search in IBM's site) and a good dose of courage.

The other option is to get the Hardware Maintenance Manual and dismantle your T21, proceeding to sell each piece in eBay. You might actually make some money out of it depending on how much you paid for it. Then, get yourself another computer with the money that you get. I suggest a T23


By the way, there is a seller in eBay that is selling individual keys out of a 570 keyboard for $1.69 a piece, and believe it or not people are buying them!

[Daluvman]

Thanks guys, I think I will send it off and get it fixed. the local shop I was dealing with sounds a bit out of line on repair cost.......they were estimating between $400-450. I have found a few places with a $200 max charge including parts, I think I will give one of them a try