So I have an eight year old Lenovo ThinkPad, and in the last week or so it has gotten very finicky about being plugged in; the cord has to be carefully jiggled just so to get power, and even so it often needs to be readjusted. I’ve tried switching cords with no results. Other than this there have been no real problems with the computer, touch pad died a couple years back but meh.
My question is: can this be repaired at a reasonable cost, or should I take this as a sign that the machine is at the end of its life? This is really not a good time for me to be buying a new computer. TIA.
8 years is pretty old for a laptop or computer. The power connection is typically soldered directly onto the motherboard and so the repair would be difficult. Indeed, for the cost of the repair, you may be able to buy a Refurbished Laptop that is actually both newer and quicker. Though it depends on how powerful your laptop was. especially as Lenovo would probably tell you to replace the motherboard.
Both Amazon and NewEgg are good places to look for Refurbished. Just something to consider.
There are also some under $300 laptops out there. Bestbuy is another place to check.
Was the laptop a high end or just mainly browsing and word processing?
If you go to system → About, you can see your Processor & Installed Ram, it might be worth relaying this info to us.
Example: Processor AMD Ryzen 5 4600G with Radeon Graphics 3.70 GHz Installed RAM 12.0 GB (11.3 GB usable)
As far as my credentials. I’ve replaced keyboards and screens on laptops (successfully) and use to build PCs from scratch. I was a 25 year IT professional, but more on the Programming side. I’ve repairs a lot of electronics over the years that needed delicate soldering and still find laptops a high-risk/low reward DIY project.
Does the cable need to be held or flexed a certain way to get connected? If so, it’s probably an easy fix, relative to some other laptop repairs. It could be a pin or contact in the socket has stretched or flattened or otherwise deformed prevent the circuit. It can also be the solder on the connector has broken and is only making marginal contact with the board when pressure from the cable closes the gap.
If you know someone who knows their way around a soldering iron - more than just knowing which end to pick it up by - you could try to open up the case and have them redo the solder joints between the power connector and the motherboard. No guarantee this would work, so back up your data before trying this, and be ready to spring for that refurb if it doesn’t work.
Alternately, if you can find the part number for the power socket and you have a good electronics parts store nearby, you might be able to find a replacement and have your solderer remove the old one and install the new. Same caveats as above still apply.
Modern laptops aren’t really built for repairability.
jnglmassiv, it definitely needs to be futzed with to get a connection, but at least AFAICT there’s no particular position that is consistently effective.
OK, that is a somewhat higher end, so a sub-$300 laptop might not be a good replacement. This makes it trickier weighing out the repair vs. replace. Do you still have any repair shops around that would attempt this? I’m pretty sure Lenovo would charge far more than the machine is actually worth.
Do you know if the storage is SSD (solid state drive) or HD (Older rotational Hard Drive)? If you’re coming off HD and not SSD the current laptop is pretty dated now and probably you should start looking into replacement. The speed difference is great going from HD to SSD, but you’ll need to find a decent processor in the new one and at least 12GB of RAM, not settle for 8GB.
What’s the exact laptop model? Sometimes you’ll find the part you need is available, and looking at the part (and maybe looking up repair instructions) may tell you how practical the “repair” option is.
Hit Windows key + R,
In the box that pops up enter “devmgmt.msc”
In device manager, click the arrow next to “disk drives”.
It should show what type the disk is. If it’s SSD, it will show as “SSD” (!)
I checked out the T490, and it appears the USB-C is attached to the motherboard, I saw a guy trying to replace one and it required soldering, etc. I imagine the part is cheap, but the labor may be expensive.
It occurred to me for a moment that you could use a docking station ,but they just plug into the USB-C anyway, so it’s likely not a useful fix. If you can find a decent local repair shop, the price might be less than you think.
Have you tried plugging the charger into the Thunderbolt port? From a brief check, it looks like the T490 supports charging via Thunderbolt, which would have to be the case for the docking station to work. It’s possible that the standard AC adapter can charge over both ports as well. The AC adapter, Thunderbolt port, and standard USB-C port all use the USB-C connector.
Assuming it’s WDC instead of WBC it’s probably a Western Digital 512G SSD.
It’s probably a more serious fix, but before you make yourself crazy, it’s worthwhile to shine a flashlight into the port and make sure there isn’t any physical crud (dustbunny, lint, etc) that’s preventing a good connection. I normally clean my laptop, tablet, and smartphone ports very gently with a plastic dental pick when I remember, and especially if I have power issues.
I want it to be something easy and save you time and $$$, and it’s all of a minute’s work with no additional cost. Of course, don’t clean with anything metallic or abrasive. And please do so with the power off.
The Thunderbolt port seems to be working just fine, and given that I am kind of a slob the possibility of crud in the port seems fairly high, so I’ll try cleaning the regular port out tonight and see if that helps!
USB-C ports can get certainly filled with crud. My phone port traps more lint than a bellybutton. Something sharp and non-conductive is best for cleaning it out. A toothpick can work, though it might still be too big–you can use a razor blade to sharpen the end a bit more, though. Ideally, you want to scrape the back face a bit in case the crud has been crushed against it and is preventing the charger from inserting fully. Canned air will help too once you loosen the crud.
Going back to the original issue of the power cord becoming finicky - you mention having switched cords with no improvement. Can you clarify this? Is the AC adapter the usual small brick with an AC cord on one side that plugs into a wall socket, and a thinner DC cord on the other side that plugs into the laptop?
When you say that you’ve tried switching cords, does the AC adapter have a socket on the AC side and was that the cord you switched? I’m asking because I’ve had similar trouble with the DC cord on similar AC adapters developing breaks internally that result in a disconnect with the slightest movement of the cord.
If you have a voltmeter, it may be worth checking the output at the plug that goes into the laptop, and see if the voltage jumps around as you flex the cord.
I googled a disassembly video of that particular Thinkpad. I have personally repaired worse, but I have the tools and the experience with this kind of thing.* For the average computer user, this is not user-serviceable.
And there is the completely viable alternative of using the Thunderbolt port. I’m very glad of that.
*I’m the computer equivalent of a shade-tree mechanic.
