Resurrecting HP Mininote 2133

[caprican]

Hi all,

As many of you might have already known that a lot of HP Mininote have failed to function after certain period of use. And mine did the same ... after two months out of the manufacturer warranty, my Mininote 2133 keeps on freezing to the level it is not usable anymore ... in half an hour of use, I need to reboot 10 times ... From what I read in many forums on the Internet, I think the problem is on the motherboard being overheated.

As I suppose all other components (HD, RAM, etc) are still in working condition ... I am wondering if I can replace the motherboard with an aftermarket motherboard ... (replacing with an HP motherboard cost almost as much as buying a new unit and many have reported the same issue after a short while).

Or, any idea on how to re-purpose the netbook? I mean, it still have a great screen, keyboard, etc ... I don't want to just dump it on the bin.

Thank you for your help.

 

[ampedal]

That may very well be a viable solution to your problem...

Personally I would put it up on ebay with a description that it is As-Is and detail the issues you experience

People with experience won that particular model will most likely pay a competitive rate to fix it.

This would be far less risky, and could get you the most bang for your buck.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcommer!

Hp is known to be notorious with their parts and with prebuilt systems you can be sure of the problem arising with other parts. Can you find a replacement board from someone else and give it a shot, that way you know for sure you can use the old parts and not run into any problems.

On that note , you'll have to purchase a new OS as the OEM version that comes with the HP is coded to work on the Hp hardware by default. A new mobo means you changed onto a new PC thus a new key is needed.

 

[caprican]

Thank you for your replies ...

I didn't think about putting it up on eBay ... now that becomes an option ... even though I am not sure how much people will value it ... I mean, the hard drive alone is still something that I myself can make use of.

Was thinking that if I can re-use the chasis and the harddrive, then I might be able to stick in new mother board and processor.

 

[ampedal]

might I have given you the "best answer"? *wink*wink*

 

[taso11]

Hi,

I had a MiniNote 2133 just like you. And just like you mine failed after about 2 months out of warranty. If you paid for it with a credit card you most likely have a year of extra warranty provided from your credit card. I had purchased mine with Mastercard and after completing the warranty claim they gave me my full purchase price back. Hopefully you purchased with a credit card.

 

[Lutfij]

How about this option - your PC itself is clinically dead, take the harddrive out and hook it up to your desktop, that way you can use the disk as a portable HD

The adapter you'd need are can be either one of these:

rosewill:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119152

apricorn:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812161002

bytec:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156101

vantec:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002

this way you hvae your data, the rest of the netbook can be sold - actually as spareparts :/

 

[caprican]

Hi,

I had a MiniNote 2133 just like you. And just like you mine failed after about 2 months out of warranty. If you paid for it with a credit card you most likely have a year of extra warranty provided from your credit card. I had purchased mine with Mastercard and after completing the warranty claim they gave me my full purchase price back. Hopefully you purchased with a credit card.

That's very interesting ... I didn't think about that and yes I paid it with a master card (or was it an American Express?) I used to have a Citibank credit card and I was aware that I was covered by extra warranty on every purchase I made ... but now I have a credit card with a local Australian bank ... Do you know if the cover was provided by the bank or the Mastercard itself? Thank you.

ampedal, sorry I have to give the best answer to taso11 ... I might not be able to claim for warranty from my credit card provider but I will certainly investigate ...

 

[caprican]

Best answer selected by caprican.

 

[caprican]

How about this option - your PC itself is clinically dead, take the harddrive out and hook it up to your desktop, that way you can use the disk as a portable HD

this way you hvae your data, the rest of the netbook can be sold - actually as spareparts :/

Thanks Lutfij. I already have an enclosure should I happen to use the hard drive as a portable HD.

 

[taso11]

Hi,

The bank forwarded me directly to Mastercard and the whole claim process was taken care of by them. Once they decided to cover my warranty claim they gave me two otions: ship the Mininote back to them for a full refund or they would subtract 10% of purchase price, $73, and I could keep it. I figured shipping would be like $45 with insurance or I could part it out on ebay. The lcd, battery and power supply should be worth something at least. I have yet to list it though lol. Pictures are taken, I just need to write it up. Thanks for the best answer award! I'm glad I could help because I was in your exact same position and was pissed off until I remembered about the extended warranty. Good luck with your claim!