HP M/B embedded - cant be replaced?

[Acrobyte]

A relative has an HP machine about 2 years old.
It fails to boot - nothing shows on monitor.
Verified monitor OK and replaced video board. No help.
The relative has tried for several weeks to reach HP support but stays on hold for up to 2 hours, so has given up and took it to a
local repair shop.
The tech there says the m/b is bad but it is "embedded" and cant be replaced.
The only solution is to buy a new PC.

Does this make sense or is it a rip off?

Skillman Hunter

[Aidan Grey]

The word "embedded" is the wrong one to use here.

Some companies use non-standard motherboards in their machines. These
means the shop cannot repair them unless they can buy an exact replacement
from the manufacturer. I believe HP is one of the companies doing this.

Even if you can get a replacement motherboard from HP, it might cost more
than buying another computer.

So, it may be that the shop is telling you the truth. You may want to
check
the Web site http://partsurfer.hp.com, and see what parts are available for
this
machine.

Aidan Grey


On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 01:17:58 -0700, Acrobyte wrote:
A relative has an HP machine about 2 years old.It fails to boot - nothing shows on monitor.Verified monitor OK and replaced video board. No help.The relative has tried for several weeks to reach HP support but stays on hold for up to 2 hours, so has given up and took it to alocal repair shop.The tech there says the m/b is bad but it is "embedded" and cant be replaced.The only solution is to buy a new PC.Does this make sense or is it a rip off?Skillman Hunter

[Ben Myers]

As stated in another post, "embedded" is generally not an appropriate term when
applied to personal computers intended for consumer or office.

If the motherboard has a non-standard form factor, you might as well replace the
system, 'cause either HP or an authorized HP service provider will extort a high
fee for an exact replacement.

If the motherboard is a standard form factor like the microATX boards used in
the later HP Pavilions, a near-exact replacement will do nicely and cost lots
less. "Near-exact" is close enough if the chipsets on the replacement board
match those on the original board. However, once you've installed a non-HP
motherboard, the operating system software restore CD provided by HP probably
will not work should you ever have to reinstall the operating system.

.... Ben Myers

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 01:17:58 -0700, "Acrobyte" <acrobyte@cox.net> wrote:
A relative has an HP machine about 2 years old.It fails to boot - nothing shows on monitor.Verified monitor OK and replaced video board. No help.The relative has tried for several weeks to reach HP support but stays on hold for up to 2 hours, so has given up and took it to alocal repair shop.The tech there says the m/b is bad but it is "embedded" and cant be replaced.The only solution is to buy a new PC.Does this make sense or is it a rip off?Skillman Hunter