Need advice on spare parts for old laptop

Cire · Post by **Cire** » Sat Dec 19, 2015 3:05 pm

I have an old Toshiba Satellite Pro M30 made in December 2003. I really like this computer and would like to be able to use it again, the problem being that some of the parts are starting to break. I Think the fan is busted, since when the computer gets warm, the fan starts to sound very noisy, more than usual, and the computer gets really slow (I Believe it gets overheated).
I would like to buy a new fan, but is there a way to know what fan size would be correct, preferably without opening the computer up (I don't really have time for dismounting it in molecules again right now)?
Also, when I was cleaning the keyboard I seem to have displaced two keys which I can't seem to find again. Also, one other key glitches a lot.
Is it possible to find a replacement keyboard, preferably with Swedish layout?

Quadko · Post by **Quadko** » Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:20 am

I'm afraid laptops - especially old ones - are difficult to repair in such ways.

You can get lucky on ebay looking for parts, you can buy cheap duplicate of the same laptop to use for parts if you find them, you can track down Toshiba specs and see if you can find replacement parts by id#, but I've not had lots of luck.

Good news is usually Fans are standard parts rather than custom ones. If you pull the one you have out, you can usually find one that's the right size & screw holes; and there are only a few voltage types, so as long as you match the 12V or 5V or 3V or whatever it is (usually labeled on the fan), you are good.

Laptop keyboards - I have no idea on that one. Every laptop I've owned has a different type of keyboard keys even. You might be able to find a part # on the keyboard if you take it apart, but that's all I've got for you, sorry!

You might have more luck asking on a site with more hardware focus; http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/forum.php is the only one I know to recommend, but I bet there are plenty of hardware modding sites out there that might have such experience.

Post by **CPT Worm** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 6:50 am

You might not have to replace the entire keyboard...you can probably find replacement keys for a couple of krona a piece.

The redneck solution would be to:
1. get one of those laptop cooling bases
2. plug in an external keyboard

But of course, that really removes the portability...

Cire · Post by **Cire** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:17 pm

Thanks for the tips guys!
I actually tried connecting a external keyborad to it. The problem is that the laptop still reads the internal keyboard first, so the CTRL key that's glitching still makes the system mostly unusable, because the comp "Thinks" the key sometimes is pressed down, even though it is not. I tried uninstalling the internal keyboard driver but it keeps reinstalling instantly.

Rwolf · Post by **Rwolf** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:29 pm

Did you try googling for 'toshiba satellite pro m30 fan'
I found some links for these, here's one:

http://www.cpu-fan-retail.com/toshiba-s ... g-fan.html
(maybe you need to contact Toshiba for parts like keytops)

note: there are different models (last number) of M30, and I don't know if all fans fits yours.

Cire · Post by **Cire** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:44 pm

Yeah, thanks. Do you know if the site is trustworthy? Too bad they don't list the specs for the fan. Would be very useful to know the size of it (in mm). I would guess at 40 mm, though I need to be sure.
I've found replacement keyboards for it at misco.se (I've bought stuff from them Before, so I trust them.), though not Swedish layout. They have Danish, UK and Dutch last time I checked, so Danish is the closest I guess.

Rwolf · Post by **Rwolf** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 10:32 pm

No idea of that websites reputation really, it was just one example and there are lots of similar sites. Even Amazon advertises those things, it seems.

I have never bought anything from any of these guys; when I once had such a problem, I turned to my laptops manufacturer (Dell) to get a suitable part.

The thing with laptops is that much of the innards are customized, and once the warranty is out, the spare parts tends to cost you a lot.

dr_st · Post by **dr_st** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 7:04 am

A simple search on Ebay for "Satellite Pro M30 Fan" and "Satellite Pro M30 Keyboard" yields quite a few results. I would look there to see if any of them look like what you need and take it from there.

pseudocoder · Post by **pseudocoder** » Fri Dec 25, 2015 5:54 pm

Cire wrote:Thanks for the tips guys!
I actually tried connecting a external keyborad to it. The problem is that the laptop still reads the internal keyboard first, so the CTRL key that's glitching still makes the system mostly unusable, because the comp "Thinks" the key sometimes is pressed down, even though it is not. I tried uninstalling the internal keyboard driver but it keeps reinstalling instantly.

I had the exact same problem with a Sony Vaio from 2001. Aside from a few missing keys, the KB itself was flaky; however, I found that by removing the keyboard altogether, I could use a USB keyboard unhindered... albeit the US charset.

For the fan, you might try one of those laptop coolers first. If it doesn't help then try and find a replacement... laptops are a royal pain to put back together... the fan is buried under all kinds of crud.