What exactly is the dc jack and why should I care?

The dc jack is what you plug your laptops power adapter into and it carries the electricity to your laptop in order to power it on. The dc jack becomes loose over time from every day use. In addition the dc jack is very sensitive and can break easily if you put pressure on it, or bend the cord while its plugged into the laptop. To alleviate potential dc jack damage you may want to consider placing the laptop on a level surface when using it.

Aside from being one of the most common laptop issues, there is a rumor that broken DC jacks carry along with them that you will hear from many computer repair companies:

You must replace your entire mother board if your dc jack breaks.

This is a very common misconception as the dc jack is usually part of the motherboard (newer models have the dc jack on a separate board). I’m here to tell you this is not necessarily true. Depending on the nature of the dc jack issue, it may only require soldering on a new dc jack or replacing the power board that connects to your motherboard. Since the motherboard is the most expensive piece of hardware on the laptop, most people would purchase a new laptop since they came down so much in price over the years.

DC Jack Repair

Repairing your dc jack can be fairly straight forward if you have soldering experience and the ability to disassemble your laptop. You will need some flux, solder, a soldering iron and screw drivers depending on the model laptop you are trying to repair.

The first step is to take apart your laptop using the appropriate service manual.

The next step is to unsolder the old dc jack. To do so you would need to heat up the metal joints that are soldered onto the board until the solder melts. I recommend using a solder remover to remove the excess solder and make your life a little easier. Once the old dc jack is unsolder, place the new one in flux before soldering it onto the board.
If you feel uncomfortable doing this and you need dc jack repair, this is a service we offer for a relatively low cost, more than half of the cost it would take to replace the motherboard in terms of parts and labor.

Replacing your Dc jack Power board

If you are uncomfortable with the soldering aspect, newer laptop models have the dc jack on a separate board as previously mentioned. Refer to your laptop’s service manual to confirm this.

As a reminder the best thing you can do to proactively reduce the likelihood of ever needing to repair your dc jack is keep it on a level surface at all times like a desk or table. I would also highly recommend a laptop fan that fits the base of your laptop. If you do require our power jack repair services, feel free to contact us to set up an appointment.

I am the primary tech for this location and I’m usually pretty flexible with my schedule. Appointments are available the same day and most computer repairs can be done within a day or so depending on the part’s availability. Book your appointment today to get your PC relieved!!

-Victor Congionti

I hope this option is helpful to all you texters out there. If you have any feedback for us we are here to listen!

This is a valid question and one you should strongly consider asking yourself as you weigh the pros and cons or upgrading to windows 7.

Its no secret that windows vista has received a bad rep and for good reason. This has left a bad taste for many including myself. I won’t get into many details of the pitfalls of Vista but let all agree it was a disaster! Its made me even more skeptical of upgrading to Windows 7. Lets say I think Microsoft got the hint and learned from their mistakes.

So before considering the big move, I will give you legitimate reasons why you should upgrade your PC to windows 7.

Reason 1 to upgrade my PC to Windows 7:
Compatibility is better in Windows 7.

Do you remember all of those unrecognized devices after installing Windows Vista? This was a prominent issue when Vista was released. As time went by more and more drivers and updates were rolled out for compatibility issues and eventually Vista was stable.

Fear not Windows 7 is essentially Vista on Steroids and upgrading has never been easier. No driver updates will be necessary sine Windows 7 will take care of everything for you.

Operating systems become more stable as they age primarily because there will be more service packs and upgrades released that fix major bugs. Since windows 7 uses the same code as Vista that’s been tweaked and nearly perfected, it proves to be a very stable OS. When was the last time someone complained about XP ?

Reason 2 to upgrade my PC to Windows 7:
Performance is Much Better in Windows 7!

Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 runs very smoothly and is built better to optimize your hardware on your PC meaning quicker load times, less hang time and lag as well as no freezes! In addition if you use a laptop, you will notice a big increase in battery life. I can’t tell you what a blessing its been to work on my PC without any annoying interruptions. If you are a gamer, I can’t think of a better reason to upgrade to Windows 7 on your PC.

Reason 3 to upgrade my PC to Windows 7:
Windows XP compatibility mode!

Windows 7 professional offers an XP compatibility mode that you can switch on and off for programs they run better in a windows XP environment. If you’ve been using XP since its release, this is a great opportunity to slowly transition into this new OS.

If you have any other reasons you should or shouldn’t upgrade to Windows 7 feel free to share!

After much debate, we all agreed and believe that the new move will ultimately prove to be extremely beneficial. Now centrally located in Connecticut, we can offer our customers a better location to drop off their computers. The new office is located inside a secure gated area with excellent lighting at night, and a newly installed state of the art alarm system.

Seasons greetings from Relieve my PC!

We are now conveniently located off Wethersfield Avenue in the South End of Hartford (37 Alden Street, Suite T, Hartford, CT 06114).

I wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday season!

-Victor