Documentation
| Laptop/notebook systems are notoriously proprietary in their construction. Unlike a typical desktop system, many of the components in a modern laptop are unique and are not interchangeable with other laptops, possibly even with other systems from the same manufacturer. Because of their somewhat proprietary nature, it is more important that you have good documentation to facilitate future upgrades and repairs. Because many of the components are unique, they are often not interchangeable with other systems and in many cases can be ordered only from the manufacturer. Most manufacturers do not publish parts lists, and many do not sell spare parts direct to the public, or at all. This means that a simple part failure can render the system inoperable, and you will be at the mercy of the manufacturer for spare parts or repairs. If the system is out of warranty, such repairs can be either impossible or exorbitantly expensive, often approaching the cost of purchasing a newer, faster system. Most laptop systems are more difficult to disassemble than desktop systems. Laptop systems typically have many more screws than desktop systems, and the screws come in a number of different sizes and styles and are often hidden under stickers and covers. For example, a typical laptop, such as the ThinkPad R-series, is assembled with more than 85 screws of eight different types! The chassis covers are often constructed of thin plastic parts that interlock and can be tricky to separate without damage. Unlike desktop systems, which are substantially similar internally, laptop systems can vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even from model to model. For this reason, it really helps to have specific documentation on disassembly/reassembly as well as parts listings from the system manufacturer. Unfortunately, most of the laptop systems on the market do not have adequate documentation. By this, I mean documentation that includes a parts list, instructions on how to disassemble the unit, and information about any unique troubleshooting procedures specific to the system. In fact, it is somewhat difficult for me to write about this topic because there are currently only two laptop/notebook manufacturers/vendors that produce what I consider adequate documentation for their systems: Lenovo ThinkPad (formerly IBM) and Dell. This sorry state of affairs means that most systems on the market simply do not have adequate documentation, making them somewhat risky to own, because you are at the mercy of the vendor or manufacturer for future support. Self-support and self-service are everything I stand for, and they are difficult to achieve without the proper documentation. Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops are generally considered the best laptop/notebook systems in the world, and this is not only due to their quality and design but their documentation as well. Lenovo sets the standard for documentation, and the simple truth is, no other systems in the world have the same level of documentation and support. The reason is that Lenovo publishes hardware maintenance manuals, service and troubleshooting guides, technical reference manuals, and user manuals for all its systems, and it makes them available for no charge on its website. These documents include complete disassembly and reassembly instructions and a complete parts list, including detailed exploded diagrams and part numbers. The detailed service manuals also provide the information needed to accomplish specific component replacements and upgrades that would be daunting on other systems lacking this information. In essence, Lenovo's superior documentation makes its ThinkPad systems the most upgradeable laptop systems in the world. Dell is another standout, providing detailed service manuals available for downloading from its website for all its laptop systems. In fact, the unfortunate reality is that currently the only laptop system manufacturers that do make service manuals available to end users are Lenovo and Dell! That is perhaps one of the biggest reasons these two manufacturers are among my favorites when it comes to laptops. Although Dell's documentation does include disassembly and reassembly instructions, unfortunately it does not include a detailed parts list. This means that to order a specific part, you'll need to describe it to a Dell representative over the phone, which often results in confusion over exactly which part you will receive. Even so, Dell provides documentation that is superior to all other manufacturers except Lenovo. Toshiba used to make service manuals available for purchase in printed form, but in the last few years Toshiba has changed its policy, and service manuals are now available only to Toshiba-authorized dealers. The good thing is that in most cases, if you purchase a repair or replacement part from one of the premier Toshiba Authorized Service Providers (ASPs), such as MicroSolutions (www.micsol.com), the ASP will include copies of the relevant pages from the service manual describing in detail the procedure for removing the old part and installing the new one in the system. Most if not all other laptop/notebook system manufacturers do not provide service manuals for their systems, which I consider to be a major drawback. Virtually all of them do provide user manuals, though, which sometimes include simple troubleshooting or maintenance procedures, but these are not at the same level as a true service manual. Before you purchase a laptop system, I highly recommend that you check to see what type of documentation is available. In most cases, this means searching the manufacturer's website for any manuals associated with the system you are considering. You should download any documentation you find, and examine it thoroughly not only to see if the information is adequate, but also simply to find out more about the system you want to purchase. I normally make a point to avoid any systems for which I can't get detailed service or technical information from the manufacturer, because manuals make future repairs and upgrades much easier. In searching for documentation and spare parts for a system, I usually try to go direct to the manufacturer. This has led me to discover an interesting "secret" of the laptop business that isn't often discussedthe fact that many of the well-known laptop brands you might be familiar with are actually designed and manufactured by a handful of contract manufacturers located in Taiwan. Often the term OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or ODM (original design manufacturer) is used to describe the company that actually designs and manufactures an item, as opposed to the company that merely sells it. For example, the HP OmniBook 6200 and Apple iBook are made by Compal, the Compaq Presario 700 is made by Arima, and the Dell Latitude D400 is made by Wistron (Acer). Taiwanese companies such as Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Inventec, and Arima make the majority of laptop computers in the world, which are marketed and sold under other (more familiar) names. Interestingly enough, these OEM/ODM companies rarely sell systems under their own names. Instead, they prefer only to do contract manufacturing for specific vendors, allowing the vendor to sell, service, and support the systems. Table 17.1 lists the top OEM/ODM laptop system manufacturers in Taiwan.
OEM/ODM companies such as these rarely sell systems under their own names; instead, they design and manufacture them for other companies under contract. In fact, according to sales information Quanta is the largest laptop manufacturer in the world, although none of its systems are sold under the Quanta name. The next largest manufacturer after Quanta is currently Toshiba, followed by Compal, Fujitsu-Siemens, and Lenovo (refer to Table 17.2).
Toshiba had been the largest laptop manufacturer practically every year since the mid 1980sthat is until Quanta and Compal both outsold Toshiba in 2001. More recently, Toshiba sales have been gaining, and it took second place back from Compal and is gaining on Quanta. Quanta's ace in the hole is that it has become the primary contract manufacturer for Dell, which is Quanta's largest customer. Quanta also makes systems for HP, Compaq, eMachines, Best Buy, and Apple, among others. Dell also purchases laptops from Compal and Wistron (Acer), so it isn't tied to one supplier. Now you can see why Dell's different model lines look so differentthey were actually designed and manufactured by different companies. Contract manufacturing by companies such as Quanta and Compal is also the main reason why you see so many different brands of laptop systems that seem to look identical to one another. One potential drawback of the OEM/ODM game is that it is more difficult for companies to support the systems they sell, because in reality they didn't make them and may not have direct access to the parts and manufacturing. Going by sales rather than just manufacturing, Table 17.3 lists the top laptop computer companies.
Note If you can figure out who really made your system and can locate that company on the Web, in some cases you'll find more detailed information or be able to get newer drivers and BIOS updates direct from the manufacturer. If you don't know the actual manufacturer of your system and the vendor doesn't provide support, you may be in for difficulty in tracking down repairs and spare parts for your system. Unfortunately, most OEM/ODM companies don't have support resources available to end users because all their systems are produced under contract for specific vendors who must then provide all service and support, including documentation, driver updates, spare parts, and so on. What this means is that although other companies might make laptops for Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway, and others, in general you will have to go back to the company whose name is on the system for all your support needs. FCC ID DatabaseIf you are unsure who is the manufacturer for a given system, and your system is sold in the U.S. and carries an FCC ID number, you may be able to use that number to identify the manufacturer, or at least to find out more about the system. Knowing the manufacturer may help not only for finding documentation but also for finding drivers specific to the system. The FCC ID database contains records for equipment that has been Certified, Type Accepted, or Verified by the FCC. To locate information on a specific FCC ID, visit www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid to enter the ID information and search. An FCC ID consists of two elements: a grantee code and an equipment product code. The first three characters of the ID are the grantee code, which is permanently assigned to a given company, and which consists of any combination of capital letters and/or numbers. The equipment product code is assigned by the grantee and is from 1 to 14 characters in length, consisting of any combination of capital letters, numbers, and hyphens or dashes. Laptops that have an FCC ID number would normally have it printed on a label on the underside of the system. To find it, turn the system over and look on any and all stickers or labels for something that reads similar to "FCC ID: XXX1234567890ABCD." In this example the "XXX" is the grantee code and the "1234567890ABCD" is the equipment product code. You can enter this information on the FCC ID search page to look up the records on that particular product. Unfortunately, due to rule changes over the years, not all electronic equipment sold in the U.S. will have an authorization from the FCC, in which case it will not be in the ID database. In addition, some systems will have a label that merely says "Tested To Comply With FCC Standards," and includes no specific ID. Unfortunately, any equipment displaying that type of label is declared to comply with FCC regulations by the manufacturer or importer and would not be in the FCC ID database as well. User Forums and SupportSeveral Internet-based resources are very useful for finding troubleshooting information, technical support, and other information on various laptops. Here are several sites, forums, and groups that I recommend:
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