cl-scott wrote:
Well, there are basically two options as I see it.

The first option is to take it somewhere and have them replace the motherboard. Considerably more expensive, but the better long-term fix.

The second option would be to break out the electrical tape and try to just pin things in place as best you can. Then resign yourself to the fact that you'll probably be redoing this every couple of months. Also accepting the fact that unless you're very careful, you might end up lifting a resistor off the PCB and compounding your issues. You'll probably just want to be adding a screwdriver and roll of electrical tape to the list of accessories you take with you everywhere you go with the laptop.

It's not out of the question that someone could remove the SATA port and solder a new one on, but I'd be a bit leery of that. Mostly because those things are intended to be soldered by machines with a level of precision beyond most humans.

I have tried taping it in place and even tried another unused ribbon cable I have. No good. I realize that soldering another is my best option next to replacing the MB. I myself once had to fix a ribbon cable socket on a Kenwood Car stereo and I was able to do it. It was actually a bit more soldering if not about the same as i am looking at here, very similar. Do you think if I send it into ASUS they can fix it? My wife last night was driving me nuts with her super glue ideas. No I will stay away from that idea. This is not my actual pictures but some I snipped off the net to show the problem area. I have it in tight and taped down good but the corner on mine at the top is cracked and I dont think all the ribbon is touching the socket. Therefore I have no HD showing in the bios. Can these little sockets actually be bought? I do have an electrical supply store down the street from my work and I mean this place has so many odd items I thought I would drive over in an hour on my lunch break to see what they have. I do know alot about soldering. I guess the main concern I have is removing the entire MB to get to the bottom. Can all this be avoided by sending to ASUS? I wonder if they can or would replace just that or say I need another MB. This Laptop is not very old. But long story short it was a replacement and my warranty is expired. Do you know Clinton Tung at ASUS out of California? He is my connection their and I am waiting for his reply now. But meanwhile I want to stop stressing and know there is a fix. How much do you think another MB would cost? Just a rough guess needed. Thank you for your reply.

Dave Simons wrote:
I have tried taping it in place and even tried another unused ribbon cable I have. No good. I realize that soldering another is my best option next to replacing the MB. I myself once had to fix a ribbon cable socket on a Kenwood Car stereo and I was able to do it. It was actually a bit more soldering if not about the same as i am looking at here, very similar. Do you think if I send it into ASUS they can fix it? My wife last night was driving me nuts with her super glue ideas. No I will stay away from that idea. This is not my actual pictures but some I snipped off the net to show the problem area. I have it in tight and taped down good but the corner on mine at the top is cracked and I dont think all the ribbon is touching the socket. Therefore I have no HD showing in the bios. Can these little sockets actually be bought? I do have an electrical supply store down the street from my work and I mean this place has so many odd items I thought I would drive over in an hour on my lunch break to see what they have. I do know alot about soldering. I guess the main concern I have is removing the entire MB to get to the bottom. Can all this be avoided by sending to ASUS? I wonder if they can or would replace just that or say I need another MB. This Laptop is not very old. But long story short it was a replacement and my warranty is expired. Do you know Clinton Tung at ASUS out of California? He is my connection their and I am waiting for his reply now. But meanwhile I want to stop stressing and know there is a fix. How much do you think another MB would cost? Just a rough guess needed. Thank you for your reply.

While I understand the reasons for it, I'm still not a big fan of it. That being that electronics today really aren't designed to be repaired, just replaced. So if you sent it in to us, someone would just replace the motherboard entirely. Then maybe later someone would look at it and see if it could be fixed by hand, and if so, it'd join the RMA stock.

I honestly can't even really speculate with any reasonable degree of authority on the rest. Obviously SATA ports can be bought, otherwise how do motherboard makers get them. Whether or not you can find someone willing to sell you only one or two I have not the foggiest. Then assuming you can get your hands on only one or two, each one of the little metal plates in the SATA port has to be soldered individually at the bottom end. So from a logistical perspective, this could quickly become a nightmare.

I also don't even have something I could use to base an estimate off of for if you sent your system in. I have a spreadsheet that deals with non-G series laptops, but obviously a G series is going to be more. I don't even know how much those parts run internally so I would have at least a floor, saying "It will be a minimum of X." Sorry.

cl-scott wrote:
While I understand the reasons for it, I'm still not a big fan of it. That being that electronics today really aren't designed to be repaired, just replaced. So if you sent it in to us, someone would just replace the motherboard entirely. Then maybe later someone would look at it and see if it could be fixed by hand, and if so, it'd join the RMA stock.

I honestly can't even really speculate with any reasonable degree of authority on the rest. Obviously SATA ports can be bought, otherwise how do motherboard makers get them. Whether or not you can find someone willing to sell you only one or two I have not the foggiest. Then assuming you can get your hands on only one or two, each one of the little metal plates in the SATA port has to be soldered individually at the bottom end. So from a logistical perspective, this could quickly become a nightmare.

I also don't even have something I could use to base an estimate off of for if you sent your system in. I have a spreadsheet that deals with non-G series laptops, but obviously a G series is going to be more. I don't even know how much those parts run internally so I would have at least a floor, saying "It will be a minimum of X." Sorry.

Great I see your work for ASUS. Well do you advice I just get an RMA and send it in for repair? If so Ill go that route.

Scott,

Well I do need another DVD burner so my question is are all laptop/notebook dvd drives universal and will fit my G74SX or do I
need to buy a specific type? At least I have my OS and 1 HD that works fine but I do need to reformat back to my original ASUS OS with my backup discs so I need and must have a DVD burner/reader. BR is not that important. I just want to make an online purchase now. Please advice and thank you again. I guess I will contact ASUS
and arrange to send my notebook in for repair. I want to do that after I get another DVD drive first and really try hard to maybe fix the problem socket first. It happened late last night and I was in no way prepared for
this. So never buying a drive for a laptop/notebook what are the rules? Universal or specific to my model?

Dave

Dave Simons wrote:
Scott,

Well I do need another DVD burner so my question is are all laptop/notebook dvd drives universal and will fit my G74SX or do I
need to buy a specific type? At least I have my OS and 1 HD that works fine but I do need to reformat back to my original ASUS OS with my backup discs so I need and must have a DVD burner/reader. BR is not that important. I just want to make an online purchase now. Please advice and thank you again. I guess I will contact ASUS
and arrange to send my notebook in for repair. I want to do that after I get another DVD drive first and really try hard to maybe fix the problem socket first. It happened late last night and I was in no way prepared for
this. So never buying a drive for a laptop/notebook what are the rules? Universal or specific to my model?

Dave

Generally speaking, as long as the connection method is the same (IDE v SATA) and the drive is the right physical size, it SHOULD work. It's not a guarantee, but your odds are very good.