Broken memory slot

So recently my colleague tried to upgrade the RAM in his laptop, but he ended up messing up really bad he actually broke the only memory slot on the motherboard (yikes!). He asked me to take a look at it for him, and I was pretty surprised how badly he had messed it up (as in there's no way it could be fixed). I told him he might have to replace the entire motherboard, but he really can't afford that right now. I let him know that might be his only option, but I decided to ask here before giving up. The rest of the motherboard is fine; only the memory slot is broken. So is it possible to replace just the memory slot without replacing the entire motherboard? And if so, can anyone help me out with doing this? He does really need his laptop, so any help would be awesome.

How long can he go without a laptop?
That is a big project. You will need to be a master with a solder gun. Just getting the old part off without melting the motherboard will be an adventure. There are a LOT of pins.

First you will need to find the Brand and model # of the motherboard. You can use CPU-Z for that - it will list the info on the third tab.

Then, armed with that info you will search for the RAM SOCKET replacement. This is where it will get interesting, as the available sources will be in Asia. Shipping will kill you (for a $3 part). And you will probably need some translation skills too.

Your colleague really couldn't afford to mess his RAM Socket up. Now his best bet is to buy a new laptop.

Thank you for the helpful responses. I talked to him about it, and he said he might try to look for a replacment memory socket, and possibly someone who is good with a solder gun (assuming he can actually find both at a half reasonable price), but will probably just end up replacing the laptop. For now, he's off to the library for internet. Anyway, thanks again.

Hey, I have a question. How are we going to run CPU-Z on a laptop with no RAM? It won't even boot since there isn't any memory. So there's another problem with repairing the motherboard, but he's still interested in at least doing a little more research.

Ouch. That was a stupid suggestion, wasn't it?

Which is too bad, because finding the information through the manufacturer is an adventure in itself. Sometimes they do not know themselves which mainboard went with which serial number.
If you can get to talk with an actual human in tech support then you have a fighting chance.

Otherwise you can remove the motherboard and look for identifying information on it. Not always possible, as these boards are usually contracted out for the laptop maker, not for general sale.

TVeblen said:

Ouch. That was a stupid suggestion, wasn't it?

Don't worry about it. Thanks for the support.


So it seems like it's way too dificult then. Oh well, I guess it's a new computer then. It is is an older computer, so I kind of doubt we'll be able to get the motherboard model from HP. I guess my colleague will need to figure out how to pull in some extra cash. I know I've said it a million times before, but thanks again for everyone's help. If by some miracle he does find everything he needs to fix the memory slot, I might update.

Ok, thanks for the info. He did talk about just replacing the board, so he might do that. Also, will all the drivers installed on the hard drive be compatible with a replacement motherboard if it's the same exact board model?