⟐ Answered August 12, 2023 at 14:03 MST

⟐ Answer edited February 25, 2022 at 2:37 MST

⟐ Commented November 16, 2023 at 17:56 MST

⟐ Answered January 06, 2023 at 0:35 MST

⟐ Answer edited October 31, 2024 at 14:19 MST

Second question is about the thermal pad on the cooler assembly...can it be scrubbed completly and just put Artic Silver instead ? Will the cooler assembly still make good contact with the die if i remove the pad?

Thank you

⟐ Answer edited December 17, 2021 at 22:19 MST

⟐ Answered November 16, 2023 at 8:02 MST

⟐ Answered September 19, 2023 at 1:21 MST

⟐ Answer accepted June 09, 2023 at 7:55 MST

READ: I PURCHASED THIS LAPTOP FOR THE MOTHERBOARD. IT IS GOING INTO A BIOS LOCKED i7 UNIT DESPITE THE CPU DIFFERENCE (i5-8250U vs i7-8650U). I DO NOT INTENDED TO REPAIR IT.

This is the machine the board is destined for if it passes:

While I will not have 100% repair completion on this laptop with just a replacement motherboard as I need a screen, I have a source for the matched panel the donor uses (IVO privacy 120Hz 40-pin), this motherboard is a huge step in the green once it's validated as good. However, I am unsure if I should trust the battery from this machine as it is a softcell and the machine is pretty well destroyed. However, I am willing to use it as a spare if it looks okay and isn't compromised. But based on how smashed it is, how likely is it will be able to recover the battery?

The laptop came in and it's usable. No BIOS password :-). The screen also came in as well.

Battery is in ehh shape:

Ports all work :-). The Type C/TB3 port even works, but the USB-A daughterboard feels loose. Meh, it’s a modular thing so I do not care.

Well, the locked machine is stripped. My god this procedure is a PITA, but I got it done in 25 minutes.

Time to part out the board from the other unit

Swapping the board into the good chassis

I think I have the rest of the story based on my post-surgery autopsy. The seller I bought this locked 840 from probably got it with a locked BIOS, tried to fix it and installed a new wireless card (it has a Lenovo FRU) and found out what I did - you’re hosed (without the right programmer - easily $50+, and you usually need to desolder the chip) … And never disclosed it on the listing hiding under “as-is”. I’m not calling the seller out by name, but if you see this, this should have been disclosed.

I've had this melting pot special for a while (I call it a "melting pot" because of the HP SureView LCD removal, a SureView keyboard w/o a SureView LCD, swapped motherboard and the bottom cover is engraved with the i7 board serial number BUT I have the matched cover -- I never moved it as it would look off being from the destroyed chassis). The keyboard issue is cosmetic at best; the hotkey "dies" when you remove the panel, and it switches to normal PWM). Other than those snags, it behaves like it was never bodged together out of multiple parts several ways to Sunday.

Do I stand behind my non-recommendation to buy a BIOS locked laptop (knowingly) and bothering with this? YEP. If you're dealing with an established bum G5 with a BIOS password and do not have the right programmer (it needs to support the 256MiB Windbound EEPROM flash as you cannot flash the 128MiB as that is the "clean backup", which will inherit the unlocked BIOS; $50+ and you're probably waiting on China to ship it) look elsewhere. Same as before; I'm not deep diving the procedure.
I am acknowledging the option, so anyone who sees this understands I know but I'm apprehensive to talk about it beyond an acknowledgement!

⟐ Edited by author March 12, 2022 at 0:53 MST

⟐ Answered May 20, 2022 at 10:29 MST

⟐ Commented June 07, 2019 at 1:23 MST

Since the LCD is cracked, I cannot see the BIOS to erase, or check the laptop for evidence of an old OS. Since I'm not 100% sure, I have to worry about “cold storing” someone's data unwittingly. Not exactly fun, but also not the first time.

Is it possible to bypass the internal LCD so I can go into Windows to make sure, and into the BIOS so I can erase the laptop? If not, I will need to remove the SSD, use my fixit contest laptop (this G5 has a SanDisk drive, and I installed a TEAMGROUP SSD in the fixit challenge laptop), boot parted magic and erase it in a NVMe enclosure, and move it back to the laptop.

⟐ Commented March 19, 2022 at 13:29 MST

I was told it may have a unknown BIOS password but it's clean :-). I was just going to use it for parts otherwise but knowing the BIOS is clear makes it potentially fixable. I'm just going to replace the keyboard due to the fact several keys are shiny, one of the domes are missing and the scissor hinges are missing.

Is this look like something I can reseat the cable on, or am I going to need a new LCD panel/used assembly?

@oldturkey03 it won't work :(. And it's IVO so it has that cursed SV panel. I'm dumping the assembly and going to a normal IPS panel.

Keyboard is swapped out. Different part numbers but thankfully on these it doesn't matter since the PRIV keyboard can be interchanged on SV delete machines and factory non-SV.

⟐ Answer edited February 13, 2022 at 2:09 MST

⟐ Commented November 08, 2019 at 15:10 MST

I tried some YouTube “hacks”mnmn and all I got was a blinking charger light ......the laptop Still sleeping cold as ice.Tbh, it’s not dead, just the battery is fully empty ...i meant totally 0% and won’t wake up....

⟐ Answered February 19, 2026 at 1:33 MST

⟐ Answered January 08, 2026 at 5:28 MST

⟐ Answer edited January 02, 2026 at 21:39 MST

⟐ Answered November 19, 2025 at 19:16 MST

⟐ Answered November 19, 2025 at 18:40 MST