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lorenzo · Aug 21, 2007, 11:55 AM

Ok, I know it's rather unpolite to yell it, but I need it as a catharsis... S**T!
My MPB fell out of my poorly closed backpack in Moscow's metro (courtesy of a wonderful moscow girl smiling at me when I was closing it...

It was protected only by a sleev called Second Skin, so it didn't report any scraches, but a small bump on the edge of the chassis.
close inspection reveals the video out port to have the aluminium slightly un/aligned, and the metal case fell inside 1mm or 2.
I'm desperate (I LOVED it... my first Apple and I was going crazy...)
The machine seems to work perfectly (turned it on as soon a I got out of the Metro, just in front of a huge state of Majakovskij :-)
but I' afraid...

Especially afraid of fans: I would hate if they went berserk and started to do noise...

Any suggstions to check it or to fix it?
Gee, I still can't believe it.
It completely ruined my day.
Sorry for the loser's cry...

Lorenzo

Waragainstsleep · Aug 21, 2007, 03:18 PM

There isn't a whole lot you can do. You could run the hardware test on its restore DVD. Even if something turns up, your warranty is technically void I'm afraid.

PaperNotes · Aug 21, 2007, 03:24 PM

If it is just a port dented you can take the case apart and use slim pliers to bend it back. You have to take your time, slowly slowly and do a good job.

Someone tell him where the take apart guide is on the net.

Next time don't forget to add indoor and outdoor accident coverage to you home and appliances insurance costs.

lorenzo · Aug 22, 2007, 01:16 AM

Actually... after closer inspection (today, when I'm colder...) the damage looks very very minor.
It's doubtful a non extremely close inspection of the machine would show it up at all; and now it's been working a couple hours again and absolutely no problem at all.
It's just knowing that the signe is there that is making me feel terrible...

And... could I have bought that insurance from Apple directly?
I had never heard of anything like that here in Italy...

Lorenzo

DigitalEl · Aug 22, 2007, 01:27 AM

My then-1-year-old made me drop my laptop bag with my old 12" PowerBook G4 inside. The metal bent badly around the power port. It created a jagged ^ when looking at it from the top down. The first few times I had to plug it in after that, the cord fit a little snuggly, but that PowerBook chugged on another 2 years just fine. I even worked the dent out, by putting the jagged edge on a hard surface and applying gentle pressure.

JoshuaZ · Aug 22, 2007, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by DigitalEl

My then-1-year-old made me drop my laptop bag with my old 12" PowerBook G4 inside. The metal bent badly around the power port. It created a jagged ^ when looking at it from the top down. The first few times I had to plug it in after that, the cord fit a little snuggly, but that PowerBook chugged on another 2 years just fine. I even worked the dent out, by putting the jagged edge on a hard surface and applying gentle pressure.

Dude, what kind of 1 year old do you have running around? If the kid is making you do bad things when its 1, think about when its 15!

DigitalEl · Aug 22, 2007, 04:57 AM

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Dude, what kind of 1 year old do you have running around? If the kid is making you do bad things when its 1, think about when its 15!

LOL - He was just starting to walk, got tangled in my feet and I dropped the bag rather than lose my balance and injure him. It's a decision I'd make again.

He is a handful though. At 3 1/2 now, he's discovered that I can watch movie trailers on the computer. Between Mr. Bean and Underdog (and Transformers & Spiderman before that), I feel like I don't need to see the movies, as I've probably seen 90 minutes of trailers.

Kadarin · Aug 22, 2007, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by lorenzo

courtesy of a wonderful moscow girl smiling at me when I was closing it...

Did you at least get her number?

imitchellg5 · Aug 22, 2007, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by lorenzo

Ok, I know it's rather unpolite to yell it, but I need it as a catharsis... S**T!
My MPB fell out of my poorly closed backpack in Moscow's metro (courtesy of a wonderful moscow girl smiling at me when I was closing it...

It was protected only by a sleev called Second Skin, so it didn't report any scraches, but a small bump on the edge of the chassis.
close inspection reveals the video out port to have the aluminium slightly un/aligned, and the metal case fell inside 1mm or 2.
I'm desperate (I LOVED it... my first Apple and I was going crazy...)
The machine seems to work perfectly (turned it on as soon a I got out of the Metro, just in front of a huge state of Majakovskij :-)
but I' afraid...

Especially afraid of fans: I would hate if they went berserk and started to do noise...

Any suggstions to check it or to fix it?
Gee, I still can't believe it.
It completely ruined my day.
Sorry for the loser's cry...

Lorenzo

I feel your pain. I've done worse though, I dropped my Power Mac. Dang beast just keeps on running. I dropped it down the stairs too.

besson3c · Aug 22, 2007, 11:17 PM

If Apple won't cover repair work now, it's not the end of the world. The Apple service manuals are pretty easy to come by, and inside of this you will find detailed instructions for taking your laptop apart. You should be able to get any parts you need online, and if the problem is simply cosmetic you might be able to work out the dents after you have your machine open. I'm sure there is a lot of instructional material online explaining how to do this.