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vtgts500kw · Jan 20, 2006, 07:38 AM

while staying at a hotel this last week, with my powerbook sitting on the desk, i noticed today (while on the plane home) that this had happend. the guy next to me wonderd what was going on, with all the swearing and carry-on, perfect way to end a brilliant week.

could only have happend at the hotel, neither me nor my GF did it and couldnt have happend in my laptop bag, padding is to thick for an external object to hit it(and cause this damage, and there was nothing loose in the laptop compartment to cause it.

however it happend, what will need to be replaced? both the top case (with the speaker holes) and the lower case, that surrounds the harddrive and everything?

computer is working fine and the ports all look fine.

Big Mac · Jan 20, 2006, 08:05 AM

Oh wow, that's terrible. I didn't know PowerBooks were this fragile. Maybe I'm just spoiled by my nearly indestructible clamshell iBook. Your experience is a good case for Safeware.

vtgts500kw · Jan 20, 2006, 08:17 AM

dont think you can get safeware down this part of the world, new zealand.

i dont think they are that fragile, something must have hit it HARD, because the metal is cracked/split, not just bent in.

romeosc · Jan 20, 2006, 08:37 AM

You must have forgot ot leave housekeeper a tip and P@#@ed her off!

At least she didn't reformat hard drive!

PBG4 User · Jan 20, 2006, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by vtgts500kw

dont think you can get safeware down this part of the world, new zealand.

i dont think they are that fragile, something must have hit it HARD, because the metal is cracked/split, not just bent in.

Aluminium is a brittle metal. It can break easier then it can bend.

If you end up replacing the case pieces you will end up spending some serious dukats.

Check out casing prices over at www.pbfixit.com . They don't have the parts you need in stock, but they have them priced at $250 US for the bottom case and another $250 for the handrest/power button case piece.

rjt1000 · Jan 20, 2006, 09:39 PM

Hi,

Don't know about your part of the world, but here in the USA, laptops have to be taken out of your carry-on to be x-rayed during airport screening. That leaves em rather vulnerable. Any chance the hard knock happened at that point? Its such dramatic damage that it seems you would have noticed it soon after it happened if it happened in your hotel.

If all functions well, it might be too expensive a repair for purely the cosmetics. If it really bothers you, you might do better selling it as damaged, taking a moderate hit in the price realized then replacing it.

Good luck
rjt1000

vtgts500kw · Jan 21, 2006, 12:25 AM

normally i would have to take it out of its bag for the xray, but for some reason they told me to leave it in there, so it didnt happen then.

i too would of thought i would have noticed it as soon as it happend, but other than the hotel, there is no other place it could have happend (on the plane it was at my feet) as the padding off the bag is much ot thick.

i went to the apple store today and they said it would cost about 450NZD (bout 300USD) to replace all the damaged parts, so i geuss ill just go wih that and hope no other damage was done.

wuzup101 · Jan 21, 2006, 03:01 AM

The question is, how did you not notice it when you put it in your bag upon leaving the hotel? That's a pretty sizeable mark, it doesn't even seem like the powerbook would close without some force/adjusting. Maybe it did happen on the flight? What type of bag do you use that the padding is too thick? It doesn't take much to dent aluminum this thin...

vtgts500kw · Jan 21, 2006, 03:43 AM

the lid JUST closes with the dent. yea either i was completly oblivious when putting the pb away at the hotel or it did happen on the plane.

i just cant see it happening in the bag, the bag is a STM bag (made in aussie) with bout 1inch thick foam all around.

but damm, for such thin aluminium, it sure costs alot to replace.

DigitalEl · Jan 21, 2006, 04:26 AM

Man that's ugly. Sorry, friend.

The casing of my 12" is dented by where the power cord plugs in. Happened when my then-1-year-old grabbed me around the knees and made me drop my laptop case. I love the boy more than the machine though, so I wasn't mad for long. It does suck to have our expensive toys in less-than-perfect condition.

ledzeppelin · Jan 21, 2006, 05:54 AM

Hey, nothing lasts forever...

You bought the laptop. Use it, dent it, enjoy it.

Maflynn · Jan 21, 2006, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by ledzeppelin

Hey, nothing lasts forever...

You bought the laptop. Use it, dent it, enjoy it.

Nothing does but that doesn't mean someone should accept damage to it. Its difficult to enjoy something when someone else damaged a computer that is very expensive.

The OP has every right to be angry.

romeosc · Jan 21, 2006, 01:19 PM

Since it could have happened after boarding plane. I have seen passengers CRAM oversized wheeled suitecases in overhead bins. The wheels or bin hinge could easily cause damage shown even through case!

I had a leather jacket ruined when a fellow passenger got his briefcase out of an overhead bin on a flight from Rome and closed the bin puncturing the brand new jacket.

When I was going through customs and asked what I had to declare, I replied " I declare that passenger is an As@@@@e!" I didn't even have to include "value" of jacket!

wowway1 · Jan 21, 2006, 01:47 PM

Man that sucks - sorry about your luck.

wuzup101 · Jan 21, 2006, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by vtgts500kw

the lid JUST closes with the dent. yea either i was completly oblivious when putting the pb away at the hotel or it did happen on the plane.

i just cant see it happening in the bag, the bag is a STM bag (made in aussie) with bout 1inch thick foam all around.

but damm, for such thin aluminium, it sure costs alot to replace.

I'm just asking because I know I dropped my powerbook on the front corner and it caused a similar dent around the optical drive. The thing was it was while I was sitting down and the powerbook was in an STM sleave case and it was only dropped from ~ 6 INCHES off the ground. I wasn't paying proper attention and slightly missed my padded backpack which partially slowed the fall. I'm just saying it doesn't take much to dent the PB around the corners especially where the aluminum is thinner (around ports/drive). I'm very sorry for your loss. I would definitely recomend safeware insurance in the future though for piece of mind.

jheath · Feb 4, 2006, 06:21 AM

It looks as if a DVI cable was attached and then shoved upwards (cause for the dent above the port

) I'm sure AppleCare would run a mile if they saw this. Were you using any DVI connectors at the hotel?

vtgts500kw · Feb 4, 2006, 08:12 AM

nope, no connectors were been used.

ive given up trying to figure out how it happend.

just gonna suck it up and pay for the repairs.

teknopimp · Feb 4, 2006, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by vtgts500kw

while staying at a hotel this last week, with my powerbook sitting on the desk, i noticed today (while on the plane home) that this had happend. the guy next to me wonderd what was going on, with all the swearing and carry-on, perfect way to end a brilliant week.

brilliant.

chadseld · Feb 4, 2006, 02:24 PM

I did the same thing to my 12". I was swinging around in my office chair with the PB in my outstretched arm. The plan was to place the PB on the desk behind me, but I missed by about 1 inch too low. The dent looked a lot like yours. I was able to perform surgery and bend the case back so that the plastic around the keyboard doesn't bulge up. On that note, if you use pliers to bend the case back into shape, buy a pair with smooth inner edges -- not the rough grooved edges. Instructions on pbfixit.com will help you tear down until you can get a good shot at removing the dent.

Zubir · Feb 5, 2006, 07:33 PM

Take it to a machinist, and see if they can straighten it.

theokandroid · Feb 6, 2006, 12:58 AM

ouch kinda looks like my power plug. good luck.