In 2005, I bought a Medion Akoya EX laptop. Despite its age, it’s still my favorite laptop. It just has enough processing speed and RAM to do the things I do (web & graphic design), and the glossy widescreen was one of the first it kind at the time.

As time went buy, I started noticing more and more dead pixels popping up on the screen. It wasn’t long that there were so many dead pixels that it looked as if a black hole was growing in the center of my screen. So I decided to retire the laptop in May of 2007 and buy another to take it’s place.

I did consider getting it repaired, but Medion had pulled out of the laptop business in the US. I would have had to ship it to Germany to have it fixed. Reluctantly, I tried taking it back to Best Buy and asking how much it would cost for Geek Squad to replace the LCD. At the time, it had been over a year past the warranty that I bought from them. For the most part, I wasn’t surprised that they asked me for both of my arms and a leg. It was financially unrealistic to have it fixed at the time and buying a new laptop seemed like the best option at the time.

Since then, I have missed my Akoya. I felt like that system had been put offline well before its time.

We are now in the tail end of October of 2008 and since the time I shelved the Akoya, I have had time to learn and improve my PC repair skills. After having done a dozen laptop repair projects, I now had the knowledge and skill, not to mention the money, to fix my precious Akoya.

Finally, I decided to fix the Akoya last week. It cost me twice than it really should have since my supply source originally sent me one with a hot pixel in it and this was apparently not enough to warrant a return or exchange. I ended up having to buy another to get a flawless one.

As of 10:05 AM CST, October 25, 2008, I successfully completed the replacement of the LCD screen. Everything is working. Everything looks good, sharp, and fine. It’s been a long drawn out process that has been weighing on me for a long time. Having this burden lifted is such a relief and having the Akoya back is like seeing a long lost friend. All is good at the moment!

Note: I apologize for my sentimentality with my computers. These machines have become more than tools to me. They are my windows to the world beyond my reach, a way to call home, and a means by which I make my living. They’ve become trusted friends much like a steed is valued by a cowboy. So please pardon this monkey for wanting to mark this moment.

Labels: computer repair