a friend brought a compaq notebook by to see if I could help get it fixed. I looked at and found that the power plugin in the back of the case was broken off.
My question is is the power input part of the mobo? Or will I just have to take it apart and find out?
If your saying the plug connection broke off then you may be able to fix it. The power connection has two points on the MOBO that are the entry points for power. Sometimes these points simply break at the solder points which you can make a pigtail out of the point and direct connect to the power supply with a simple fuse connector. You need to be good at soldering to do this and also able to take the laptop a part…. Not fun!
/edit beaten by step2000 
but indeed if you have good soldering skills its an easy enough task.
Just an added note - if you let me know the model, I can probably get you a service manual (in pdf format) to assist it dismembering it…
Just another another note.
The older compaq notebook power supplies were direct from mains where the newer ones go through a stepdown transformer.
The straight power is a 3 pin plug in the shape of a triangle, the other is a 2 pin regular power supply type plug.
I looked it up on the Compaq site and a replacement board is $745.00US :eek:
:mad: didnt tell me anything about the board except # and price though
So taken that into account I’m thinking the only reasonable fix is repair and not replace
@ Greg - thats at least what it looks like from the outside… the guide for the plugin is still visible but theres doesnt seem to be anything there for to plug in to
@ Mulda - Thanks for the help… the model# is 1201Z
@ Juggy - Not sure of the age for sure but it came out with ME installed 
Ive got the mobo number though and will see what I can find out later today
Again… thanks everyone!
Ohh… cant leave PMM out 
- gonna get a pint of good whisky to aid in the steadiness to help soldering skills
Just a note to say sorry, but it would seem HP/Compaq have removed the service manuals from the Tech Info site. I have found it in rather archaic form on a particularly old maintenance CD set I still keep so I could sort out a copy of that set for you if needs be.
It’s a shame it didn’t happen under warranty as it seems it was an admitted design flaw and later models were fitted with a support bracket and a foam pad on the PSU connector to reduce risk. 
No prob Mulda. I appreciate you taking the time to look.
I figure this is going to be a seat-of-the-pants fix anyway. I talked to the people and told them the price of a new board compared to just replacing the notebook all together… I have permission to fubar with no worries if it doesnt work
:glug: :reading: :Poke: :glug: :crash: ::wasted: