Repair your own laptop & cell phone screens

So I had a Compaq Presario v5000 laptop with a busted screen given to me. I was strapped for cash and also desperate to get away from the Dell Dimension desktop I was using. Initially I was using it as I would a regular desktop by having my trusty old CRT monitor hooked up to the laptops VGA port but finally I broke down and bought an LCD replacement at yallstore.com. After doing a bit of googling I discovered this magical thing called a service manual: a very detailed guide on EXACTLY how to disassemble (and reassemble!) your laptop! Who would have thunk it!?

When the LCD arrived it wasn't an hour later and I had the new screen installed and working perfectly. It wasn't a completely flawless process however -- I had an issue with the screw drivers I was using early on. The heads of the screw drivers I was using all broke on me. They were cheap dollar store material and were obviously not the exact size. I needed Phillips size 0 and 1 for the project but I was using just any old tool lying around. This almost cost me dearly with a screw that stripped very badly. After that scare I decided to go invest $15 in a decent tool at Home Depot. From there on everything went flawlessly.

Feeling accomplished, I also realized I had a Sony Ericsson w580i in my closet that had a busted screen as well. I found a youtube video explaining exactly how to replace the screen (using only one tool, one of my guitar picks) and $15 later I had a new screen installed.