From time to time, I receive a defective review computer or gadget, but it’s a rare situation indeed in which a company will knowingly send me an already-broken system. ScreenTek is no ordinary company.

As far as I can tell, someone took a hammer to the screen of the HP Compaq Presario V2000 notebook that recently landed on my desk, courtesy of ScreenTek. A small piece of the screen is missing and spider cracks extend from the impact site. Most of the screen can’t display any images at all, and the rest of the screen has miserable image quality: The screen is a total loss.

That’s where ScreenTek comes in. The company offers thousands of notebook screen kits to users who dropped, bumped, or attacked their fragile notebooks. You could send your damaged notebook to a repair shop or to the manufacturer, of course, but ScreenTek tells me that you’ll save money and time by using one of its screen kits to replace your notebook’s screen. ScreenTek also tells me that the replacement process is easy and fast (though it may void your notebook’s warranty).

Scalpel, Please

I used ScreenTek’s Laptop LCD Removal Instructions, which directed me to rustle up a Philips-head screwdriver and a knife. I recommend that you add a pair of tweezers to the list, as the teeny-tiny screws are hard to reach if they drop into the notebook screen housing.

Removing the bezel turned out to be the toughest part of the process. I didn’t have any trouble digging out the rubber screw covers or removing the screws that secure the bezel, but I found it a little difficult to pry the bezel off the screen housing. I was afraid I’d break the bezel, but it turned out to be pretty tough.

Once I snapped the bezel off its clips, I followed the instructions to remove the screen from its housing. At that point, I detached the two cables that connect the screen to the notebook and then lifted it out completely.

Some Assembly Required

Having completed the uninstallation process, I was halfway through the procedure and surrounded by screws, rubber caps, tools, and other notebook pieces. Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when I discovered that I had reached the end of ScreenTek’s instructions, which then suggested that I simply needed to complete the steps in reverse order to put everything back together.

The instructions, which include plenty of color pictures, held my hand through each step of the uninstallation process. If Screen-Tek provided similar instructions for replacing the screen, it would have had one of the best manuals I’ve seen. I was able to work my way through the installation without much trouble, but I can see how novice users would prefer to have instructions that walk them all the way through the process, from start to finish, even if the instructions are nearly redundant. Still, this is a relatively minor complaint. I installed the new screen in 21 minutes, four more minutes than I spent removing the broken screen.

Good As New

As soon as I attached the last rubber screw cap, I fired up the notebook and watched Windows load on a brand new screen. It worked flawlessly and looked great. Overall, I really like ScreenTek’s kits: They really will save money and time. Whereas I would have paid $295 for the screen (plus $15 for Federal Express shipping), HP told me that it could replace the screen within three to five business days for $698.

You can order a screen from ScreenTek based on your notebook’s model number, or you can use the screen’s model number (the number is on the back of the screen). ScreenTek tells me that if you call in your order, its sales staff can ask you additional questions to make sure you order the correct screen. If you order the wrong one, ScreenTek will send you the correct unit before you even ship the wrong screen back. I like that kind of service.

by Joshua Gulick

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