Comments on: Source of spares for old laptops?

Question: Source of spares for old laptops?

altolinguistic — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:44:47 -0800

Where can I get hold of spare parts for an old Sony Vaio laptop?

I have a Sony Vaio PCG-F707 (PCG-92A1 in the UK, I think - it's known by one or both of these two numbers). It's about 5 years old, I acquired it second hand about a year ago, and the battery life isn't great so I want to install a second battery instead of the floppy drive. The machine originally came with a 'weight saver' (as described in the manual) which seems to go in the hole left by the floppy drive and is either empty and prevents dust getting in or has a space for a second battery. I am having trouble sourcing this part - I found the same model for sale 'for spares' on ebay and contacted the seller but he didn't have this part.

Any ideas as to where I could go to find this part, or even how I would find out the part number so as to order it direct from Sony? I'm in the UK.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:48:29 -0800

Hang on, which part are you after? The weight saver or the battery? Your question isn't very clear.

A weight saver is just an empty plastic box that allows you to remove the CD or floppy drive without leaving a hole in your computer.

Replacement batteries seem easy to get hold of and should last much longer than a 5 year old one.

By: Coffeemate

Coffeemate — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 18:11:54 -0800

I think altolinguistic is looking for a secondary battery that can go in the expansion slot. I didn't see it listed here as an available replacement part, though.
Have you tried calling Sony or one of their service centers to ask if they sell it?

By: wfrgms

wfrgms — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:57:50 -0800

I have almost that exact same Vaio - well, my girlfriend has it now... it's seen better days. I've dropped it several times, spilled a big glass of water on it... the sound card is fried and if you bump it while it's on it will blue screen. Works fine stationary - I keep screaming at my girlfriend that she needs to buy a new computer, but it surfs MySpace like a pro which is all she cares about - bless her heart.

eBay is your friend for older laptop parts. Just look at all the stuff a search on "PCG-F707" turned up.

By: altolinguistic

altolinguistic — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 01:15:04 -0800

(Sorry, it was late). No, I've got two batteries, but as things stand the hole is too big for the second one, so I need the weight saver to sit around it (the manual is clear that the weight saver serves a dual function - empty plastic box and battery holder).

thanks all, will look on ebay - I think I might have been looking under the wrong model number.