Frame and hinge replacement - HP Pavilion dm4 laptop

[Rog67]

Hi Woodwood,

thanks for the quick feedback and help. Looks really like it is destined to become a desktop then. The local repair shops also told me that they could no longer get the housings fron China for this model. I found the hinges and hinge covers on ebay as well. You just confirmed my suspicion. Hope the newer HP's ahva a stronger design on the hinges, or will have to opt for another manufacturer for the replacement.

Thanks again Rog67

[Woodwood]

->Rog67

You seem to know more about the detailed construction of these laptops than I do: you speak of "housings" - what are they and where do they fit in ?  I'm sure one can find them. Did you look up any 'how to' vids ?  I searched on Altavista (UK) on "hinge repair hp dm4" and got lots of "hits"  (common  problem it seems), eg., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edxjwOXMglc (starts at the beginning, i.e., taking  your laptop apart)

I don't know much about other laptops, including the newer HP models; my dm4 was the only one I  used extensively, and even then mostly between the floor beside my chair and my lap  (I  found in a bit cumbersome to take anywhere, and most other places had other computers available - I carry a memory stichk with the data I need, I'm thinking of moving over to Linux, then  I vcan have my OS and software on the memory nstick as well [complete system].

I found HP support unhelpful (not only on this subject), IDK about other manufacturers' support/help.

Woodwood

26.October.2016

[Rog67]

Hi WoodWood,

thanks for your support on this. I am looking for a used housing right now, the hinges are easy to find, and I will take it from there. What  find frustrating, is that there are no more parts available from HP. I would have figured that the big guys would have to be able to supply spares for up to 10 years as in other industries like Automotive. Oh well, I guess PC are a throw away product. Thanks again

rog67

[KatSussan]

I'm having the SAME ISSUE (I believe) w/ my Laptop! About 5yrs ago MY X kept on opening it & closing it EXTREMELY FORCEFULLY & my LEFT HINGE JUST SNAPPED RIGHT OFF! I TRIED EVERYTHING & even went out & bought a Separate Monitor so that I could still use her. I even had an Older Model given to me (also an HP), well she just went Blk Screen on me.
I'M DESPERATE & HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIX HER!
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY THOUGHTS???
I also have photos I took but I have NO IDEA HOW TO POST THEM ON HERE!
THX YOU SO MUCH!!! 😉

[danny-r]

@KatSussan

I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP. They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number. Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact. Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (serial numbers and case details).

If you are unfamiliar with how the Forum's private message capability works, you can learn about that here.

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forum.

[TSV1321]

Have the exact same problem with the exact same laptop.  I purchased it for my wife - it was not inexpensive - I went with HP because I've always believed they were of better quality than many others.  Very annoying to me that the hinges are so stiff they broke off the plastic surrounding the inner case.  Defeats the whole purposed of a lap-top and now we're always concerned that the wire (that you can see in some of the posted pictures) is going to break and then I can kiss over a Thousand Dollars away.

[DavidSMP]

Hi @TSV1321,

Thanks for stopping by the HP Support Forums! 🙂 Good day.  I understand that you are looking for assistance regarding hinge issues with the notebook. It will be a genuine pleasure to assist you. 🙂

You are an important HP customer and it is paramount to assist you here. We greatly value your relationship with HP and I take it as a privilege to share this platform with you. 🙂

 For better clarity and to assist you better, I would require more information regarding this.

• When did you first notice it?
• Is the notebook under warranty now? Have you checked?
• Assuming that the notebook is not under warranty, did you notice the hinge separating from the base during the notebook’ warranty?

Technically, it is a hardware issue and the notebook needs to be serviced. Please contact HP phone support to get this fixed.

Step 1. Open link: www.hp.com/contacthp/

Step 2. Enter Product number or select to auto detect

Step 3. Scroll down to "Still need help? Complete the form to select your contact options"

Step 4. Scroll down and click: HP contact options - click on Get phone number, Case number and phone number appear.

They will be happy to assist you immediately.

If the unit is under warranty, the manufacturer’s warranty should take care of it for you.

You could look up the computer's warranty from this link: http://support.hp.com/gb-en/checkwarranty/ Please select the country and type the product# of the PC. Then follow the on-screen instructions to check the warranty.

Hope this helps. Let me know how this goes. I hope the issue gets resolved without hassles and the unit works great. I'm always there to assist you. Please reach out anytime. 🙂

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help.

If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care now and have a splendid week ahead. 🙂

[Dfowler89]

I also have the hinge issue, it tore the screws out of the frame, the screen had also cracked due to having to close it more carefully over and over, i just need help finding a cheap hinge and plastic screen frame assembly as i can no longer screw my new screen into my existing one, or maybe hp is feeling generous and can send me some plastic parts, and maybe a boot disk/ download link because when my screen broke it wouldnt boot properly, please help me with this issue at least, i can find parts, but not sure how to get it to boot properly, i am broke so a shop isnt going to work, but i paid alot for this laptop new when i wasnt.

[Dfowler89]

mine looks very similiar

[Dfowler89]

if i can get my laptop to boot properly i can still use it witout the actual attached screen with a monitor/tv? because that would suit me well, i just need the boot disk or whatever because my broken screen caused a boot error