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    Asus HDD Ribbon Cable

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by CTurner15, Feb 25, 2014.

  1. CTurner15

    CTurner15 Newbie

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    I installed a 60GB MSATA SSD awhile back and I must have not plugged the HDD ribbon cable all the way back in. I opened the laptop last week and while trying to remove the ribbon cable completely so that I could plug it in all of the way, I accidentally pulled too hard and damaged the gold contacts on the connector. I guess I have two questions: 1. Is there anyway to salvage the cable? I'll attach a picture of it (it's the gold contact on the far left of the cable that got a little damaged) 2. If it isn't salvageable, is there any other way to get a new other than eBay? I saw that a few people are selling them, but at $50 I'm not sure if it's worth it. Ultimately I plan on selling this laptop in the near future and wonder if it's actually worth spending $50 on it just to put the HDD back in, or I'd be better off selling it without the HDD in it or including it in an external enclosure. 20140220_154136.jpg
     
    CTurner15, Feb 25, 2014
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  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    It's hard to tell how bad the damage is from this blurry picture... have you just tried putting it back together and seeing if it works? Otherwise what is the laptop model and how much is it worth?
     
    Commander Wolf, Feb 25, 2014
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  3. issac94

    issac94 Newbie

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    what the guy above said. Depending on how good the laptop actually is. If its worth more then 200 then i say go ahead and buy the cable but i cant believe it cost that much. What laptop is that?
     
    issac94, Feb 25, 2014
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  4. CTurner15

    CTurner15 Newbie

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    It's an Asus G46VW. I contacted Asus yesterday about purchasing the cable from them (they don't list it on the Asus e-Store) and they wrote back today saying I'd have to RMA. I thankfully found an auction yesterday shortly after I posted this that was selling the cable for $20, which was $30 cheaper than everyone else. So thankfully, I can fix this for about $25 and sell it. For some reason Asus thought it would be a good idea ($$$$$) to make it proprietary cable. I didn't try to put it back it, in person it looks pretty bad and to get to the part where I could test it again would take about 20 minutes of disassembly and reassembly. Asus didn't really design it to be taken apart often and I don't want it to show more signs of wear if I'm about to sell it. Thanks for the advice anyways!
     
    CTurner15, Feb 26, 2014
    #4