The display on my ASUS Eee PC keeps going white. While is started out as merely annoying, it's become more and more of a hassle to use my comp. At first I could just readjust the screen and it would come back, but more recently I've had to remove the front panel from the monitor so I could jiggle the wire on the left to get it to work. Now, I have to jiggle the wire almost constantly to maintain a picture, making the computer almost entirely useless without an external monitor. Is there any documentation for disassembling this machine and replacing the wire(it appears to be 4 or 5 30 gauge threads in a single cord)? Or am gonna have to give in and buy an [jailbroken] iPad?

How much is a replacement screen.

Also, couldn't you just buy another Netbook for the cost of an iPad?

The screen isn't the problem, it's the cord that connects it to the main board. I believe I have 30 gauge wire which would make a sufficient replacement, I just need to know how to disassemble the machine so I can get at it.

I suggested the iPad sort of as a joke, but I did get to play with a jailbroken iPod the other day, and it actually wasn't bad, which is why I'm leaning that way for my next electronics purchase.

Even if I bought another netbook, I'd want to salvage the harddrive from this one, which requires disassembly anyway.

I have found my eeePC fairly easy to take apart. The hardest bit was a thin connector between the row of action buttons above the keyboard and the mainboard, the connector of which I accidentally bent the first time I took it apart. I'm sure there are plenty of guides out there, but if you're careful, I'd say it's quite straightforward.

I undid all the screws, but I can't get the panel off the keyboard without breaking it

What model is it? eeePC 901 or something else? On my 901, you have to use a screwdriver to push the top of the keyboard laterally towards the touchpad so that the three or four little catches at the top clear the top of the keyboard bezel and the whole thing pops up.

1005 I think, the seashell

Ah. I assume you already did some Googling for 1005 / seashell / disassembly?

I hadn't thought to do that, but some googling has revealed a nifty how-to for taking it apart. It looks like a pain though:

http://cegeekbook.blogspot.com/2009/12/asus-eee-pc-1005hab-tear-down.html

I thought since you had one you'd know how to take it apart, but apparently you have a different model.

It's actually almost identical. As you see on page 2 of that link, the exact same keyboard retention tabs exist that I described above.

alright, well I'll see what I can do after school.

Excellent, good luck. Feel free to post questions as you go along; better to be cautious than end up with broken pieces.

I already have broken pieces, but they're mainly cosmetic, so I'm not worried.

I got the front panel off, only to realize to my dismay that I need to remove the mainboard as well in order to get at this damn wire. In red I've circled the two wires I need to disconnect without damaging, and the blue arrow points to where the wire slips under the mainboard. For now I'm taking a break, as the sheer volume of dust is making it hard for me to breathe, but I need to know how to work these connections without breaking them so I can continue this later.

The wire slipping under the motherboard is most likely the WiFi antenna. I'm sure there's a panel on the back you can remove to get to the WiFi card, after which you can gently pry the antenna connector apart. For the keyboard and touchpad cables, use your fingernails to pull the brown edges of the socket away from the lighter beige part; it moves parallel to the motherboard. If you can only do one side at a time, alternate between the two sides so you don't pull one side out further. When you've pulled the brown piece away (it will stay captive to the beige), you can just pull the ribbon cable straight out with almost no force.

Edit: That's for the keyboard connector. The mouse connector looks like the kind that flips up; put a fingernail between the ribbon cable and the brown piece, and it should flip up.

The arrow is pointing to where the wire I need to replace runs, which happens to be parallel to the the wifi wire. Will the computer's various orifices(USB, Ethernet, Headphone jack, etc.) get in the way of removing the mainboard, and if so, how do I work them out without damaging anything?

It looks to me as if the motherboard is in two different halves. If so, once you remove all the screws retaining the motherboard pieces (and remove that ribbon cable over the hard drive connecting the two halves) you should be able to lift them out.

What I meant was, are the ports on the left side of the computer gonna catch on the plastic case and hold the motherboard in? Also, it appears the fan helps hold the mobo in place, so I'll probably have to remove that first, yes?

EDIT- nevermind, I got it out. However, there appear to be well over 20 pins, far more than I thought, and there's no way I can solder something that intricate. Should I try massaging the cable and praying that works?

EDIT2- No luck, the problem seems to be inside the cable, not at the connection, so the only solution is to replace the cable. Anybody know where I could find one?

Well, http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=eeepc+lcd+cable seems to yield quite a few results, although I'm unsure how relevant they are.

Nothing for the 1005 series, and I don't know if any of the other models are compatible. And at those prices, it would be a costly mistake if I chose wrong.

I guess I'm buying an iPad or tablet PC. If nothing else, I've learned something about working with the insides of compact electronics.

Any inexpensive tablets/netbooks you'd recommend?