If one owns a Libretto 50-110 laptop... since it's over 10 years old now... and certain components/chips would fail due to wear/heat & tear... is there anywhere we can repair our Libretto or DIY with guides? I think the obvious things that would fail would be the clock, BIOS, Hard drive & CPU... and maybe RAM. Is there a place we can buy spares/parts to repair ourselves?

I see Toshiba website forums has abandon Libretto....

The hard disk is the most likely to die, seconded by the optional RAM module. Any standard IDE laptop hard disk can be used, as long as the case is loosened very slightly. The optional 32MB RAM modules are pretty difficult to find, but a Portege 3010 RAM module can be retrofitted. eBay is your best bet if you are after spares for the Libretto.

Hey Joseph. Thanks for your speedy reply. Yeah, I guess the IDE laptop hard disk & RAM modules should be accessible. What about the CPU or BIOS clock? Is the CPU a standard laptop CPU or a special Toshiba CPU? The Libretto I bought is 100CT so it has 166MHz but they said it's been overclocked to 233MHz. Overclocking in my opinion wear 'n' tears the chip faster... so am looking to see if I can get a 233MHz chip.

It seems there were lots of 233MHz models but mostly only released in Japan....

I'm not too sure on the CPU to be honest, but I know that it is permanently soldered onto the motherboard. As long as the CPU doesn't get too hot, it should run for ages just fine. The BIOS on the Libretto is a custom Toshiba BIOS, with the CMOS chip soldered onto the motherboard, which makes it tricky to replace (forgetting that it would be very difficult to find). In my opinion, the BIOS is fairly reliable unless it is messed around with (i.e. flashed). I think the parts that will wear out faster include the screen ribbon cable (you will begin to see a line down the side of the screen, this has happened to one of mine), keyboard, perhaps the FL inverter for the screen, hard disk, and RAM. I should say as long as you make sure the Libretto doesn't get too hot, and isn't dropped it should be ok. If you're after an individual part, the best place to look is eBay.

I am considering buying a faulty Libretto 100CT (2 lines across the LCD display, dodgy keyboard, missing HD cover) (because I have a working 100CT) just for spares. Hopefully the RAM, CMOS battery, are easy to swap. The CPU you say is soldered. Possible to unsolder and solder the CPU carefully? That's in the unlikely case of my CPU failed.

Hi,

If the Libretto you're buying has 64MB, then you can easily swap the 32MB extended RAM module if the RAM module on your working one fails. Unfortunately, the other 32MB is hard soldered onto the motherboard.

If you want to be able to remove this RAM, and the CPU, you are going to need to be extremely good at SMD (surface mounted device) soldering. It would be a tricky task for someone very experienced. To be honest, I have never had a CPU fail on me, so I don't think you need to worry as long as the Libretto doesn't get put inside an oven.

Hard Disk and CMOS battery are no problem to swap.