(Don’t) Try This at Home: Fix Your Computer by Putting it in Your Oven?

Easy-bake computer? Sean Buckley writes in Gizmodo how he fixed his computer by putting it in his oven. (Photo: Sean Buckley/Gizmodo) 

When someone says their computer is fried, that usually means it’s broken. But it turns out there are some do-it-yourself computer techies who claim to revive their machines by baking them. 

No, we don’t mean “baking” as in some kind of tech geek buzzword. We’re talking about physically putting a computer in the kitchen oven and baking them. It very well could be that with computers, as with food, baked is healthier than fried.

On Gizmodo, Sean Buckley details his effort to repair his busted old gaming laptop that had run so hot for so long, the little solders that connected the chips to the rest of the machine became frayed. The problem essentially turned his computer into a worthless electronic paperweight.

To fix it, Buckley attempted a process known in computer circles as “reflowing”: heating up the motherboard to melt the solders back into place. In his post, Buckley describes disassembling the laptop — removing its outer panel, keyboard, screen, WiFi antennas, hard drive, RAM, card reader, fans, CPU, etc.

(Photos: Sean Buckley/Gizmodo)

From there, the process sounds a lot like baking pastries from Pillsbury: Buckley set his kitchen oven temperature to between 320-350 degrees, placed the stripped-down motherboard on a casserole dish (or crumpled balls of aluminum foil work in a pinch, he says) and baked each side for 2-4 minutes each. He then let it cool down, re-assembled it, and bingo: “my first gaming laptop turned on for the first time in years,” he writes.

Success! Buckley writes that he baked his computer back to life! (Photo: Sean Buckley/Gizmodo)

So is the secret to fixing a broken computer popping it in your oven? “Many people have been able to add a few months or years to the life of their hardware for free,” iFixit’s Sterling Hirsh tells Yahoo Makers. Hirsh wrote a popular blog post last year about baking his malfunctioning MacBook Pro.

But not everyone is hot on reflowing. “It’s pretty dangerous, as you can completely destroy a motherboard by doing it,” says Yahoo Tech reporter Daniel Howley. “It’s also a fairly high-level repair procedure, as it requires you to completely strip the motherboard of any other components so you don’t ruin them.”

Should you take apart your laptop and bake it? Or should you leave the repair to the pros? (Photo: Thinkstock)

There are other flaws with this repair method. Some computer users are extremely worried that they’ll be melting plastic and silicon into the same oven where they prepare their food (to that, Hirsh says he’s never noticed any burning silicon and that you’re not baking at a high enough temperature or for a long enough time to melt the plastic).

Related story on Yahoo Makers: Decals That Will Liven Up Your Laptop

And of course, there are no guarantees it will work. “It won’t fix every issue, and the fix won’t last forever,” admits Hirsh, “especially if the underlying cause for failure remains.” For obvious reasons, attempting this radical fix on a computer still covered by a manufacturer’s warranty or repair/replacement program is ill-advised. Why try such a risky repair procedure when you can have a pro fix or replace your computer for a lot less money and risk?

Both Howley and Hirsh agree on one thing: this is a last resort fix, to be attempted only “when you’re basically thinking about throwing your motherboard away and replacing it with a new one,” says Howley.

But if you’re determined to attempt a reflow yourself, Hirsh cautions the riskiest part isn’t the baking, but comes with the reassembling. “The trickiest part of the process is reapplying thermal paste to the chips and heat sinks after baking,” he tells Yahoo Makers. “There are plenty of guides online for that, but you will need to buy some thermal paste like Arctic Silver beforehand.”

If you want to try this, the first step is taking apart your laptop, which can be risky. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Disassembling the computer is no cakewalk either. “Some devices also require specialized screwdrivers to open,” Hirsh says. “Anyone can bake their motherboard, but carefully following instructions on removing the motherboard and reapplying thermal paste is helpful to avoid damage to the device.”

Instead of popping your motherboard into an oven, Yahoo Tech’s Daniel Howley suggests a more targeted approach to repairing the solders. “You can try to reflow by using a soldering iron, but most people probably don’t have one,” he says. “The soldering iron solution would be way safer and less likely to ruin your motherboard.”

A soldering iron: a more surgical, less risky approach to laptop repair (Photo: Thinkstock)

So the consensus about baking your laptop: you might fix it, you might break it; you might harm your oven, you might not. It’s definitely a “try at your own (considerable) risk” proposition. No matter how it turns out, at least you can joke about enjoying your baked Apple. 

Let Yahoo Makers inspire you every day! Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest.