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Laptop Repair  

How to Disassemble a Laptop

– Take Apart ANY Laptop
Using These 8 Steps
 Tekmoz  min read

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
Learning to take apart a laptop
Let’s begin this section of laptop disassembly in 8 steps by also
explaining that the purpose of the ‘laptop teardown’ is to give you
the confidence that you can disassemble any laptop and how
laptop assembly works. You can use these steps to take apart a
laptop regardless of make or model, as you gain more experience
you may adjust them slightly but this is a tried and tested Website: Uplifted Lingerie (&
bras online)
approach.

An introduction to laptop disassembly

Really the only time you would need to undertake full a complete
laptop disassembly is perhaps if you are to replace a motherboard
or laptop case.  The majority of repairs or replacement will
only require a few of these steps to be undertaken.

However, manufacturers DO tend to follow a common pattern

and a system when building laptops regardless of the brand and
because of this we can follow as a guide these 8 steps that can be
applied to ANY laptop as a guide. They show you how to
disassemble or how to open a laptop regardless of manufacturer.

The 8 steps of generic laptop disassembly & how to open a laptop

1. 1. Remove the power supply and

battery

2. 2. Remove the accessible


 components

3. 3. Remove the Hinge Plate Cover

(HPC) / Keyboard Bezel and keyboard

4. 4. Remove any other cables under the

keyboard that you see

5. 5.Remove the display unit

6. 6. Continue to remove any other

screws from the case

7. 7. Pry case apart

8. 8. Remove the motherboard and

motherboard peripherals

The aim of this exercise is to give you an overview of how to

generically disassemble a laptop.  The aim is to introduce the
student to the various components found within a typical laptop
and how you can replace them.


 1. Remove the power supply and

battery

Removing the battery and power adapter

Move the locking slider to the ‘unlock’ position 

 Move the other slider in the direction of the arrow

Pull the battery out straight and not on an angle

1. Remove the accessible components

Remove accessible components.

How to unscrew a laptop

Use an appropriate magnet tipped screwdriver, most of the

time you will use a Philips screwdriver for this (see laptop

disassembly tools)

If you are removing a cover, e.g. a Hard Drive or RAM cover, it

may help if you place masking tape over the screw hole to 
 keep the screws in place once the cover is removed so as not

to lose the screws.

If the screw spins and does not come out first of all turn the
laptop over and gently tap the underside, try using the

magnetic tip of the screwdriver to pull the screw out if this

helps

If the threads on the screw have became worn then consider

using a Dremel tool to drill the screw out.

How to take the back / bottom of a

laptop off
Undo the screws from all of the covers that house the
components found on the underside of the laptop.

The number of covers will vary from laptop to laptop.  For

neatness and efficiency put the screws back into their holes

on the covers once removed from the laptop and consider

putting some masking tape over the hole.

There is also a single screw that retains the CD/DVD drive.  On

most laptops this appears as a small CD picture, in this case it
is the picture of a padlock.  Sometimes this screw is located

underneath a cover.  Try to imagine the size and length of a

CD/DVD drive to get an idea where the screw will be located. 
Remove this also.


Remove the covers and lay them out upon a cleared area of your
workbench in such a way that they are positioned in rough relation
to each other as they were upon the laptop.

HARD DRIVE: – Remove this by pulling it in the opposite direction

to its data pins.  There may be screws or maybe not. The drive
should pull out easily.  Place it on top of its cover in the cleared
area of your desk.

RAM: – There are clips either side of the sticks of RAM that push
outward.  It is advisable to use a plastic spudger tool whenever
possible to prevent any static discharge from occurring.  When
release the RAM will pop up at an angle of 30 degrees.  Remove
both sticks of RAM and place them on top of their cover in the
cleared area of your desk.

There may be more covers that you can remove or not.  If you can
see more then keep going until all covers and components have
been removed.

WIRELESS CARD: – There is a small gold tipped cover which you

can prise off with minimum effort.  This is the wireless antennae. 
The wireless card itself can be removed in the same manner as
the sticks of RAM.  Remember to remove it at 30 degree angle.

For now if you see a heat sink under a cover then leave it in place. 
If you remove it you could damage the CPU.


 1. Remove the Hinge Plate Cover (HPC)
/ Keyboard Bezel and keyboard

Remove  the ‘Hinge Cover Plate’ and keyboard

With some laptops there are additional screws that retain the
Hinge Cover Plate, (HCP) most of the time they will be indicated by
a small picture of a keyboard (but not always).  These screws will
sometimes located inside the removed battery area.  Remove
them and take a note of their position and type so you can
differentiate them from other screws later on.

Sometimes there is an obvious notch where you can begin to

remove the hinge plate cover.  Using a small flat head screwdriver
prise this up.  Minimum force is always required and no more. 
When you do this with other laptops if you have to use more than
minimum force then there are likely to be retaining screws.  STOP
and remove them before you do any damage.


Once the hinge cover plate has been prised up, use your fingers to
gently remove the whole part.  Place it with the other covers on
your work desk.
Remove the retaining screws found underneath the hinge cover
plate. Check for any additional screws near the bottom of the
keyboard too.

The keyboard will not simply lift up you need to push it forward
toward the screen first.

THERE IS A RIBBON CABLE UNDERNEATH THE KEYBOARD – BE

VERY CAREFUL NOT TO PULL IT OUT AT THIS POINT.

The ribbon cable is held in place by a plastic hinge which you can
lift up using either your finger nail or a plastic spudger tool.

1. Remove any other cables under the

keyboard that you see

It may be a good idea to take a picture or draw a diagram of where
all the cables go.

The ribbon cable connectors only come in a few varieties and they
either prise forward or upward.  You might also see small plastic
plugs for some cables.  They just pull out.

1. Remove the display unit

Our next step will be to remove the display unit.  As with most
laptops before this can be done we also need to remove the
antennae cable and the LCD data cable.  These cables can be
connected in variety of manner but removal is usually straight
forward.

Take out the hinge screws for the display assembly.  Sometimes
they are on the back and others they are inside.  Try to see where
the hinges might be connected, they usually use longer screws.

Take out the hinge screws for the display assembly and gently
removed the part. 
SCREEN REPLACEMENT / FL INVERTER

Remove the black rubber pads from around the edge of the
screen surround.  The retaining screws are to be found under
here.  When removing the pads using as little force as possible as
to not damage them.  Try and use your finger nails at first before
resorting to other tools.

Undo the screws and place them into a tub on your separate work
area.

Using a spudger tool or your fingers pry the front cover away from
the back part of the screen.  Run the spudger tool around the
outside if required but at no point should you feel resistance, you
may have missed a screw if you do.

With the front cover removed the LCD screen is now exposed.

Remove the tiny screws from the side of the LCD screen and
remove the screen taking care not to touch the back part of the
screen that says ‘DO NOT TOUCH’.

Most laptops allow you to just remove 2 screws from the top front
part of the metallic arms that hold the LCD in place which allows
you to tilt the screen and have access to the FL INVERTER.
otherscrews

1. Continue to remove any other screws

from the case


Remove them all and place them either in pile so you can identify
them later or into a small container.  Make sure you label them so
you know where they came from later on.

Repeat this procedure for the other half of the laptop.

1. Pry case apart

Pry case apart – use spudger, fingernails or plastic tools.  Again, if

you feel resistance STOP and double check you have removed all
of the screws.

1. Remove the motherboard and

motherboard peripherals

Removing the Motherboard.


Take note that the touchpad comes as part of an assembly and
when you buy a replacement one of these it comes as the
assembly and not just the touchpad.

Remove all screws securing the system board, the power board,
the video board, etc. Disconnect all cables, connecting the boards.

Sometimes the screws on the motherboard have a letter assigned

or white arrows.  They are the ones you have to unscrew to get the
motherboard off because you don’t always have to take all the
screws out.

Take the screw numbers as a guide for fitting and removal.

Slowly take the motherboard out and feel for where the pressure
seems to keep the board in place.  It should come out with no
pressure.

PUTTING IT ALL BACK TOGETHER

The process is simply the reverse.

STEP 1


Put the motherboard back into the case and reconnect the sound
cable.

Put all screws back into the white arrow holes.

Put the case parts back together.  Remember to thread the cables
including the antennae cable back through.  Make sure no cable is
snagged or caught up anywhere.

STEP 2

Put the retaining screws back into the bottom half of the laptop. 
Then put the top screws back in.

STEP 3

Put the screen back in place and reconnect the antennae and the
data cable.

Replace the display hinge screws.

STEP 4

Replace the keyboard.  First of all put the ribbon cable back in. 
Remember there is a plastic hinge which holds the ribbon in place,
remember to lift this up first (gently).

The ribbon has a darker side and a lighter side.  It is the lighter side
that faces upward, so there is no twist in the ribbon.

Replace the keyboard retaining screws.

STEP 5

Click the Hinge Cover Plate (HCP) back into place.  Use even
pressure to ensure it fits properly.

STEP 6

Replace the RAM.  Remember it is fed into the slots at 30 degree

angles and not straight on.

Once it has been fed at a 30 degree angle, click it downwards into

place. 
Replace the other components such as the wireless card, again
remember it has to inserted at a  30 degree angle.  Click it into
place and gently replace the gold connector.

Replace the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) by sliding it in the opposite

direction to the arrow.  Make sure it fits securely and is not loose.

Insert the CD/DVD drive and put the retaining screw back into the
underside of the laptop.

STEP 7

Finally, replace the component covers and replace all of the

screws.

These steps give you a generic overview that you can use to take
any laptop apart.

Now that we have an idea of about laptop disassembly let’s

look at some things that go wrong
<

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
 Tekmoz
Tekmoz is a website that is the culmination of over 15
years experience and counting in the computer repair
and technology industry where you can learn from our
experience and apply it to your own life.

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