The motherboard is the main printed circuit board inside your laptop. It connects all internal and external hardware devices to your computer. It if isn't working properly, you will experience anything from malfunctioning hardware to major power issues. Diagnosing these issues is costly and time-consuming. Most laptop technicians will advise you to replace the motherboard completely. Replacing the motherboard means completely dismantling the laptop and removing all hardware.
Instructions
1. Shut down your notebook through the operating system. Unplug all cables and devices from the computer. Close the LCD screen and place the laptop face down on a flat surface. Remove the battery pack from its compartment, which is held in place by one or two release buttons.
2. Remove all hardware devices accessible from the laptop's bottom side. This usually includes your hard drive, memory, modem, wireless module and optical drive. Remove each hardware's plastic cover and retaining Phillips-head screws, with the exception of the optical drive, which doesn't have a cover. Remove the Phillips-head screws fastening the hard drive, modem and optical drives in place. Disengage the memory and wireless module's retention clips. Unplug the cables from the modem and wireless modules. Remove each hardware device from its compartment.
3. Remove all Phillips-head screws from the laptop's bottom casing. Place the laptop so the top is facing upward. Open the display panel and pry the keyboard bezel from the laptop. This is the plastic strip situated above the keyboard. Remove the screws fastening the keyboard to the laptop. Lift the keyboard out of the laptop, disconnect its ribbon cable from the motherboard and remove the keyboard from the laptop.
4. Grasp the Wi-Fi antenna cables extending from the display panel. Pull them through the access hole in the top cover assembly. Disconnect the LCD video cable from its connector in the upper right or left corner of the motherboard. Remove the screws from each display hinge. Remove any screws from the laptop's back panel that fasten the display panel to the laptop's base. Remove the display assembly from the laptop.
5. Loosen all screws fastening the top cover in place. Lift the top cover off of the laptop's base and unplug the touchpad device's ribbon cable from the motherboard. Remove the top cover assembly from the laptop completely. This reveals the motherboard and all internal components.
6. Locate the processor fan assembly on the motherboard. Remove the spring-loaded Phillips-head screws from the fan and unplug its power cable from the motherboard. Lift the fan assembly off of the processor chip and set it aside. Wipe away the excess thermal grease from the processor's surface. Disengage the mechanism locking the processor to its motherboard socket. This is either a flat-head screw or lever. Lift the processor out of the motherboard and set it aside.
7. Loosen all screws fastening the motherboard to the laptop's base. This includes the hex screws fastening the data ports to the laptop's back panel. Disconnect any remaining cables or devices. Lift the entire motherboard assembly out of the laptop and set it aside.
8. Reverse this procedure to install the new motherboard and put your laptop back together.
Tags: from laptop, screws fastening, cable from, Phillips-head screws, screws from