With the recent rise in the popularity of laptops, it has become apparent that these excellent portable devices are also very fragile. We all know the pain of having our laptop shatter on us, whether it’s dropping coffee on your keyboard or stepping on edge and hearing the cracking sound of death! Don’t sweat; you can either replace broken parts or completely disassemble and reassemble your laptop. The latter is not recommended unless you have extensive knowledge about hardware components and how they work together to provide proper functioning. Taking your device apart will void the warranty, so avoid this step if at all possible. Here we have the tips from best gaming tips:
Step 1: Backup
Before going any further, make a backup first. All critical data should be backed up one way or another. There are various methods to do this. The most popular method is using an external hard drive (USB or Firewire) and simply copying over your files. The operating system can also be backed up, but it’s a much more complicated task since you need to transfer the installation DVD and boot from it every time you come to restore your backup. It is not recommended unless you have experience with Windows/Linux installations and know how to access the BIOS menu (hitting F2 during startup), find booting options, select an optical drive as a primary boot source, etc.
Step 2: Take out the battery
The next step would be getting rid of all electricity sources to avoid short circuits. Most laptops have a power button located at the bottom side of the case. Remove the battery and disconnect the AC adapter from a wall socket. You can also similarly remove the Ethernet cable, but leave the Wi-Fi interface alone if you have one.
Step 3: Remove screws from the back panel
A laptop case usually has numerous screws holding it together. Some of them hide under rubber covers (usually located around display hinges), so make sure you do not lose these pieces! Unscrew all of them using a screwdriver or by your method (bending metal wire etc.). The laptop should be openable like a book, albeit with some light resistance at first due to glued parts (rubber feet, for example). After unscrewing the remaining fasteners, carefully lift the display panel and put it aside. You’ll probably see white tape covering the display connector at the bottom of the case. Remove all tapes and take out any screws holding the metal cover over them. Now carefully pry open the display by moving plastic hinges away from the laptop body until they break off (it’s ok, remove broken pieces). You should now be able to separate the top and bottom parts of your device easily.
Step 4: Disassemble the motherboard/bottom part.
The motherboard is usually held in place with one screw located on its backside. Unscrew it and lift the motherboard carefully. Take care not to pull wires connecting components! If you do so, repair them using soldering iron or simply using the same electrical solder as soldering printed circuit boards. Make sure you don’t overheat components and rip them off the board! Disconnect all cables by carefully pulling them out of their connectors one by one, noting how each cable goes back. Now you can take out the motherboard completely and set it aside.
Step 5: Clean fan
The primary source of laptop heat is usually the CPU heatsink and fans located beneath the motherboard. Fans are connected to the power supply using a standard 4-wire Molex connector (older laptops may have three pins). Make sure you unplug this connector before disassembling further. Unscrew screws holding heatsink onto CPU and clean both surfaces with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol (IPA or Isopropyl works fine) or another disinfectant. You can use a small brush to clean inner fins, but do not bend them excessively!
Step 6: Clean heatsink base
Unscrew the fan from the heatsink and remove dust from its blades using a vacuum cleaner or simply by blowing compressed air into it. Look at how the fan is attached to the heatsink – some models have rubber pads securing it firmly, while others are held in place solely by pressure. The fan should be securely fixed – if not, replace the double-sided tape with fresh pieces (if available). WARNING: Do not touch the metal core of the fan – you could short circuit your device that way!
Ready for reassembly! Put everything back together as they were before disassembly and start your machine without a battery and AC adapter. If it does not boot, go through steps 1-5 again and pay attention to small details. Once your laptop boots normally, replace the battery and AC adapter one by one while your computer is still running to avoid sudden shutdowns or other malfunctions.
Disclaimer: We at bestgaming.tips are not responsible for any damage caused by following this guide! Please do not attempt any of described procedures unless you are an experienced hardware technician. Any modifications on your laptop (significantly changing heatsink or cooling solution) will void the warranty, so make sure you know what you are doing!