How to Disassemble a Thinkpad
- 1). Shut off your laptop, and disconnect all cables and devices. Close the LCD panel, and flip the laptop over. Rotate the computer so the front is facing forward. Remove the battery from its battery pack.
- 2). Remove the screws securing the RAM compartment cover to the center of the bottom casing, then remove the cover.
- 3). Remove the RAM module from inside the memory compartment. Spread the retaining clips on each side of the module. Tilt the module upward at an angle, and then remove it from the memory slot.
- 4). Remove the two screws securing the hard drive to its compartment in the lower left corner of the laptop. Pull the hard drive out of its compartment.
- 5). Remove the screws securing the CD/DVD drive in the upper right, or left corner of the laptop. The location of the CD/DVD drive depends on your laptop model. Pull the CD drive from its compartment. Remove all remaining screws from the laptop's bottom casing.
- 6). Place the laptop face up and open the LCD screen all the way. Insert a flat-head screwdriver into the gap between the bottom row of keyboard keys and the palm rest area. Lift up on the keyboard with the screwdriver. Place the keyboard face down over the palm rest. Disconnect the keyboard's connector from the motherboard. Remove the keyboard from the laptop.
- 7). Remove the RAM module revealed by the keyboard. Spread its retaining latches, tilt it upward, and pull the module from its memory slot. Disconnect the touchpad cable from its connector above the touchpad device on the motherboard. Lift the top casing from the laptop's base, and set it aside.
- 8). Disconnect the LCD video cable extending from the left side of the screen to the motherboard. Remove the screws from each hinge. Lift the LCD panel from the laptop's base, and set it aside carefully.
- 9). Remove three screws securing the large cooling fan assembly to the left side of the motherboard. Disconnect the fan's cable from the motherboard, and then lift the fan assembly out of the laptop to reveal the entire motherboard.