Difficulty
Moderate
Steps
19
Time Required
1 - 5 minutes
Sections
9
- Battery
- 2 steps
- Access Panel
- 2 steps
- Hard Drive
- 2 steps
- RAM
- 2 steps
- Keyboard
- 2 steps
- Palmrest Assembly
- 3 steps
- WLAN Card
- 2 steps
- Motherboard
- 2 steps
- Speaker
- 2 steps
Flags
1
Action Shots
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BackDell Inspiron 17R-5721
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Introduction
What you need
Step 1
Battery
- Located on the bottom of the laptop’s external shell, there should be two plastic sliding tabs to the right and left of the battery pack. Using your fingers, push these two tabs away from each other, toward the sides of the machine.
- This mechanically unlocks the battery pack from its slot at the back of the machine.
Located on the bottom of the laptop’s external shell, there should be two plastic sliding tabs to the right and left of the battery pack. Using your fingers, push these two tabs away from each other, toward the sides of the machine.
This mechanically unlocks the battery pack from its slot at the back of the machine.
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Step 2
- Using your fingernails, pry the battery pack away from the rest of the machine, at the physical seam between the pack and the laptop’s plastic case.
- This may take some effort to accomplish.
- Remove the battery.
Using your fingernails, pry the battery pack away from the rest of the machine, at the physical seam between the pack and the laptop’s plastic case.
This may take some effort to accomplish.
Remove the battery.
Step 3
Access Panel
- Using a Phillips #000 screwdriver, loosen the two screws at the top left and top right of the access door.
- These two captive screws will loosen but will not separate from the panel.
Using a Phillips #000 screwdriver, loosen the two screws at the top left and top right of the access door.
These two captive screws will loosen but will not separate from the panel.
Step 4
- Using a spudger, pry into the gap in the plastic revealed by loosening the screws.
- Lift off the access panel.
Using a spudger, pry into the gap in the plastic revealed by loosening the screws.
Lift off the access panel.
Step 5
Hard Drive
- Using a Phillips #000 screwdriver, remove the three 5 mm screws securing the hard drive to the laptop.
Using a Phillips #000 screwdriver, remove the three 5 mm screws securing the hard drive to the laptop.
Step 6
- Grabbing from the left of the hard drive, slide the part to the left and pull up, lifting it away from the machine.
Grabbing from the left of the hard drive, slide the part to the left and pull up, lifting it away from the machine.
Step 7
RAM
- Using your fingers, separate the metal tabs located on the left and right of each stick of RAM by pulling them apart from each other.
Using your fingers, separate the metal tabs located on the left and right of each stick of RAM by pulling them apart from each other.
Step 8
- Pull each RAM stick out of the machine, separating each piece from its respective slot.
Pull each RAM stick out of the machine, separating each piece from its respective slot.
Step 9
Keyboard
- Open the laptop to reveal the keyboard.
- Using a plastic opening tool, pry the keyboard free from the palmrest assembly at the plastic tabs located across the top of the keyboard.
Open the laptop to reveal the keyboard.
Using a plastic opening tool, pry the keyboard free from the palmrest assembly at the plastic tabs located across the top of the keyboard.
Step 10
- Once free from the palmrest, flip over the keyboard.
- Unplug the ribbon cable connecting the keyboard to the motherboard.
- Remove the keyboard.
Once free from the palmrest, flip over the keyboard.
Unplug the ribbon cable connecting the keyboard to the motherboard.
Remove the keyboard.
Step 11
Palmrest Assembly
- On the bottom of the laptop, use the Phillips screwdriver to remove nine total 5 mm screws from the following locations:
- Four screws at each corner of the laptop’s bottom panel
- Two screws within the battery slot
- One screw to the left of the hard drive
- Two screws located below the RAM
On the bottom of the laptop, use the Phillips screwdriver to remove nine total 5 mm screws from the following locations:
Four screws at each corner of the laptop’s bottom panel
Two screws within the battery slot
One screw to the left of the hard drive
Two screws located below the RAM
Step 12
- Using your fingers, unplug the two palmrest ribbon cables found at the bottom left of the integrated keyboard’s slot.
Using your fingers, unplug the two palmrest ribbon cables found at the bottom left of the integrated keyboard’s slot.
Step 13
- Use the metal spudger at the bottom-right corner of the palmrest’s faceplate to pry underneath the plastic casing and separate the palmrest from the laptop’s bottom plastic shell.
- Once the spudger has leverage between the two halves of the case, work the tool around the right, bottom, and left edges of the palmrest, prying the top from the bottom at around every half-inch.
- Lift off the palmrest assembly.
Use the metal spudger at the bottom-right corner of the palmrest’s faceplate to pry underneath the plastic casing and separate the palmrest from the laptop’s bottom plastic shell.
Once the spudger has leverage between the two halves of the case, work the tool around the right, bottom, and left edges of the palmrest, prying the top from the bottom at around every half-inch.
Lift off the palmrest assembly.
Step 14
WLAN Card
- Disconnect the two antenna cables connected to the WLAN card.
Disconnect the two antenna cables connected to the WLAN card.
Step 15
- Use the Phillips screwdriver to remove the single 3 mm screw securing the WLAN card to the laptop.
- Remove the WLAN card.
Use the Phillips screwdriver to remove the single 3 mm screw securing the WLAN card to the laptop.
Remove the WLAN card.
Step 16
Motherboard
- By hand, unplug the four ribbon cables attached to the motherboard from the following locations:
- The top-right
- The top-left, beneath the WLAN card
- The bottom-right
- The bottom-left cable, attached to the speakers
By hand, unplug the four ribbon cables attached to the motherboard from the following locations:
The top-right
The top-left, beneath the WLAN card
The bottom-right
The bottom-left cable, attached to the speakers
Step 17
- Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove a total of five screws (two 3mm, five 5mm) from the locations marked on the image.
Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove a total of five screws (two 3mm, five 5mm) from the locations marked on the image.
Step 18
Speaker
- Using the Phillips screwdriver, remove the four wide screws (2mm wafer) holding both the left and right speakers in place.
- Despite the heads of the screws being wider than most others in the machine, the same #000 bit will still properly unscrew these.
Using the Phillips screwdriver, remove the four wide screws (2mm wafer) holding both the left and right speakers in place.
Despite the heads of the screws being wider than most others in the machine, the same #000 bit will still properly unscrew these.
Step 19
- Remove both the left and right speakers by hand.
- Be careful to avoid pulling the two apart, as they are connected via an integral cable.
Remove both the left and right speakers by hand.
Be careful to avoid pulling the two apart, as they are connected via an integral cable.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
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Author
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Thomas Griffin
Member since: 03/21/2019
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Team
UMass Dartmouth, Team S2-G6, Bailey Spring 2019
Member of UMass Dartmouth, Team S2-G6, Bailey Spring 2019
UMASSD-BAILEY-S19S2G6
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