Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

9

Time Required

                          15 minutes

Sections

3

  • Battery
  • 3 steps
  • Keyboard
  • 2 steps
  • Upper Case
  • 4 steps

Flags

2

In Progress

This guide is a work in progress. Reload periodically to see the latest changes!

Member-Contributed Guide

An awesome member of our community made this guide. It is not managed by iFixit staff.

  • BackDell Inspiron 15 (N5050)

  • Full Screen

  • Options

  • History

  • Save to Favorites

  • Download PDF

  • Edit

  • Translate

  • Get Shareable Link

  • Embed This Guide

  • Notify Me of Changes

  • Stop Notifications

What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Flip your laptop over to view the bottom and locate the two locks.

Flip your laptop over to view the bottom and locate the two locks.

1024

Step 2

  • Slide the two locks away from each other.
  • Sliding these locks will loosen the battery to allow removal.

Slide the two locks away from each other.

Sliding these locks will loosen the battery to allow removal.

Step 3

  • Pull battery out of the laptop.
  • Your laptop’s battery should be completely removed.

Pull battery out of the laptop.

Your laptop’s battery should be completely removed.

Step 4

              Keyboard
  • Flip the laptop right side up. Open the laptop.
  • Gently press in the four retaining tabs along the top of the keyboard with a spudger, one at a time.
  • After the first tab is released, gently lift up on the keyboard so it doesn’t lock again. Finish the other three tabs while gently lifting up on the keyboard. The keyboard will hinge up along the bottom.

Flip the laptop right side up. Open the laptop.

Gently press in the four retaining tabs along the top of the keyboard with a spudger, one at a time.

After the first tab is released, gently lift up on the keyboard so it doesn’t lock again. Finish the other three tabs while gently lifting up on the keyboard. The keyboard will hinge up along the bottom.

Step 5

  • Gently flip the data cable latch away from the data cable with flat side of spudger.
  • Lift the cable up and out.
  • When reinstalling cable, there are two retainer wings on the sides of the cable that the cable that lock onto the bottom of the cable latch area. When these are in place the cable is properly inserted.
  • For removing the optical drive you don’t need to disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable.

Gently flip the data cable latch away from the data cable with flat side of spudger.

Lift the cable up and out.

When reinstalling cable, there are two retainer wings on the sides of the cable that the cable that lock onto the bottom of the cable latch area. When these are in place the cable is properly inserted.

For removing the optical drive you don’t need to disconnect the keyboard ribbon cable.

Step 6

              Upper Case
  • Close the lid, flip the laptop bottom side up with the battery at the top.
  • Remove the 11 screws holding the upper case to the lower case.

Close the lid, flip the laptop bottom side up with the battery at the top.

Remove the 11 screws holding the upper case to the lower case.

Step 7

  • Flip the laptop over and open the lid.
  • Remove the two screws from the upper case.

Flip the laptop over and open the lid.

Remove the two screws from the upper case.

Step 8

  • Gently unplug the power cable.
  • You lift up on the dark gray latch.
  • Pull the blue ribbon up.
  • Gently unplug the touchpad cable.
  • Lift up on the dark gray latch.
  • Pull the blue ribbon up

Gently unplug the power cable.

You lift up on the dark gray latch.

Pull the blue ribbon up.

Gently unplug the touchpad cable.

Lift up on the dark gray latch.

Pull the blue ribbon up

Step 9

  • Grab the metal frame of the upper case and gently pull it away from the lower case. Disconnect the cable that says MB before removing the palmrest.
  • Work your way around the perimeter of the upper case.

Grab the metal frame of the upper case and gently pull it away from the lower case. Disconnect the cable that says MB before removing the palmrest.

Work your way around the perimeter of the upper case.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Cancel: I did not complete this guide.

                                                                                      41 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 6 other contributors 


                    Tyler

Member since: 06/19/2012

4,821 Reputation

                                      16 Guides authored                  



                       Badges:
                       25







                                                        +22 more badges

Team

                       TechForce                        

                                                  Member of TechForce 



                    Business                     


                                            2 Members                     


                                            25 Guides authored

Chris Baines - May 20, 2014

Reply

Awesome guide! Thank you so much for posting this.

Joe B - Jun 15, 2014

Reply

My issue was that hard drive slipped out of it connector. Snapped it back in. Works! Thanks for great instructions.

rosen220462 - Jan 3, 2015

Reply

Thanks for your help - now reformattting in a different laptop

Sage - Mar 13, 2015

Reply

I’ve replaced my drive as described above.

Can anyone tell me what comes next?

*I turned it on, got dialog on the drive recognized, but I couldn’t get it started.

I did try the dell drivers & utilities that came with it with no luck.

I looked into the options under F2, F8 & F12.

No luck there.

I’m still digging through e-how links.

Tyler - Mar 15, 2015

A new hard drive normally doesn’t have Windows installed on it. Hopefully you have created the dell recovery dvds when you first obtained the laptop. If you don’t have that you can try and download the dvd image from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-….