Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

5

Time Required

                          10 minutes

Sections

1

  • Bottom shell
  • 5 steps

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Introduction

The device is designed to be sturdy and safe for kids, so understandably it’s not as easy to open as, say, a ThinkPad. As it turns out it’s not horribly complicated either once you know what to do. Unfortunately ASUS does not provide repair manuals, so I had to find out after having pulled some parts apart by force.

What you need

Step 1

              Bottom shell
  • Disconnect any cables connected to the netbook. Close it and turn it upside down.
  • Remove all screws around the edge - the ones in the middle keep the RAM panel in place and can stay there if you don’t need access to that.

Disconnect any cables connected to the netbook. Close it and turn it upside down.

Remove all screws around the edge - the ones in the middle keep the RAM panel in place and can stay there if you don’t need access to that.

1024

Step 2

  • Next, we remove the keyboard. This is the finicky bit that I’d failed to figure out before resorting to force.
  • At the top edge of the keyboard there are three little nibs on springs; these keep the keyboard in place. The images show where to find them.
  • Using a guitar pick (I had to dig out my very thinnest for this), push each nib back and insert the pick vertically to keep it back.
  • With two or three of the nibs pushed back it becomes possible to use the picks as levers and lift the keyboard out of the laptop.

Next, we remove the keyboard. This is the finicky bit that I’d failed to figure out before resorting to force.

At the top edge of the keyboard there are three little nibs on springs; these keep the keyboard in place. The images show where to find them.

Using a guitar pick (I had to dig out my very thinnest for this), push each nib back and insert the pick vertically to keep it back.

With two or three of the nibs pushed back it becomes possible to use the picks as levers and lift the keyboard out of the laptop.

Step 3

  • The keyboard is connected with a flat cable. At the socket, push the black bit below the cable away from the socket (in the direction of the cable) and pull the cable out. I found the 1 mm round bit useful for this, but a needle works fine as well.

The keyboard is connected with a flat cable. At the socket, push the black bit below the cable away from the socket (in the direction of the cable) and pull the cable out. I found the 1 mm round bit useful for this, but a needle works fine as well.

Step 4

  • Now it’s time to remove the palm rest/touchpad panel.
  • Using the Philips screwdriver, remove all visible screws in the metal panel where the keyboard used to be. These are all the same size, so don’t worry about mixing them up.
  • Next, take a pick (or similar thin piece of plastic) around the edge below the panel. You’ll want to stay above the USB, VGA and other sockets. Here, we open up the dozen or so click connections that keep the panel in place.
  • Now only the touchpad and status LED cables hold the panel to the base - remove these from the sockets in the base.
  • CAREFUL: The metal panel has some thermal paste for the CPU and what I assume to be the on-board graphics. I believe that it is safe not to reapply this, but don’t touch it either. Both of these are on the right-hand side.
  • Do not try to remove the metal panel from the plastic panel, as this will end in tears and a keyboard that’s set too deep in the base when you reassemble.

Now it’s time to remove the palm rest/touchpad panel.

Using the Philips screwdriver, remove all visible screws in the metal panel where the keyboard used to be. These are all the same size, so don’t worry about mixing them up.

Next, take a pick (or similar thin piece of plastic) around the edge below the panel. You’ll want to stay above the USB, VGA and other sockets. Here, we open up the dozen or so click connections that keep the panel in place.

Now only the touchpad and status LED cables hold the panel to the base - remove these from the sockets in the base.

CAREFUL: The metal panel has some thermal paste for the CPU and what I assume to be the on-board graphics. I believe that it is safe not to reapply this, but don’t touch it either. Both of these are on the right-hand side.

Do not try to remove the metal panel from the plastic panel, as this will end in tears and a keyboard that’s set too deep in the base when you reassemble.

Step 5

  • At this point the guts of the Netpal are pretty much open to you.
  • The hard drive cage has screws on the far side and slides to the right once you take those out.
  • The battery is also reachable.

At this point the guts of the Netpal are pretty much open to you.

The hard drive cage has screws on the far side and slides to the right once you take those out.

The battery is also reachable.

Reassembly is largely straightforward - don’t be afraid to apply a little force to get the clickety bits back into place. The only tricky bit is getting the connectors for the status LEDs and the touchpad back into place: to make this at least a little easier, note that their cables are glued to the metal panel below the keyboard. They can be carefully separated from it to give you some more slack.

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