Removing a motherboard in a desktop computer can be relatively simple: disconnect the components, then swap out the motherboard. However, because of the compact nature of a laptop--such as the Dell Inspiron 6000--swapping out a motherboard can take a lot of time; if not done correctly, you can damage the inner components. The replacement motherboard must be compatible with the rest of the components or the computer may not work correctly.
Instructions
Removing the Motherboard
1. Turn the computer over so the bottom faces up and the hinges are at the top. Remove the battery at the top right corner by sliding the battery release latch to the right. The battery will pop up, so pull it out of the slot to remove it.
2. Remove the two screws holding the RAM cover in place, then remove the cover. The RAM cover is in the middle of the computer, near the bottom.
3. Laptop RAM looks similar to this photo, but will be shorter.
Unclip the RAM by pushing the clips holding the RAM on each side away from each other at the same time. The RAM will pop up, then pull it out of the slot to remove it. The RAM looks like a small computer board with black squares on it.
4. Remove the two screws along the right side, just below where the battery was, to loosen the hard drive. Pull the drive to the right to remove it.
5. Remove the thirteen screws that follow along the bottom edge of the laptop. There are four screws along the top and four in corresponding places on the bottom. There are two screws near where the screws for the hard drive were along the right edge of the laptop. One screw is directly to the right of the battery release latch. The final two are just above the fan vent in the bottom left-hand corner of the laptop.
6. Turn the laptop over and fully open the display.
7. Remove the hinge cover by placing a small flat-head screwdriver into the right side of the hinge cover, which is the plastic piece containing the power button, directly above the keyboard. Gently lift the hinge cover using the screwdriver, then run a finger along the bottom of the cover to detach and remove it from the laptop.
8. Remove the two screws under the hinge cover that hold the keyboard in place--they are above the "F5" and "Ins" keys.
9. Lift the keyboard up slightly, then disconnect the keyboard connector, which is directly above the trackpad in the middle of the laptop. Pull the keyboard up to remove it.
10. Unscrew the grounding wire from the motherboard and disconnect the display cable. The grounding wire and display cable are in the middle of the laptop toward the top--imagine a line from the second "L" in "DELL" down to the laptop to find the grounding wire and display cable. The display cable is directly next to the grounding wire and has a pull tab.
11. Disconnect the white and black cables from the Mini-PCI card in the space directly to the right of the grounding wire and display cable. Spread the clips on each side of the Mini-PCI card apart to release and remove the mini-PCI card.
12. Remove the four screws (two each) from each of the hinges for the display unit. The hinges are in the left and right top corners. Pull the display unit up to remove it from the laptop.
13. Remove the one screw directly to the right of the grounding wire location.
14. Remove the touch pad connector from the main board--it is in the space directly in the middle of the laptop with the circular battery. The connector is below the battery. After disconnecting the touch pad, lift the top cover of the laptop and remove it.
15. Unscrew and remove the video card/thermal-cooling assembly, which is at the top of the computer in the middle. The card/assembly is rectangular with a copper pipe that runs to the side of the laptop.
16. Remove the MCH heat sink, which is directly below the video card/thermal-cooling assembly. Remove the single screw in the bottom left corner of the MCH heat sink that secures it to the motherboard, then remove the heat sink.
17.Unscrew and remove the microprocessor thermal-cooling assembly, which looks like an "X" and is located to the right of the fan, in the top left corner of the laptop.
18. Turn the socket that secures the microprocessor to the motherboard counterclockwise. The socket is the screw to the left of the processor, which was underneath the microprocessor thermal-cooling assembly. Lift the microprocessor straight up to remove it after loosening the socket--be careful not to bend or damage the side of the microprocessor with the pins.
19. Unscrew the black fan in the top left corner of the laptop. There is one screw in the upper left and one in the bottom right of the fan. Next to the bottom right screw, lift up the fan cable to disconnect it from the motherboard.
20. Disconnect the speaker cable and the Bluetooth cable at the bottom of the laptop. Both are just above where the track pad would have been.
21. Unscrew the motherboard and remove it from the laptop casing. There is one screw directly above where the video card was, at the top and directly in the middle of the laptop; another is in the upper left corner of where the hard drive used to be while the last is in the bottom right of that same space. Lift the board from the right side to separate it from the casing.
Installing the New Motherboard
22. Place the left side of the new motherboard into the casing first, then lay the right side down. Screw the motherboard into the casing in the same places from which you extracted them from the original motherboard.
23. Connect the Bluetooth and speaker cables to the motherboard--push firmly down on the connectors to make sure they connect securely.
24. Place the fan in the case and screw it in. Make sure the curved part of the fan is in the left corner and connect the fan cable to the motherboard.
25. Align the microprocessor to the motherboard, set it in place and turn the socket clockwise to secure it. The microprocessor and the motherboard have corresponding arrows that serve as a guide to align one to the other.
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Place the microprocessor thermal-cooling assembly on top of the microprocessor and screw it into the motherboard. The screw slots are numbered on the assembly, tighten them in numerical order.
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Place the MCH heat sink onto the spot where the video card was and secure it with the single screw in the bottom left corner.
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Place the video card/thermal cooling assembly on top of the heat sink and screw it in place. Make sure to connect the system board connector in the bottom left corner.
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Align the top cover of the laptop casing onto the bottom cover. Connect the touchpad connector, then snap the cover into place by firmly pressing down on it along the edges of the frame. Also, screw the one screw at the top and in the middle to secure the top casing to the bottom.
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Align the display unit onto the laptop by matching the hinges to the empty screw holes in the top left and right corners of the laptop. Screw the display unit into the casing and screw the grounding wire in and connect the display cable to the motherboard.
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Slide the mini-PCI card into the mini-PCI slot to the right of the display cable. Place the right side in first, then push down on the left side of the card to secure it in place. Connect the white and black wires to the mini-PCI card.
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Connect the keyboard cable to the motherboard then slide the keyboard, bottom first, onto the laptop. Secure the laptop with the screws above the "F5" and "Ins" keys.
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Align the hinge cover above the keyboard. Push the left side of the hinge cover down first, then snap it into place going left to right by pushing firmly down on it.
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Close the laptop and turn it over. Replace the thirteen screws mentioned in Section 1, Step 5.
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Insert the hard drive into the right side of the laptop. Secure it with the two screws along the right side of the laptop.
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Slide the RAM into the memory slot, right side first. The RAM can only go in one way, so if it does not slide into place, flip it over and try again. Push down on the left side of the RAM to secure it in place. Replace the RAM cover and screw it into place.
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Place the battery into the battery slot. Put the battery in top first, then push down on the bottom until it clicks into place.
Tags: right side, display cable, grounding wire, left corner, hinge cover, heat sink