Can anyone tell me how to take my laptop apart ?

Question

I have a HP4800 and there don't seem to be any screws holding the case together. Does anyone know where the tabs are and how I disengage them to open the case ? I would like to clean the fan and inside. Thanks a lot in advance.

Answer 1

Typically, you may be required to use a torque screwdriver, which can be bought at any auto supply store.  For your particular machine, there should be highlighted sections on the bottom of your computer where you fans are located.  They should be quite visible, and not hidden.  Do not unscrew all the screws on the back of your laptop.  

The best advice though, take a can of compressed air (or an air compressor, or even just blowing into it may work) and blow it straight into your fan chamber without unscrewing anything.  If its mainly dust, it will break apart and come straight out, but for hair and the like will take a little more work.

Let me know if this helps!

Answer 2

Sometimes, screws are hidden beneath stickers or the rubber thingies attached to your laptop.

Answer 3

i cleaned the fan on my old pc and every time i turned it on it kept hitting the case and making funny noises. i advise you not to do that.

Answer 4

I'm hoping you are referring to the HP Pavilion ze4800 CTO notebook, since the only "HP 4800" is a scanner.

The manual will show you how to take it apart (if possible), but make sure if the system is still in warranty that you check that before you open the laptop (you don't want to void it).

Unfortunately the manual for this system is no longer available on HP's website.  But this link may be able to help.

http://www.retrevo.com/search/v2/jsp/dow...

Answer 5

The general answer is VERY CAREFULLY. ;-)

First, go to the website of the laptop's manufacturer and see if they have maintenance manuals you can download (not user manuals, actual repair/replace/maintenance documents). HP/Compaq makes this stuff available and they're great to have, since they provide a lot of helpful information.

When you begin moving the keyboard and monitor around after removing screws, be extremely deliberate...there are often ribbon connectors that attach them to the main board, and they can be damaged by rough handling.

***I have one IMPORTANT bit of advice that WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE:***

Keep a stack of bathroom cups nearby. Whenever you take screws off one section (say, the edges of the unit), place them in an empty cup and mark the location with a sharpie. You might even draw a scrawl diagram on the cup to show where they go (you don't need to be Norman Rockwell, just a stick figure will do). This will make returning things where they belong a whole lot easier, and will prevent you from having those microscopic screws fall to the floor and behind some furniture where they apparently fall into some hold into s***w h**l, never to be seen again.

Another thing I would do for the screws that you know will come completely off the case: use a screwdriver with a magnetized tip and/or a s***w grabber for getting them back into those deep, recessed holes.