Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

32

Time Required

                          1 - 2 hours

Sections

8

  • Battery
  • 6 steps
  • Fan
  • 5 steps
  • Hard Drive
  • 2 steps
  • Optical Drive
  • 1 step
  • RAM
  • 3 steps
  • SSD
  • 2 steps
  • Motherboard
  • 9 steps
  • Keyboard
  • 4 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Make sure the laptop is off and unplugged (not charging).
  • With the laptop closed and upside down, unscrew the nineteen 5.5mm Phillips #1 screws that keep the back cover in place.

Make sure the laptop is off and unplugged (not charging).

With the laptop closed and upside down, unscrew the nineteen 5.5mm Phillips #1 screws that keep the back cover in place.

1024

Step 2

  • Slide the optical drive out of the laptop.

Slide the optical drive out of the laptop.

Step 3

  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws along the edge of the optical drive bay.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws along the edge of the optical drive bay.

Step 4

  • Using your fingers, gently loosen the edges of all four sides of the back cover.
  • Gently pull off the back cover.

Using your fingers, gently loosen the edges of all four sides of the back cover.

Gently pull off the back cover.

Step 5

  • Unscrew the single 5.5mm Phillips #1 screw keeping the battery secure.

Unscrew the single 5.5mm Phillips #1 screw keeping the battery secure.

Step 6

  • Grab the battery with your fingers and gently pull it up and away from the rest of the laptop.

Grab the battery with your fingers and gently pull it up and away from the rest of the laptop.

Step 7

              Fan
  • If you are replacing only the keyboard, you can skip to step 18, and then skip the WiFi adapter removal step. The CPU fan, m.2 SSD, RAM and WiFi adapter (marked in green) will all come off with the main board, giving you access to the keyboard.
  • Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the ten 5.5mm screws.
  • Remove the last two 5.5mm Phillips #1 screws, and remove the washers around them.

If you are replacing only the keyboard, you can skip to step 18, and then skip the WiFi adapter removal step. The CPU fan, m.2 SSD, RAM and WiFi adapter (marked in green) will all come off with the main board, giving you access to the keyboard.

Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the ten 5.5mm screws.

Remove the last two 5.5mm Phillips #1 screws, and remove the washers around them.

Step 8

  • Unplug both of the fan power cords from the laptop using a spudger.

Unplug both of the fan power cords from the laptop using a spudger.

Step 9

  • Continue to use the spudger to carefully separate the wires of the power cord from the laptop.

Continue to use the spudger to carefully separate the wires of the power cord from the laptop.

Step 10

  • Fully remove the fans from the rest of the laptop.

Fully remove the fans from the rest of the laptop.

Step 11

  • Using a Phillips #00 screwdriver, remove the six 5mm screws.
  • Separate the fans from the silver fan covers.

Using a Phillips #00 screwdriver, remove the six 5mm screws.

Separate the fans from the silver fan covers.

Step 12

              Hard Drive
  • Remove the two 5.5mm screws with the Phillips #1 screwdriver.

Remove the two 5.5mm screws with the Phillips #1 screwdriver.

Step 13

  • Gently pull out the hard drive by wiggling it from right to left with your hands until it is removed.

Gently pull out the hard drive by wiggling it from right to left with your hands until it is removed.

Step 14

              Optical Drive
  • Carefully slide the Optical Drive off of the SATA connector.
  • The red marker shows the location for where the retaining screw comes through the back panel to hold the Optical Drive.

Carefully slide the Optical Drive off of the SATA connector.

The red marker shows the location for where the retaining screw comes through the back panel to hold the Optical Drive.

Step 15

              RAM
  • When you open the back cover, the RAM will be located as shown in the picture.

When you open the back cover, the RAM will be located as shown in the picture.

Step 16

  • Press the hinges on the sides of the RAM chip as shown in the picture, in order to unlock it.
  • Carefully, slide it out at a 45 degree angle.
  • Don’t press on the hinges too hard.
  • Be careful about the angle at which you’re sliding out the chip.

Press the hinges on the sides of the RAM chip as shown in the picture, in order to unlock it.

Carefully, slide it out at a 45 degree angle.

Don’t press on the hinges too hard.

Be careful about the angle at which you’re sliding out the chip.

Step 17

  • Similarly, press on the hinges on the sides of the other RAM chip, in order to unlock it.
  • Some laptop models might not come with two RAM chips, so if that is your case, you can skip this step.

Similarly, press on the hinges on the sides of the other RAM chip, in order to unlock it.

Some laptop models might not come with two RAM chips, so if that is your case, you can skip this step.

Step 18

              SSD
  • Remove the single 5.5mm Phillips #1 screw attaching the SSD to the laptop.

Remove the single 5.5mm Phillips #1 screw attaching the SSD to the laptop.

Step 19

  • Pull out the SSD by gently wiggling it from side to side until it comes out.
  • If the old SSD you removed contains the operating system, then the new SSD must also contain an operating system.

Pull out the SSD by gently wiggling it from side to side until it comes out.

If the old SSD you removed contains the operating system, then the new SSD must also contain an operating system.

Step 20

              Motherboard
  • Pull upward to lift the front speakers and sub-woofer out of place.
  • Carefully slide out the connectors for both of the speaker systems.

Pull upward to lift the front speakers and sub-woofer out of place.

Carefully slide out the connectors for both of the speaker systems.

Step 21

  • Use the Phillips #0 Screwdriver to remove the two 4mm screws that are holding the SATA connector in place.

Use the Phillips #0 Screwdriver to remove the two 4mm screws that are holding the SATA connector in place.

Step 22

  • Remove the WIFI card by disconnecting the two coax cables and removing the retaining screw.
  • Try to preserve the tape that covers the WIFI card so it can be reapplied.

Remove the WIFI card by disconnecting the two coax cables and removing the retaining screw.

Try to preserve the tape that covers the WIFI card so it can be reapplied.

Step 23

  • Use the plastic opening tool to pry up the connector that holds the display cable so it can be disconnected.
  • The connector for the display cable flips upward, but be careful because it is fragile enough to break.

Use the plastic opening tool to pry up the connector that holds the display cable so it can be disconnected.

The connector for the display cable flips upward, but be careful because it is fragile enough to break.

Step 24

  • Remove the SD card reader by unscrewing the two 3 mm screws that hold it in place.

Remove the SD card reader by unscrewing the two 3 mm screws that hold it in place.

Step 25

  • Remove the power and USB connectors that are connected to the left side of the motherboard by pulling them from the motherboard and SD card reader respectively.
  • The power connector pulls out without the chance of breaking, but the USB connector is another fragile flip-up style connector.

Remove the power and USB connectors that are connected to the left side of the motherboard by pulling them from the motherboard and SD card reader respectively.

The power connector pulls out without the chance of breaking, but the USB connector is another fragile flip-up style connector.

Step 26

  • Disconnect the motherboard from the mouse key control board by pulling the connector out.

Disconnect the motherboard from the mouse key control board by pulling the connector out.

Step 27

  • Disconnect the keyboard from the motherboard by carefully sliding the connectors out of the connections on the motherboard

Disconnect the keyboard from the motherboard by carefully sliding the connectors out of the connections on the motherboard

Step 28

  • Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the three 3.8 mm standoff screws that retain the motherboard and carefully remove it.

Use the Phillips #0 screwdriver to remove the three 3.8 mm standoff screws that retain the motherboard and carefully remove it.

Step 29

              Keyboard
  • Peel the silver tape off of the keyboard back plate.

Peel the silver tape off of the keyboard back plate.

Step 30

  • Remove the thirteen 3 mm screws that fasten the keyboard in place.

Remove the thirteen 3 mm screws that fasten the keyboard in place.

Step 31

  • Carefully lift and slide the keyboard out.

Carefully lift and slide the keyboard out.

Step 32

  • Peel the yellow tape off of the back plate to free the keyboard so it can be separated from the plate.
  • Preserve this piece of tape so that it can be used when swapping in the new keyboard.

Peel the yellow tape off of the back plate to free the keyboard so it can be separated from the plate.

Preserve this piece of tape so that it can be used when swapping in the new keyboard.

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

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Author

                                      with 3 other contributors 


                    Riley Smith

Member since: 09/22/2017

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                       Central Washington University, Team S1-G2, Pengilly Fall 2017                        

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                                            4 Guides authored

frankjward69 - Mar 12, 2019

Reply

  1. Remove a single CD/DVD tray screw when the bottom cover is still on.

  2. Remove the CD/DVD tray.

  3. Remove the rear trim.

  4. Remove the bottom cover from the CD/DVD side to the USB side, as the bottom cover has a frame that goes around the USB ports.

Otherwise, TY for your effort.

M. Jaram - Oct 4, 2019

Reply

will this work for ge73 raider 8rf? i bought a keyboard to replace and have no instructions

Cool_Breeze - Dec 4, 2020

Reply

Someone please correct the time on this guide. There’s no way this is a 10 minute job!!

Plus the replacement keyboard (not bought yet) doesn’t seem to have the screw mount holes around the frame? Are there some steps missing to transplate the backing plate from the old keyboard to the new? Or should the new come with a backing plate with the required screw holes?