Don't know about the Inspirons specifically, but I've been using IBM laptops
since like 2004 or so, and once I went from a T23 to a T41/42, I had issues
with the T42 and had to open it up...I was pretty trepidatious but it wasn't
that bad (and I did it without manuals too! :P). One of the key reasons for
my concern was all the different-sized screws that went in different holes
you had to keep track of...
So what I did though was get a big flat table and make sure to mirror the
screw placement on the bottom of the laptop onto the table so I knew where
the screws went later-obviously if you have the manual it's a little easier
(but this might still be an issue), but doing this makes it a little less
worrisome.
Heh, just had an idea which I have yet to implement myself-get some
double-sided tape and put it down on the table and that'll keep your screws
from running away or getting out of order if you, or someone "accidentally"
bumps the table; which trust me, does happen more often than you'd think!
And it depends-I ended up opening my roommate's big 17" Dell XPS desktop
replacement laptop and one nice thing they did was that all the screws were
the same size so you didn't have to keep track of which ones went where; a
real nice feature that makes it a lot easier to do this.
And once you open it, the only thing to note is that the keyboard and
mouse/trackpad will be attached with a connector that you should be careful
in removing; other than that it'll be pretty straightforward to mess around
inside.
Oh, and just to note, it got to the point that I basically completely
disassembled my laptop and actually swapped the LCD screen on my T42 with
one from another unit so I wouldn't have to reinstall onto a new laptop! :P
And that wasn't that bad; just more screws to remove and keep track of!
Good luck, and report back on how it goes.
BINO
-----Original Message-----
From: hardware-boun...@hardwaregroup.com
[mailto:hardware-boun...@hardwaregroup.com] On Behalf Of GPL
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:16 AM
To: hardware@hardwaregroup.com
Subject: [H] Installing 600m Cover Assembly
I've done the research and discovered the "Control Power Button Cover
Assembly" is the part that is broken on my Inspiron 600m old laptop.
Anyone ever take one of these apart and put them together?
I've worked on many a PC tower but nothing really on laptops.
Its broken on the left hinge where there are two screws now exposed
and broken plastic. All still works but the LCD is not very stable and
looks lousy.
Am I supposed to completely open the laptop to get at this area or is
there an easier path to replacing this cover assembly?
Pictures available upon request.
