How to Disassemble an HP TouchSmart tx2-1020us

If you want to upgrade a component on the bottom of the motherboard on the HP TouchSmart tx2-1020us notebook computer, such as the processor or the fan/heat sink assembly, you have to disassemble the computer to get the job done. There are no shortcuts in the disassembly, but to make things easier for you once you're ready to put the computer back together, organize the components you remove in a way that will allow you to perform a quicker, less-complicated assembly.

• 1

  Shut down the computer and remove all the components that send an electric current into it, including the power supply cable, all other cables and devices connected to the computer's ports and the battery pack.

  To remove the battery pack, turn the computer base side up, press the battery-release latches on the hinge side of the base and pull the battery pack out of its bay.

• 2

  Remove the hard drive from the computer. The hard drive is at the bottom left corner of the base (with the hinge side at the top). Extract the two screws on the hard drive compartment cover and remove it. Lift the hard drive out of the compartment by pulling the tab on top of it.

• 3

  Remove the RTC battery (also known as the coin-cell battery). The RTC battery is inside the hard drive compartment. Pry it up with a flat-blade screwdriver and remove it from the computer.

• 4

  Remove the memory modules. Extract the two screws from the memory module compartment cover in the middle of the base and remove the cover. Pull out the retainers on the sides of a memory module and the module will stand up. Pull the module straight out of its connector.

  Do this for each memory module installed on the computer.

• 5

  Remove the WLAN module. Extract the screw from the WLAN module compartment cover beside the memory module compartment and remove the cover. Disconnect the two antenna cables from the WLAN module, extract the screw on the module and remove the module from the compartment.

• 6

  Press the optical drive release lever on the right side of the base to eject the optical drive. Pull it out of the computer.

• 7

  Extract all the visible screws from the computer base, including those at the edge of the optical drive bay.

• 8

  Remove the display connector cover from the base plastic that protrudes into the middle of the battery bay and disconnect the camera and microphone cables from their connectors.

• 9

  Turn the computer top side up, open the display and remove the keyboard. Simply lift the back of the keyboard, disconnect the cable and take it off the computer.

• 10

  Remove the switch cover (the long piece of plastic just above the keyboard). To do this, turn the display clockwise a bit so the right edge of the display lines up with the front-right corner of the computer. Lift the right side and then the left side of the switch cover and remove it from the computer.

• 11

  Remove the display. Lift the hinge cover off the middle of the display, extract the two screws underneath it, disconnect the display cable and lift the display off the computer.

• 12

  Remove the top cover. Disconnect the cable on the left side of the computer and extract the top cover screw next to it. Disconnect the touchpad cable from its connector just above the touchpad. Extract the top cover screw just below the display cable connector and lift the top cover off the computer.

• 13

  Remove the power switch from the front-left corner of the computer. Extract the two screws from it, extract the screw from the display hook assembly (where the display locks when it's closed) and remove the hook assembly. Disconnect the power switch cable from underneath the display hook assembly and lift the switch out of the computer.

• 14

  Remove the Bluetooth module from the front-right corner of the computer. Extract the screw on it, disconnect the cable from the motherboard and lift it out of the computer.

• 15

  Push in the express card slot on the left side of the computer to release it and slide it out of the computer.

• 16

  Disconnect the audio/infrared board cable from the front of the computer.

• 17

  Lift the motherboard out of the computer and flip it over to gain access to the components on the bottom of it.

• 18

  Disconnect the fan cable.

• 19

  Extract the four screws on the heat sink assembly and lift the assembly off the motherboard. The processor is now accessible.

• 20

  Use a flat-blade screwdriver to turn the screw on the processor counterclockwise until it stops and lift the processor straight off its connector.

  The computer is now disassembled.

• 21

  Perform the procedure in reverse order to re-assemble the computer.