In this guide I explain how to remove and replace the motherboard in a Dell Latitude
D500 laptop. Also, youll see how to access and replace all other internal parts in this
laptop.
I had two different problems with the laptop.
1. The power jack was damaged. I could have just resoldered the jack but the second
problem was more serious.
2. The motherboard couldnt charge a known good battery. Apparently it had a problem
with the battery charging circuit.
So I decided to replace the motherboard.
Instead of buying just a single motherboard, I bough the whole motherboard assembly
(you can see it on the first picture) which includes the board itself, mounting frame,
cooling fan, speakers, hard drive bracket, PC card slot, modem and power button board. I
purchased a good working motherboard assembly for my Dell Latitude D500 for the
same price as they asked for a single motherboard.
OK, lets start taking it apart. Before you start, turn off the laptop, unplug the AC adapter
and remove the battery.
Here Im taking apart the laptop battery.
STEP 1.
Lift up one side of the keyboard cover with a small flat head screwdriver. Remove the
cover.
STEP 2.
Remove two screws securing the motherboard.
STEP 3.
Disconnect the keyboard cable from the motherboard.
STEP 4.
Disconnect the video cable connector from the motherboard. Remove three screws
securing the display hinges.
STEP 5.
Carefully remove the display assembly. Its not necessary to remove the display panel
from the laptop in order to remove the screen. You can do it while the display panel is
still attached to the laptop.
STEP 6.
Remove one screw securing the CD/DVD drive and pull the drive from the laptop.
Remove both memory (RAM) modules.
STEP 7.
Unsnap both antenna cables from the connectors on the wireless card and remove the
card the same way you remove memory modules spread latches on both sides of the
card and when the card pops up, pull it from the slot by the edges.
STEP 8.
Remove one screw securing the hard drive assembly and pull it from the laptop.
STEP 9.
Remove all screws from the bottom.
STEP 10.
Remove three screws securing the top cover assembly.
Disconnect the touch pad cable from the motherboard.
STEP 11.
Start lifting up the top cover assembly as it shown on the picture.
STEP 12.
The top cover has been removed.
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STEP 13.
Remove two screws from the motherboard assembly.
STEP 14.
Start removing the motherboard assembly as it shown on the picture below.
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STEP 15.
I noticed that its easier to remove the motherboard assembly if you remove the RTC
(CMOS) battery cover first. Its located in the battery bay.
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STEP 16.
The motherboard assembly has been removed.
STEP 17.
Loosen four screws securing the CPU heat sink.
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STEP 18.
Remove the heat sink. In my laptop the heat sink was clogged with dust and needed a
good cleaning.
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STEP 19.
Now you can access the CPU (processor). Unlock the CPU socket by turning the screwlock into Open position. Carefully lift up the CPU and install it into the socket on the
new motherboard. Do not forget to lock the socket after the CPU is installed or your
laptop will not start.
You can search for a new motherboard by the part number from the old motherboard. The
part number is located on a sticker glued in the RAM slot area. The second set of number
in a long string is the part number.
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Move out the keyboard to expose the keyboard flat cable connecting to the main board.
This shows the cable at the bottom part of the keyboard
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The flat cable is at the upper part of the keyboard, near the indicator cover
In some rear cases, the end of the cable is fitted with an adapter
that plug into a socket of the main board.
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Remove
screws
Remove front bezel, pay attention to the clip while separating the bezel and the LCD casing.
Remove front bezel- the first point to start.
top
Attention:
To the clip
on edge
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top
top
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top
The LCD screen has been taken out from the LCD casing.
top
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Pulling out the cable plug and the wire plug from the inverter.
Pull the 2 wire plug. (High voltage AC output Pull the wire plug (DC current supply from
to LCD screen)
main board))
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the laptop.
Some brand like Toshiba laptop use different
type of the plug.
You must look for the part number as shown on this photo.
top
Attention: The part number of the replacement cable must match your cable or else they
may not compatible thought they may look similar, unless the replacement part is stated
as "Compatible Item" in the Item Description page.
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There are no screws to secure this indicator cover. It is all secured by clipping
system.
The indicator cover and the hinge cover are in one piece
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The LCD cable plug and the socket on the main board.
The cable plug is being pulling out.
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Carefully spread latches on both sides of the memory slot with your fingers.
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Carefully pull the memory module from the slot by the edges.
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There are two antenna wires connected to the wireless card. White wire connects to the
main connector on the card. Black wire connects to the auxiliary connector on the card.
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To disconnect the antenna wire from the wireless card grasp the connector with your
fingers and unsnap it from the card.
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There is only one correct way to install the processor into the socket. Both CPU and
socket are keyed. When you are installing the CPU, make sure to match pins on the
processor with holes on the socket.
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Carefully spread latches on both sides of the wireless card slot, just enough to release the
card.
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