How do I disassemble my Toshiba Satellite 1110 laptop?

February 2, 2004 7:38 PM

How do I disassemble my Toshiba Satellite 1110? I can't find the hidden screws or clips. (General laptop-disassembly tips and tricks also appreciated. I gotta epoxy the case back together before I start losing bits!)
posted by five fresh fish to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Soon, I'm going to have to do the same thing with my old HP. I'm not sure about your particular laptop but, here's some general tips I can give you from years of hair-pulling and grief:

1. Familiarize yourself with the machine first... try to identify all the visible screws.

2. Start prodding the areas on the bottom side where there are stickers... you'll find screws hiding under them quite often.

3. Pull out the rubber "feet" and various tiny little rubber plugs around the bottom-side. There's usually screws hidden there as well.

4. Remove all things that are removable. Batteries, drives, RAM and HD covers (if the exist). Look for screws around those areas too.

5. When you think that you've identified all of the most obvious screws. Make a makeshift diagram or, a map... on paper of all views of the laptop. Top, bottom, both sides, display and keyboard (six in all, I think)... get a lot of room on a table and put the screws in the location on your "map" where you took them out. Perhaps even number them... (may be a bit anal) but, definitely count the number of screws as you go.

6. Some things are held with brackets and tabs, that obviously can break... be careful. Many times you think there's a tab holding things in place when there is a screw somewhere that you don't see. (stickers, rubber plugs, etc...)

7. Once things come apart, take note of wiring paths, ribbon cabling runs... they will have to go back where they were...

8. Work with patience and meticulous care... common sense and attention to detail will guide you. Hopefully there's no emergency rush... block out a large part of a day to do it. You don't want to have to walk away and come back in a week.

Finally, if you are trying to mend cracked case, make sure that you choose the right epoxy. I've used epoxies that actually melt laptop cases and made the damaged area even harder to repair. I've had pretty good luck with J.B. Weld in the past. But, like most of these kinds of repairs, it will eventually give out and you'll be doing it again.
posted by Dean_Paxton at 10:23 PM on February 2, 2004

sometimes the keyboard lifts out which provides access to more screws.
posted by andrew cooke at 4:44 AM on February 3, 2004

Response by poster: JB Weld holds the world together.

I've done all the obvious stuff with screws and such. Can't seem to figure out how to crack the case open safely. I hope they didn't use one-way latches.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:36 AM on February 3, 2004