Dell Vostro V13 Disassembly

Written By: Kevin Dookharan

Comments: 3

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

This guide explains how to remove/replace any part on a Dell Vostro V13 laptop by describing a complete tear-down. Any screwdriver of size PH00 to PH1 will work with the screws on this laptop.

Tools

Step 1

Remove the two plastic dummy cards from the laptop.
Unscrew the six PH00 screws from the bottom of the laptop.
Unscrew the two PH00 screws from the back of the laptop, located at the extreme left and right of the back panel.
Slide the bottom cover forward and lift it upwards to remove.
You may need to use a strong spudger to create a gap along the base edge - starting from the Ethernet port on the right toward the Kensington port on the left.

Step 2

Carefully remove the battery connector. It is a ribbon cable that is clamped down. Flick the black clamp up using the edge nearest the battery. The ribbon cable is now free to move for the next step.
Unscrew the four PH00 screws from the battery.
Lift the battery upwards to remove it.

Step 3

Unscrew the four PH00 screws from the hard drive enclosure.
To remove the hard drive, gently lift the drive to a shallow upward angle and carefully slide it to the right.
To avoid damaging the SATA port, lift the hard drive to a very small angle while removing it!

Step 4

Using a plastic opening tool, pry open the top panel containing the power switch. Start with the bottom-right edge closest to the keyboard.
Unclip and remove the ribbon from the panel.
Always be careful when removing ribbon cables! Try not to bend them unnecessarily. Do not pull them with excess force.

When you're prying this off it might resist a little more than you'd think it should near where it's held by 2 pressure clips near the center.

Brett Hoop - 14/10/16

Step 5

Remove the two PH00 screws from the keyboard.
Gently lift the keyboard upwards and push it towards the screen to remove.
Remove the ribbon cable from underneath the keyboard.

Step 6

Remove all of the ribbon cables from the motherboard.
Always be careful when removing ribbon cables! Try not to bend them unnecessarily. Do not pull them with excess force.
Take out the one screw from the audio card and then lift upward to remove.

Step 7

Unscrew the six PH00 screws from the memory card reader.
Place a hand underneath the memory card reader while unscrewing it so that it doesn't fall out.
Remove the CMOS battery cable from the motherboard.

Step 8

Using a small plastic opening tool, gently lift and remove the two antenna cables from the wireless card.
Unscrew the one tiny screw securing the wireless card.
The wireless card should pop up.
Gently slide the card forward to remove it.