Taking apart an HP ZE5155: Did I miss a screw?

[Little-Acorn]

My dead dead dead HP ZE5155 Pavilion laptop doesn't seem to want to come apart. Flipped it over and took out all the obvious screws (16 of them in the bottom). I've also heard of the hidden screws, and found several: Took out the two obvious ones in the HD plus the one hidden by that rubber plug. Also took out the battery and got the screw that's hidden beneath it (only found one there). Plus the two fairly-obvious ones in the back - one between the Enet and USB ports, and the other down by the yellow video-out port.

But the bottom (I think HP calls it the "top cover") doesn't want to come off. The only corner that seems to want to lift away from the rest of the computer, is the corner by that yellow video-out port. Something seems to be holding the other three corners securely. I suspect more hidden screws, but I'm ****ed if I can find them.

Do I have to take out the DVD drive first? If there's a hidden screw or two beneath it, that might free up one more corner. But two corners still don't want to budge.

Anybody have a ZE5155 or similar laptop that he/she is familiar with taking apart, who can give me some hints?

-frustrated- >:-O

You need a service manual. You have probably removed screws .... a LOT
of screws that you should not have, AND missed some that you needed to
remove. On many laptops, there are screws under the keyboard. On some
models, you have to remove the LCD screen and lid from the base.
Laptops are so different in how they come apart that even for an
experienced laptop technician, presented with a model that they have
never seen before and no manual, they may not be able to get it open.


Little-Acorn wrote:
> My dead dead dead HP ZE5155 Pavilion laptop doesn't seem to want to come
> apart. Flipped it over and took out all the obvious screws (16 of them
> in the bottom). I've also heard of the hidden screws, and found several:
> Took out the two obvious ones in the HD plus the one hidden by that
> rubber plug. Also took out the battery and got the screw that's hidden
> beneath it (only found one there). Plus the two fairly-obvious ones in
> the back - one between the Enet and USB ports, and the other down by the
> yellow video-out port.
>
> But the bottom (I think HP calls it the "top cover") doesn't want to
> come off. The only corner that seems to want to lift away from the rest
> of the computer, is the corner by that yellow video-out port. Something
> seems to be holding the other three corners securely. I suspect more
> hidden screws, but I'm ****ed if I can find them.
>
> Do I have to take out the DVD drive first? If there's a hidden screw or
> two beneath it, that might free up one more corner. But two corners
> still don't want to budge.
>
> Anybody have a ZE5155 or similar laptop that he/she is familiar with
> taking apart, who can give me some hints?
>
> -frustrated- >:-O
>
>

Little-Acorn wrote:
> My dead dead dead HP ZE5155 Pavilion laptop doesn't seem to want to come
> apart. Flipped it over and took out all the obvious screws (16 of them
> in the bottom). I've also heard of the hidden screws, and found several:
> Took out the two obvious ones in the HD plus the one hidden by that
> rubber plug. Also took out the battery and got the screw that's hidden
> beneath it (only found one there). Plus the two fairly-obvious ones in
> the back - one between the Enet and USB ports, and the other down by the
> yellow video-out port.
>
> But the bottom (I think HP calls it the "top cover") doesn't want to
> come off. The only corner that seems to want to lift away from the rest
> of the computer, is the corner by that yellow video-out port. Something
> seems to be holding the other three corners securely. I suspect more
> hidden screws, but I'm ****ed if I can find them.
>
> Do I have to take out the DVD drive first? If there's a hidden screw or
> two beneath it, that might free up one more corner. But two corners
> still don't want to budge.
>
> Anybody have a ZE5155 or similar laptop that he/she is familiar with
> taking apart, who can give me some hints?
>
> -frustrated- >:-O
>
>

The missing screws are under the rubber feet on the bottom.

Q