does anybody have a "how to" on replacing the hard drive ?
I am unsure of how to get to it.
thanks,
DM
Hard Drive replacement in vpr Matrix A185A5
thanks guys, I found my answer here:
First thing you need to do is remove the keyboard:
There are 3 spring-loaded tabs on the top of the keyboard (left, center, and right). Use something that's thin (like the pastic from standard blister-packed things, e.g. duracell battery package). Push the left one up and then very gently lift the keyboard up (do not pull using the keys, you will pop them off). Do this for all 3 tabs and the keyboard lifts up towards you. Be careful not to yank because there is a ribbon cable beneath. You will need to release this cable by gently releasing the friction locks (white thing), by pushing the left and right side (careful not to break it, everything is super fragile).
Take the keyboard away once it is freed from the motherboard and store it somewhere. Now use a philips screwdriver and remove the screw near the touch pad (remove the data/power cable for this as well). Now you see why we needed to remove the keyboard?
Now close the lid. Now remove the 13 screws from underneath the laptop. You do not need to unscrew the memory and wireless card access panels.
Once all 14 screws have been removed, open the lid again. Now gently rock the top of the chassis until it separates from the bottom chassis. DO NOT let it fall down because you will break some cables. There is a cable that connects the front panel buttons (play, stop, volume) to the motherboard. These are the similar to the cables on the keyboard >> they use friction locks as well. Remove them using the same technique.
Now there is 1 more thin ribbon cable to disconnect: near the back of the laptop. This is the cable which powers the LEDs. Also, you'll have to disconnect the LCD cable.
Once you do that, you'll have access to the hard drive and most everything else.
First thing you need to do is remove the keyboard:
There are 3 spring-loaded tabs on the top of the keyboard (left, center, and right). Use something that's thin (like the pastic from standard blister-packed things, e.g. duracell battery package). Push the left one up and then very gently lift the keyboard up (do not pull using the keys, you will pop them off). Do this for all 3 tabs and the keyboard lifts up towards you. Be careful not to yank because there is a ribbon cable beneath. You will need to release this cable by gently releasing the friction locks (white thing), by pushing the left and right side (careful not to break it, everything is super fragile).
Take the keyboard away once it is freed from the motherboard and store it somewhere. Now use a philips screwdriver and remove the screw near the touch pad (remove the data/power cable for this as well). Now you see why we needed to remove the keyboard?
Now close the lid. Now remove the 13 screws from underneath the laptop. You do not need to unscrew the memory and wireless card access panels.
Once all 14 screws have been removed, open the lid again. Now gently rock the top of the chassis until it separates from the bottom chassis. DO NOT let it fall down because you will break some cables. There is a cable that connects the front panel buttons (play, stop, volume) to the motherboard. These are the similar to the cables on the keyboard >> they use friction locks as well. Remove them using the same technique.
Now there is 1 more thin ribbon cable to disconnect: near the back of the laptop. This is the cable which powers the LEDs. Also, you'll have to disconnect the LCD cable.
Once you do that, you'll have access to the hard drive and most everything else.