In this guide I show a full disassembly of an HP Notebook PC 17-x116dx. This guide should fit a wide variety of HP 17-x Notebook PCs.
Supported models:
HP Notebook PC 17-x000 through PC 17-x099
HP Notebook PC 17-x100 through PC 17-x199
Here are some of the models: 17-x116dx, 17-x115dx, 17-114dx, 17-x051nr, 17-x061nr, 17-x173dx, 17-x121dx, 17-x037cl and the list goes on and on.
For this disassembly I’ll be using just a few basic tools: Wiha Phillips screwdriver #0 or #1, Wiha tweezers, iFixit case opening tool.
Notebook base removal
STEP 1.
Unlock and remove the battery. Remove all screws from the notebook base. Pull the CD/DVD drive out.
Two screws are hidden under the rear left and right bottom feet (screws color-coded in yellow).
Here’s a closer look at one of the hidden screws. The rubber foot attached to the notebook base with adhesive. Peel off the foot to access the screw.
STEP 2.
Start separating the top case from the base cover using a case opener tool. Pry up the top case to release hidden latches securing two parts to each other.
STEP 3.
Turn the notebook upside down and continue removing the base cover with your hands. If it’s getting stuck, make sure all bottom screws are removed. You might need to apply some reasonable force to split the case.
STEP 4.
Remove the notebook base completely.
STEP 5.
Remove one screw from the USB board. Disconnect the I/O cable from the motherboard.
The hard drive is mounted under the I/O cable so it must be removed in order to access the drive.
Here’s how to disconnect the I/O cable (and most other cables) from the motherboard.
– Lift up the locking tab at a 90 degree angle to unlock the connector (red arrow).
– Pull the cable out of the connector (yellow arrow).
STEP 6.
Remove the USB board with the I/O cable. The I/O cable attached to the hard drive sleeve with adhesive. Peel off the cable from the sleeve before removing the USB board.
Memory and hard drive removal
STEP 7.
Remove the memory module.
This HP 17-x116dx notebook had only one memory module installed. According to Crucial maximum memory is 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 SODIMM RAM.
It is not necessary to remove the memory module in order to remove the motherboard.
STEP 8.
Lift up the left side of the hard drive and pull it out of the SATA port. If you are upgrading the hard drive, the rubber sleeve has to be transferred to the new drive.
Upgrading this regular spinning hard drive to a 2.5″ solid state drive will improve the laptop performance significantly.
Fan removal
The cooling fan is attached to the heatsink. The heatsink has to be removed in order to remove the fan.
STEP 9.
Loosen four captive screws securing the heatsink and remove one screw from the fan. Disconnect the fan cable from the motherboard.
STEP 10.
Lift up the heatsink assembly to separate it from the processor.
STEP 11.
Remove four screws securing the fan to the heatsink.
STEP 12.
Now you can remove and replace the fan without replacing the entire heatsink assembly.
HP spare part number for this fan is 856681-001.
If thermal grease on the heatsink is still fresh, you can reuse it. If it’s dry, you’ll have to re-apply thermal grease.
Top case with motherboard removal
STEP 13.
Disconnect one antenna cable from the wireless card.
STEP 14.
Remove the wireless card.
STEP 15.
Remove two screws from the display hinge. Disconnect the display cable (green) and the DC jack cable (yellow) from the motherboard.
The DC jack and the power button board are mounted under the hinge.
STEP 16.
Lift up the hinge and remove the DC jack.
Now you can access and remove the power button board if needed. Simply remove one screw from the board and disconnect the cable. I will leave the power button board attached to the top case.
STEP 17.
Remove one screw from the other display hinge. Un-route the Wi-Fi antenna cable from the guided path on the top case.
STEP 18.
Lift up the display hinge.
STEP 19.
With both display hinges lifted up and all cables disconnected, you can separate the display panel from the top case assembly.
I will show how to take apart the display panel and remove the LCD screen later in this guide.
STEP 20.
Remove eight screws securing the motherboard to the top case.
Disconnect the following color-coded cables:
– Keyboard cable (yellow).
– CD/DVD drive connector cable (orange).
– Touchpad button board cable (green).
– Speaker cable (blue).
– Power button board cable (pink).
STEP 21.
Remove the motherboard from the top case assembly.
Here’s the other side of the motherboard.
HP 17 Notebook PC keyboard permanently attached to the top case and cannot be easily removed. If you need to replace the keyboard, you will have to replace the entire top case or try this repair.
The touchpad is glued to the top case and cannot be removed easily. The touchpad button board, on the other hand, is easily removable.
The top case (with keyboard) HP spare part number: 856698-001.
LCD screen removal
It is not necessary to remove the display panel in order to take it apart. The display panel can be disassembled while it’s still attached to the top case as I explained in my previous HP Notebook PC 17-x061nr disassembly guide.
STEP 22.
Start display disassembly with removing the screen bezel. It’s attached to the display cover with multiple hidden latches. Wiggle the bezel to separate it from the cover.
STEP 23.
Continue removing the bezel on the top side of the display. On the bottom side the bezel is glued to the screen with adhesive tape.
STEP 24.
Remove the bezel completely and remove four screws securing the LCD screen.
STEP 25.
Separate the LCD screen from the display cover and place it upside down on the desk.
STEP 26.
Now you can access the display cable connector on the back and unplug the cable from the screen.
The display back cover HP spare part number is: 856591-001.
Here’s how to disconnect the cable. Peel of sticky tape securing the connection and pull the cable out.
The LCD screen has been removed. You can find a replacement if you search the model number printed on the original screen. In my case the model number is NT173WDM-N11.
Ben
Very well done. This is exactly what I needed.