How to disassemble Dell Inspiron N5110 (Inspiron 15R) laptop

In this guide I explain how to disassemble a Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop also sold as Dell Inspiron 15R.

I will disassemble the laptop base and remove the motherboard in order to access the DC jack board and hard drive.

Here are some major laptop disassembly steps I will go through:

STEP 1-4: Accessing laptop memory slots and removing DVD drive.
STEP 5-12: Disconnecting and removing laptop keyboard.
STEP 13-18: Removing palmrest assembly.
STEP 19-20: Disconnecting and removing laptop display assembly.
STEP 21-25: Removing laptop motherboard.
STEP 26-27: Removing DC jack board. Accessing cooling fan assembly.
STEP 28-29: Removing laptop hard drive.

UPDATE: I just published a new guide explaining how to replace the LCD screen on a Dell Inspiron 15R N5110 laptop.

Well. Let’s start taking it apart. Make sure the laptop is turned off.

STEP 1.

Unlock and remove the laptop battery.

STEP 2.

Remove one screw securing the memory cover.

Lift up and remove the cover from the laptop.

STEP 3.

Under the memory cover you’ll find two memory slots.

In my Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop I had only one memory module installed.

It’s not necessary to disconnect the memory module from the motherboard for the purpose of my guide. I’ll leave it connected.

STEP 4.

Pull the DVD drive to the left and remove it from the laptop.

There is no screw securing the DVD drive.

STEP 5.

You’ll find four spring loaded latches securing the keyboard.

STEP 6.

Push on the latch with a small flathead screwdriver.

When the latch pushed in, lift up the keyboard a little bit so the latch doesn’t snap back in place.

Do the same with all three remaining latches.

STEP 7.

Now insert your fingers under the keyboard and carefully pull it up.

STEP 8.

Continue removing the keyboard.

Lift up the upper part of the keyboard and move it towards the display.

STEP 9.

Turn the keyboard upside down and place it on the palmrest.

Now you can access the keyboard cable connector.

It’s necessary to unlock the connector and release the cable before removing the keyboard.

STEP 10.

Here’s how to unlock the connector.

Lift up the left side of the brown retainer with your fingernail.

The retainer will open up at a 90 degree angle and the connector will be unlocked.

STEP 11.

Now you can pull the keyboard cable from the connector.

STEP 12.

Remove the keyboard from the laptop.

By the way, you can buy a brand new keyboard for Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop here.

STEP 13.

Remove all screws from the bottom of the laptop.

There are two rubber screw seals in the upper left and right corners (yellow circles).

STEP 14.

You can remove the rubber cover with a sharp object.

After that remove both screws found under those covers.

STEP 15.

Remove four screws securing the palmrest assembly.

Disconnect the following cables from the motherboard:
- Power button board cable.
- Media board cable.
- Touchpad cable.

You disconnect all three connectors the same way we did it in steps 10 and 11.

Lift up the connector retainer and pull the cable.

STEP 16.

Now you can start separating the palmrest assembly from the bottom cover.

Insert a piece of plastic between the palmrest and bottom cover and separate them.

STEP 17.

Continue lifting up and removing the palmrest assembly.

STEP 18.

The palmrest assembly removed.

STEP 19.

Disconnect the video cable from the motherboard.

Disconnect both antenna cables from the wireless card.

Remove four screws securing the display hinges.

Here’s how to disconnect the wiereless card antenna cable.

Simply lift up the gold connector and unsnap it from the wireless card.

Here’s how to disconnect the video cable.

Move the connector towards the display and unplug it from the motherboard.

STEP 20.

Lift up and remove the display assembly.

STEP 21.

Remove the plastic cover located under the display assembly.

When the palmrest assembly is removed you can access the CMOS battery and Bluetooth module.

The cooling fan can be accessed only when the motherboard removed.

Same story with the hard drive. It’s mounted UNDER the motherboard.

If you want to replace the DC jack board, it’s necessary to remove the motherboard too.

Let’s remove the motherboard.

STEP 22.

Remove four screws securing the motherboard.

STEP 23.

Unplug the speaker cable from the motherboard.

STEP 24.

Carefully lift up the right side of the motherboard and disconnect it from the I/O board.

The I/O board has the following ports on it: USB ports, audio jacks, Ethernet (LAN) port.

Replacement I/O boards for Dell Inspiron N5110 laptops available here.

STEP 25.

Lift up and remove the motherboard.

The I/O board and both speakers are attached to the laptop base assembly and can be removed if necessary.

STEP 26.

Remove one screw securing the DC jack board to the motherboard.

STEP 27.

Separate the DC jack board form the motherboard and remove it.

NOTE: if your Dell Inspiron N5110 has a failed DC jack it’s easier to replace the entire board than the jack itself.

New replacement DC jack boards for Dell Inspiron N5110 laptops available here.

Turn the motherboard upside down.

Here you can access the cooling fan assembly and laptop hard drive.

STEP 28.

Remove two screws securing the hard drive mounting bracket.

STEP 29.

I had some trouble disconnecting the hard drive because it was glued to the motherboard with some adhesive rubber.

First I had to lift up the left side of the hard drive a little bit and separate it from the motherboard and after that disconnect from the motherboard.

In my Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop I had a regular 2.5″ SATA hard drive installed.

It’s possible to replace it with any other larger capacity 2.5″ SATA hard drive or 2.5″ SATA SSD.