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In this guide I explain how to disassemble a HP Compaq 6730s – 6735s notebook and remove the cooling fan which is mounted under the motherboard. Basically I will take the whole notebook apart and remove all internal components one by one.
Why wouldn’t HP make a door for the cooling fan? Why should it be so complicated to replace the cooling fan?
Let’s start to disassemble the notebook.
If you need new replacement parts for you HP Compaq 6730s-6735s notebook, you can find them here.
STEP 1.
Remove the battery.
Remove covers from the hard drive, wireless card and memory.
STEP 2.
Remove one screw securing the DVD drive (red circle) and pull the drive from the notebook.
Remove memory modules (in my laptop I had only one module installed).
Remove the hard drive, you’ll find details instruction on the sticker glued to the hard drive caddy.
Unsnap two antenna cables from the wireless card. Remove two screws securing the wireless card (green circles). Remove the wireless card.
STEP 3.
Remove five screws securing the switch board cover (red circles).
Remove two screws securing the laptop keyboard (green circles).
Remove eleven screws securing the laptop bottom cover (yellow circles).
STEP 4.
Lift up the switch board cover. You can separate the switch board cover from the bottom cover with a piece of soft plastic. I’m using a guitar pick.
Be careful, the switch board cover is attached to the motherboard. Do not pull the cable from the connector yet.
STEP 5.
Lift up the keyboard and place it on the switch board cover so you can access the keyboard cable connector.
The keyboard is connected to the motherboard via a flat ribbon cable. Before you pull the cable and remove the keyboard, you’ll have to unlock the connector.
On the picture below you can see the keyboard connector unlocked. Now you can pull the cable and remove the keyboard.
STEP 6.
After the keyboard has been removed, you can release the switch board cable and remove the cover.
STEP 7.
Remove four screws securing the notebook speakers.
Unplug the speaker cable from the motherboard.
Remove both speakers.
STEP 8.
Release the wireless card antenna cables.
Unplug the webcam cable from the motherboard.
Remove four screws securing the display hinges (red circles) and one screw grounding the video cable (green circle).
STEP 9.
Lift up and remove the display panel assembly.
In the next guide I’ll explain how to get inside the display panel and remove/replace the web camera module.
STEP 10.
Remove two screws securing the top cover assembly.
STEP 11.
Carefully lift up the top cover assembly.
Be careful, the touch pad cable is still attached to the motherboard.Release the touch pad cable and remove the top cover assembly.
STEP 12.
Now we can access the motherboard.
Unplug three cables pointed with arrows.
Remove three screws securing the motherboard.
Lift up and release the RJ11 (modem) jack.
STEP 13.
Start removing the motherboard from the laptop case.
The motherboard has been removed.
STEP 14.
Finally, you can access and replace the cooling fan.
Simply remove one screw securing the cooling fan to the laptop base and replace it with a new one if needed.
If you are replacing the motherboard you’ll have to transfer some parts to the new board.
Transfer the DVD drive connector, modem card, heat sink, processor and modem cable.
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June 4th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Superb guide! Thanks a lot for putting it together, it’s just helped me out a whole lot. Shame the fan is the last thing you can possibly get to in the case.
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:22 am
i have hp 6735s laptop, its not powering on. when i plug in my power adapter in jack, light is stabel for few seconds but after few seconds charger light goes off. n its not powering on.whats the happened with it.
May 24th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Hy!
I have old version of HP6735b, and it is starting to overheat, but when i put my baby fan next to it, the temp is back to 50 so I think its the fan and dust in it. Now I wanted to clean it, but the screws are strange, I ahve no idea what to use to unscrew them (they not cross, or oval, just weird). Can you tell same basics and what to do if I just want to clean the fan?
But not like youre talking to an smart person, think “ape” level of knowledge regarding laptops. Speak/write slowly
Thanks!
April 9th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Becky,
Not sure what’s going on. It’s necessary to disassemble the laptop and take a closer look at the motherboard.
It’s possible you have a blown capacitor on the motherboard.
April 9th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Hey could you please help me?
I’ve had a HP 6735 laptop for over a year, I was using it for a few hours everyday,
Overtime the cable became frayed near the laptop port and signs used to flash up that the AC was not providing the right output, then partly because I am lazy and also because I was waiting to a replacement charger I continued to use the frayed and sparking charger.
When I then used my friends charger, who has a similar laptop the battery would completely cut out without warning, not immediately but after some time, when I took the AC away to run the battery by itself.
Then one day when using the frayed charger, my laptop overheated starting up (the fan was going crazy) and something made a loud ‘Click’ noise, then after it has ceased to boot or even show any LEDs around the AC port.
The new charger does not start it.
I’ve heard something inside has burnt out, a component, maybe the motherboard? Is it really that severe? Could there be any way of telling, maybe by opening it?
Thanks.
March 26th, 2010 at 3:39 am
Thank you very much my friend! Good luck and goodbye
March 16th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Laptop Tech,
I have a 6735s and it just wont boot, that is it did until i removed the battery, the reason i removed the battery was the bios was reporting at top left hand corner “invalid serial number.” and i thought that there might be a possibility that the battery might not be genuine hp, so in removing the battery after powering off and re-inserting it i notice the power jack light is solid white (well i think its white) with a fashing orange light with 1 second intervals, i take it that the motherboard has had a short?
Have you seen this before?
March 9th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Thank you so very much for this walkthrough!
Didn’t open up my laptop yet, going to do it tomorrow.
Thank you again.
Greetings from Croatia!
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:13 pm
[...] In order to separate the display panel, follow steps 1-9 in this HP Compaq 6730s and 6735s guide. [...]
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 pm
GordonB,
There shouldn’t be any problem. The new hard drive should be detected by the laptop and operating system automatically.
You install Windows 7 first and after that look in the device manager. Download and install all missing drivers from HP website.
Have you tried cleaning the cooling module? Maybe the heat sink is clogged with dust and the laptop overheats because of that.
February 21st, 2010 at 3:03 am
Hi there… 3 questions:
1. Upgrading the HD. I’m planning on installing a fresh Win7 h.p. on the 6735, so as a back out I want to get say a 250gb HD to build on. Are there any issues I need to be aware of?
2. Are the standard drivers in Win7 up to running this Laptop or do I have to overlay the HP ones…
3. This machine is still having overheating issues even when the BIOS has been set to keep the fan on when on mains. Is a BIOS upgrade going to help sort this out.
The machine is just out of warrenty ;-(
Thanks in advance.
February 7th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
nela,
It’s not normal but possible. I’ve seen many laptops like that.
I think you can find it cheaper if buy yourself. The service center has to increase the price in order to cover shipping expenses, research time, warranty, time involved, etc…
Most likely the replacement motherboard will not be brand new and come with a very short warranty period (probably 30 days). Instead of replacing the motherboard, I would use the money for a new laptop.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:44 am
Hello. I need some advice. My hp compaq 6735s laptop does not switch on. I press the on button and it turns blue and then goes again. I sent it to the IT guys of the shop where I bought the notebook and they told me there is a problem with the board, and it costs around 300 Euro to replace it. The problem is my guarantee expired in December, and I have only used the laptop for 1 year. I’ve had problems with it since the very first months. To cut it short, I just wanted to know, is that normal for a motherboard to die for 1 year??? And does it really cost that much 300 euro? (I bought the new laptop for 370 euro).
I would really appreciate your help.. thnxxxx.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Create tutorial
i had huge problems with cooling.
some new thermal paste en cleaning fixed the job…
thx
January 12th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Help…
Have replaced LCD and inverter board and video cable. Now backlight does not work. can see dim image on screen. According to HP Service guide there is a internal display switch could
this be stopping the backlight from working?
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Dear Laptop Teach.
First off compliments for this “How to”. I found this, while I was writing something on my Blog about my experience with this Laptop. The problem of “overheats” comes by the fact that there isn’t a door for the cooling fan, as you said, and that there are 2 stickers (you can see them on the penultimate picture ) that block the 2 cracks in the back. I’m so sorry, because this is a good laptop and cheap at the same time, but I will never understand the absence of the cooling door and the presence of those stickers. My solution was to do some holes close to the fan. I know this isn’t a solution but this is mine solution, I did this only because my guarantee was over.. I was lucky.. Best regards and compliments again !!!
P:S Sorry for my English
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:37 am
Dear tech support,
thank you for your precise and also very fast answer…
I will try to do that, but I have never removed keyboard, so I will do this veru carefull, cause I don;t know what can go wrong.
Thank you, once again…
December 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Aleksandar,
If the fan still works and doesn’t make noise, do not replace it. Just cleaning should be enough.
You can remove the keyboard and blow compressed air into the fan. This will remove most dust from the cooling module. I wouldn’t disassemble the laptop just for cleaning.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:54 am
Hello,
I have problem with my 6735s, he overheats very often…
Do I need to replace the fan, or can I just clean it sometimes?
My cleanin until now was vacuming the fan from the outside, and it really helped, but i assume that there is more dirk underneath it…
Is it nececery to do all these steps to just clean the fan, or can I go near him in a simpler way?
Thank you!
December 9th, 2009 at 11:10 am
please can you help me with my HP 6735s laptop
i switched on the laptop and when start up all the light will be on but it won’t just start up and the screen will be blank… and the DVD light will be blinking continuously
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:13 am
Mark T,
There should be 2 memory slots on the bottom, as it shown on the 3rd picture.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:30 am
Does the HP 6735s have one or two ram slots. Websites etc list it as having two but mine seems to only have one, which is occupied. I Cannot see a spare one???
November 14th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Mark,
I usually use a dental pick. Be careful with the pins inside the slot. Use a flashlight.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
They put me a miniSD into SD card reader that has swallowed and does not want to thrown back out.
How can I do to extract?!?
November 9th, 2009 at 2:11 am
At my hp6735s was keyboard also glued on two places, so i need some force to put it out, but first of all be sure your remove all the screws and don’t pull to much, becouse of keyboard cable
November 8th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I know official HP service guide but this is better.
But I have this mysterious problem with both of the guides.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Alx,
Not sure why you experiencing this problem. Maybe the keyboard is glued to the cover with sticky tape?
Here’s another guide for removing the keyboard. In this case this is official HP service guide for HP Compaq 6735s notebooks (follow the link). The keyboard removal instructions start on the page 61.
November 8th, 2009 at 3:43 am
I mistyped.
I have removed five red screws first and then removed the keyboard cover. After i have removed two green screws.
But when I try to remove the keyboard does not come off.
While I see in the video that comes off without force.
And ‘as if there was a life behind the Ram to hold it steady.
And’ I miss that or something?
November 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Alx,
Take a look at the step 3. You’ll have to remove five red screws first and then remove the keyboard cover. After that you remove two green screws and remove the keyboard.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:54 am
I tried to disassemble the 6735s
I take the 3 2 screw back the cover I took off the top of the front.
But when I try to remove the keyboard does not come off.
While I see in the video that comes off without force.
And ‘as if there was a life behind the Ram to hold it steady.
And’ I miss that or something?