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Today I explain how to disassemble a HP Pavilion dm3 series notebook.
In this particular guide I’m taking apart a HP Pavilion dm3-1035dx Entertainment Notebook but the guide should be the same for all other models in Pavilion dm3 line.
Before you start, make sure the notebook is turned off.
Removing hard drive, memory modules, wireless card and CMOS battery shown in steps 1-7.
STEP 1.
Remove the battery.
Remove five screws securing the hard drive and memory covers. Remove both covers.
STEP 2.
Remove two screws securing the hard drive and slide it to the left to disconnect from the motherboard.
STEP 3.
Now you can remove the hard drive.
As you see, it’s a standard 2.5″ SATA hard drive.
STEP 4.
Remove both memory modules.
In order to remove the memory module you’ll have to follow two simple steps:
- carefully spread lathes on both sides of the slot until the memory module pops up at a 30 degree angle.
- pull the memory module from the slot by the edges.
STEP 5.
Disconnect both antenna cables from the wireless card.
Remove two screws securing the wireless card.
STEP 6.
Remove wireless card same way you removed memory modules.
STEP 7.
Disconnect the CMOS battery cable from the motherboard and remove the battery.
Removing notebook keyboard shown in steps 8-12.
STEP 8.
Remove two screws securing the keyboard on the bottom of notebook.
STEP 9.
Push on the keyboard through the openings in the battery compartment.
STEP 10.
Lift up the keyboard as it shown on the following picture.
STEP 11.
Carefully lift up the keyboard and access connector underneath.
In order to remove the keyboard you’ll have to disconnect the cable first.
On the following picture the keyboard connector shown in the locked position.
Lift up the right side of the brown clip so it opens at a 90 degree angle.
On the following picture the connector is shown in the unlocked position.
Now you can pull the keyboard cable from the connector.
STEP 12.
Remove the keyboard.
The best way to find a replacement keyboard is searching by the HP part number.
In my case I had two different HP part numbers on the keyboard: 580687-001 and 573148-001. I guess both part numbers are compatible.
If you need a replacement keyboard for HP Pavilion dm3 notebook, you can find it here.
Removing notebook top cover and cooling fan shown in steps 13-18.
STEP 13.
Remove marked screws form the bottom of the notebook.
STEP 14.
Remove six screws securing the top cover assembly.
Disconnect the top cover cable (left arrow) and touch pad cable (bottom arrow).
On some HP Pavilion dm3 models you’ll have to disconnect one more cable – the Bluetooth module cable.
On the following picture you can see the top cover cable disconnected.
On the following picture you can see how to open the touch pad cable connector.
STEP 15.
Start separating the top cover assembly from the notebook base.
You can use a thin piece of plastic (I’m using guitar pick) as a case cracker.
STEP 16.
The top cover assembly has been removed.
On the following picture the notebook shown with the top cover removed.
STEP 17.
Remove two screws securing the cooling fan.
Disconnect the fan cable from the motherboard.
STEP 18.
Remove the cooling fan.
The cooling fan part number is printed on the white sticker. In my case the part number is: 580696-001
If you need a replacement fan for HP Pavilion dm3 notebook, you can find it here.
By the way, in HP Pavilion dm3 notebook the power jack is not soldered to the motherboard. The jack attached to the power harness.
When the power jack fails, you can disconnect the failed jack harness from the motherboard and replace it with a new one.
April 30th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Thanks a lot!
Very Helpful
March 6th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
@ carla10,
What switch are you asking about?
If it was disconnected before you disassembled the laptop, probably it’s not related to your problem.
March 4th, 2012 at 11:37 am
nevermind. the service manual showed me what I missed. the fan holder screws and the secondary board screws. now it’s out and I thank you
March 4th, 2012 at 11:20 am
your site is very helpful and I will be glad to make a donation if you’ll tell me one thing. how do I remove the motherboard so the new DC power harness can be plugged in. Since the plug is on the bottom, I can’t reach it without removing the motherboard. thanx.
March 2nd, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hey Laptop Tech,
I see that there are some posts in regards to the power switch on the right side of the laptop, that you did not answer. I too have the same problem, and am hoping that you can help. I took the laptop apart and can see that the switchc is not connected to anything, which is why it is not powering on. Do you have any information on ow to fix it? I would truly appreciate it.
Thanks,
CJ
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Dear Mara,
If the laptop is getting too hot maybe its the time for you to clean the fan and replace the thermal paste/compound to a better quality one. I had the exact same problem as yours, and after cleaning the fan and replacing the thermal compound, surprisingly the overheating problem is gone just like that.
Hope this helps.
-Aisya
February 1st, 2012 at 4:01 pm
@ Bahrusito,
First of all I would check memory modules. If the laptop turns on but the screen remains black, this could be memory issue.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:43 am
Hello,
I tried to clean up my laptop especially fan from dust. I did everything as written on HP’s manual for dm3. I did not know that it was possible to do it without taking off the screen. So i did take off it. Cleaned the laptop, then assembled again. But the display is black. I Laptop works since i can hear. However, the light of hard drive is not on too. I guess i either assembled the hard drive wrong or there is a problem with display panel cable. And may be both of them. I thing the screen woud brighteen at least no matter the hard drive works or not. I check to run win XP from CD rom which resulted in the same black screen. So i am almost sure it is the problem with display panel cable. Just to remind you that everything worked perfectly before disassembly. Could you please help me about this problem. What else can cause this problem?
Thanl you in advance for help and direction.
October 2nd, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Hi
It is a very helpful procedure. I had a problem with a power plug that was loose. I opened the laptop Pavilion dm3 and fixed it. But… when I assempled it again it does not start. No sign that the hard drive works. What should I check?
Thanks
September 26th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
How do I know if the power jack fails?