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The following disassembly guide will explain how to take apart a Sony Vaio PCG-K series notebooks. I created this guide while taking apart a Sony Vaio PCG-K25 notebook but I think you can use the same disassembly steps for all notebooks in PCG-K line.
The main reason to open up the laptop was replacing broken power jack. Proceed disassembly on your own risk.
Update: I just created a new guide for Sony Vaio PCG-K series laptops. It explains how to remove and replace LCD screen with inverter board.
Before you start laptop disassembly, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery.
Are you looking for spare parts for your Sony Vaio PCG-K series notebook? Search here.
STEP 1
Carefully remove the keyboard bezel using a small flathead screwdriver. Remove it slowly, there is a flat ribbon cable connecting the power button board with the motherboard.
STEP 2
Trun the keyboard bezel upside down. The red arrow pointing to the connecto on the motherboard.
STEP 3
Unlock the connector by lifting up the top side of the connector 1-2 millimeters. Be very very careful. If you break any connector on the motherboard you are screwed big time. After the connector is unlocked, you can pull the cable and remove the keyboard bezel.
STEP 4
Remove three screws from the keyboard.
STEP 5
Lift up the keyboard and place it upside down on the palm rest. Unlock the keyboard cable connector on the motherboard. Disconnect the keyboard cable and remove the keyboard.
STEP 6
Remove all screws securing the metal cover.
STEP 7
Remove the cover.
STEP 8
After the cover has been removed, you can access and clean both cooling fans. You can clean fans with compressed air.
STEP 9
Remove two screws securing display hinges to the back side of the base.
STEP 10
Remove four screws securing display hinges. Unplug the video cable from the motherboard. Unplug both wireless card antenna cables from the wireless card.
STEP 11
Lift up and remove notebook display panel.
STEP 12
Remove hard drive cover, memory cover and modem cover from the bottom of the notebook. Each cover is secured by one screw.
STEP 13
Here’s how you can remove the hard drive. Remove four screws securing the hard drive caddy to the base assembly. Slide the hard drive down to disconnect it from the motherboard. Lift up and remove the hard drive.
STEP 14
Removing memory modules (if needed). Carefully spread latches on both sides of the memory slot. The memory module will pop up at 30 degree angle. Pull the memory module from the slot by the edges.
Removing modem card (if needed). Remove two screws securing the modem card. Lift up the modem card to disconnect it from the motherboard and unplug cable from the side.
Remove all screws from the bottom of the notebook
STEP 15
Remove two screws securing the top cover assembly. Disconnect the touch pad cable connector on the motherboard and unplug the cable.
STEP 16
Lift up and remove the top cover assembly.
STEP 17
Push the CD/DVD drive to the right side with your thumb. Remove the CD/DVD drive.
STEP 18
Remove three screws securing the plastic cover.
STEP 19
Remove the cover.
STEP 20
The power jack is hidden under the metal bracket. Remove one screw securing the bracket.
STEP 21
Lift up the bracket. Now you can access the power jack.
Release the power jack. Now you can remove the old power jack (unsolder from the harness) and replace it with a new power jack.
Static electricity can kill your laptop. I recommend wearing an anti-static wrist strap while working with internal parts of your laptop.
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May 31st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Kevin,
Apparently the BIOS got corrupted. If that’s the case, you’ll have to replace the motherboard.
I don’t have them. I was replacing the power jack and didn’t remove the motherboard. It’s possible thermal paste between the CPU and heat sink dried out and glued the heat sink to the CPU. In some cases you have to use some reasonable force to separate the heat sink from the CPU but be very careful. I cannot give you a good advice without looking at the laptop myself.
It’s likely that the CPU will come out attached to the heat sink. Carefully separate the CPU and install it back into the socket.
May 31st, 2009 at 4:40 am
Thanks for all the information. I was trying to install Vista on my PCG K315Z. The Sony website asked to flash the ROM hence downloaded their program and tried to flash it. Came up with an error and pc shut down. I could never make the pc start after that. Send the PC to Sony for repairs they had a standard reply the motherboard needs to be changed and ask for a exorbitant charge for it. I refused their service and brought a mother board from ebay. I have used this site to dismantle most of the items but still unable to remove the cooling fans which is also hiding the screws for the removing the monitors. could you please send some instructions to on how i can replace the mother board.
Thanks once again.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
LadyLindaK,
Why do you want to replace fans? Have you tried cleaning them with compressed air?
Could be software related problem. Maybe you have too many applications running at the same time, maybe you have a virus or spyware clogging the system, etc… Have you tried reinstalling Windows from scratch?
May 28th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Jay,
It’s not difficult for people with basic soldering skills. All you have to do is unsolder two cables.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:32 am
This is an interesting site – I had no idea what the inside of a computer looked like! Anyway – my PCG-K23 has been getting very HOT and then shutting off. I assumed it is the fan (which now I realize – there are 2 fans) – but with some of the comments here – I’m not sure now. I did get a price of $50.00 from Best Buy to replace “the fan” – but I need to bring a replacement fan in with me. The computer has gotten very slow ….. so I paid someone to come out and service it ($150.00) …… it wasn’t much faster ……. now this. I’m beginning to think it might be cheaper to just buy a new laptop.
What do you all think?
May 26th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Hello,
Is it easy to unsolder the old DC Jack from the wire harness? I can not really see in the pic. what or how it is to be desoldered. I looked on ebay for the wiring harness thinking it would be easier to replace both as a whole, but I can only find the DC Jack on there.
Any pointers on this step would be greatly appreciated.
Jay
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
So I replaced the power jack. Now it still doesnt power on…They wall charger is green and then when I go to plug it into the computer it makes a wierd noise and the charger light goes off (black) then if I unplug the charger from the lap top it turns back to green on the wall charger.
I hear the noise repeat itself over and over after leaving the wall charger plugged into the lap-top. It seems like imscrewed….oh well at least I tried…if anyone has any tips please give me an email. Sterlin18@aol.com
May 16th, 2009 at 10:28 am
The screen does not need to be unplugged just take the screws out of the right side of the screen .
May 13th, 2009 at 3:52 am
I have a k35 and I believe my “power jack “cracked. It does not have a full round plastic piece in the back. I believe portion of it has cracked out/off and I need to replace it. Does anyone have a good site to purchase this part or is ebay the best bet?
My problem is that the computer wont power up and I thought it was the battery. As everyone knows these models are like 3-5 years old. So I replaced the battery…and come to found out at geek squad they told me it was the power jack not being able to give the full attention from the adaptor.( Because the “power jack” is cracked.) Has this happened to anyone else?
I guess im going to have to do this write up and get the part off ebay. Anyone have any help or additional input would be great. Or if anyone has done this or had the same problem. TIA
May 12th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Hi
my sony vaio K33 run good no problem ,after i replace the power jack. the window will not boot and stay at black screen with logo “VAIO” ,and “intel inside” along with a noisy sound “teng teng….keep going.
sometime the window start but the keyboad stuck on #5, #5 running never stop ,and the hard drive C can’t open files,when i clicked on anyone folder in programs files ,the folder open then change right away to folder ” my music & my picture” .and the computer noisy sound “ti. ti…….” keep going .Thanks in advance
May 9th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Great step by step guide. I will be taking apart a k-33 tomorrow to replace the power jack. I will re-post once completed. . . wish me luck.
April 24th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Just completed the same repair myself. Went like a dream! Many many thanks for the advice.
In step 3 you can disconnect the ribbon cable at the bezel if you like which some may find easier to get to.
Cheers
April 23rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Hello,
I have a Sony Viao PCG-K23. It currently uses an external monitor because the laptop display is not working properly. If I look very carefully, I can still see a very dim -though almost totally dark – image of what’s on the screen. No manual adjustments are possible and I don’t think it has anything to do with the lid switch since I don’t see anything (on the laptop panel) during startup.
Given that my screen went bereserk with stray lines, etc, and then off completly during a thunderstorm, is it likely that I burnt the inverter board and/or back light? Is such a repair possible (separate from the presumably much more expensive screen itself) on this particular model?
Thanks,
Bob
so I’m not entirely sure what is the best solution, hoping you can advise on appropriate remedy & prices to fix.
I think I need the inverter board repaired/replaced. Also, potentially, the backlight needs to be replaced? ( I didn’y see any Sony K-Series inverters on your parts page.
Thanks
Bob
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Crispo,
Unfortunately, the only way to find out which one is causing the problem is testing the laptop with another known good battery.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
chrias,
Do buy the battery at this time. First, find the problem as I mention it in my previous comment.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
chrias,
I think you have some kind of hardware related failure. Maybe one of the devices is not working properly and when you load the device driver, this device fails. In Safe Mode Windows loads minimum drivers needed for basic operation, so your faulty device is not active and because of that the system is stable.
Here’s what you can try narrow down the problem. Minimize the laptop as much as possible. Disconnect all devices and cables and leave only those necessary to start the laptop with video. The bare minimum is motherboard (with video card), memory and CPU. You can even unplug the display panel and start the laptop with an external monitor. Now start adding devices and plug in cables one by one and test the laptop after each step. This technique will help you to find a faulty component in your laptop.
This technique is very powerful but it takes a lot of time. I used it this morning troubleshooting a Portege R500 laptop. It took me over 1 hour but I found the problem.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:35 am
This is such a helpful website!
I need to replace power jack as per the details above and am looking forward to diving in but hopefully without the dire problems some of you guys have had!!
My Vaio won’t work on battery – has anyone any ideas how to tell if it’s the battery that is the problem or the charging system? It’s a big gamble to buy a battery just to check.
Thanks
April 21st, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I also tried putting my battery back in and it won’t even charge at all. The charge light doesn’t even come on so it must be really dead. Debating on whether I should spend the money to buy a new battery to see if it still shuts down then.
I have also set the Power Management to not do anything so I know it’s not a hibernation issue.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I tried running it in VGA mode but it’s still shutting off. I did try reimaging the drive twice before and it kept shutting off on me during the process so I’m somewhat skeptical about doing it again and I’m at a loss here as to what the problem may be.
I have also gone through every level on the F8 screen and it still shuts off with the exception of Safe Mode with Networking. It will run for days so I take it that it has to be software related but I see no conflicts anywhere.
Btw before I forget I do appreciate all your help in this matter.
April 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
chrias,
Instead of starting the laptop in Safe Mode, try VGA mode. In this mode everything loads as usual except the video driver. Will it run fine in VGA mode?
The best way to eliminate software related problem is reimaging the hard drive back to factory defaults. Back up all personal data and run the restore CDs.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:23 am
Forgot to mention that the cooling fans do work and it runs on straight AC power. I don’t know if it will do it on battery power as my battery is dead in the water.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Well, I tried putting on some new heat sink compound and blew out whatever dust was in the fans and cooling fins and it’s still shutting off on me. Sometimes I barely even gets to windows and it will shut off. It still runs perfectly fine in safe mode. I think it may be software related but I don’t know where to start. I’ve tried removing as much as I can in startup mode but it doesn’t seem to help. I’m ready to throw this thing out the window!!!
April 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
chrias,
Can you hear the cooling fan spinning? Maybe you have a faulty cooling fan?
Did you apply new thermal grease on the processor if you removed the heat sink for cleaning?
Does it happen when the AC adapter is unplugged and the laptop runs on the battery power?
April 17th, 2009 at 9:42 am
umm..i’m not sure if it’s a heating issue, it seem weird because when ever i turned it on the fans would spin for a while and then stop when i got to the safe mode selections screen, and as i soon as i chose safemode and pressed enter to continue it would shut down….but then again there were times they didn’t stop spining, it would boot up all the way but after 5 minuts or so,it would turn off again…i really have no clue
April 15th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I have a problem with my PCG-K35 shutting down whenever it feels like it. Sometimes it will run for 10 mins, sometimes 30 seconds. It will run for days in Safe Mode. It is not an overheating issue as I have cleaned it prior to this issue starting.
I thought it may have been a memory issue so I upgraded it to 2 512MB but it’s still turning off unexpectedly. I can’t even install the XP Service Pack 3 because of this problem.
I had reinstalled XP twice and it’s still doing it. The second time I had to try so many times because it kept turning off until it finally installed.
I did have the HD replaced prior to the warranty expiring so I don’t think that is an issue. I have run Avast and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and it doesn’t find anything.
April 12th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Erik,
Could it be a heat related issue? Can you see or hear the cooling fan spinning when the laptop is turned on?
April 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
hey guys i have a pcg-k37 and well all of a sudden it would turn itself off, after about 30 seconds or so after booting up i would turn off…i open it up and it seemed that everytime i jiggled the dc charging board that plugs into the motherboard it would boot all the way but after 5 minutes it would turn off again
so my question is, could the dc charger board be responsible for this since it’s what supplies the motherboard with power??
this is what i’m talking about(http://www.pchub.com/uph/model/0–5642-1/Vaio-PCG-K23-parts.html) it’s called the dc charger board
cuz now it doesn’t even turn on at all, no power, power button doesn’t work, it’s dead
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
First of all let me tell you – this is the best site I have ever seen for PCG K23 help. Thanks a lot guys.
Ok, here is my problem. I disassembled my PCG K23 to the last step for cleaning. Undocked CPU from heat sink, cleaned fans and reassembled everything again (again thanks to all above posts). But now when I start my pc, the power and battery LEDs lite only once and nothing happens. I can stil charge my battery if i keep the supply. I did it 3 to 4 times so I hope docking cpu and heat sink would not be a problem. I also ported memory many times. Any ideas what could be the reason?
Thanks in advance
April 1st, 2009 at 12:39 am
@ #113, Crash:
I honestly have no idea how helpful this might be, but I noticed the keys you mention are the ones affected by Num Lock. (I own a PCG-K25, personally.)
March 29th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Butch,
That could be:
1. Bad connection between the LCD cable and the LCD screen or motherboard. You can try reseating the LCD cable on both ends.
2. Bad LCD cable. You can try replacing the cable.
3. Failed LCD screen. You’ll have to replace the screen.
Can you test your laptop with an external monitor? Can you get any video on the external monitor?
If the external video works properly, I think your problem is related to the LCD cable. Try reseating connections on both ends or replace the cable.
I really doubt it. Your description sounds like a hardware related problem.