Home
This guide will help you to remove and replace memory, hard drive, optical drive and keyboard in Sony Vaio VGN-FE series laptops. As an example I took a Sony Vaio VGN-FE855E laptop. All these parts can be removed without opening the laptop case.
If this guide works for your Vaio, please mention the model number in comments below. This will help other users with similar laptops.
STEP 1.
Turn off the laptop and remove the battery.
Remove the memory and hard drive covers from the bottom of the laptop. Each cover is secured by two screws.
If you are removing the keyboard, you’ll have to remove one screw (green) securing the keyboard.
STEP 2.
Remove two screws securing the hard drive.
Slide the hard drive to the left to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Lift up the hard drive and remove it from the laptop.
The hard drive is mounted inside the caddy.
Remove two screws from each side. These screws securing the hard drive to the caddy.
Remove the hard drive from the caddy.
In my laptop I had a 2.5″ 120GB SATA hard drive installed. This hard drive can be replaced with any other larger 2.5″ SATA hard drive.
STEP 3.
In a Sony Vaio VGN-FE laptop both memory modules can be access from the bottom.
In order to remove the memory module spread latches on both sides of the slot until the memory module pops up at a 20-30 degree angle.
Pull the memory module from the slot by the edges.
This Vaio laptop can take up to 2GB memory. You can install up to 1GB memory stick into each slot.
Use DDR2 PC2-5300 or faster SODIMM modules.
STEP 4.
Remove three screws securing the optical CD/DVD drive. Pull the drive from the laptop.
If you are replacing the optical drive, it might be necessary to transfer both mounting brackets and the face plate to the new drive.
STEP 5.
Remove three screws located in the battery compartment. These screws are securing the speakers cover.
Start removing the speakers cover with your fingers.
Carefully release and lift up the right side of the cover.
Continue removing the cover with your fingers. It might take some time. It’s harder than looks on the pictures.
The speaker cover has been removed.
STEP 6.
Remove four screws securing the keyboard.
Lift up the keyboard and place it upside down on the palm rest.
Now you can access the keyboard cable connector. The keyboard is connected to the motherboard.
Before you can remove the keyboard, you’ll have to unlock the connector and release the keyboard cable.
In order to unlock the connector, move the black clip about 2 millimeters to the direction shown by two arrows. The click must stay attached to the white base. Now you can release the keyboard cable.
WARNING! If you break the connector, you’ll have to replace the whole motherboard OR use the laptop with an external keyboard.
Remove the keyboard and replace it with a new one if needed.
Need a keyboard replacement? You can buy a brand new keyboard here.
November 7th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Steve,
I guess you installed a Sony card into the SD slot?
I usually use a dental pick to get them out.
November 7th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Hi, I have an incorectly sized memory card stuck in my memory card reader. Could you advise of how i could go about talking this out as i cant use my memory card at the moment.
Thanks
October 29th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Helen,
Shouldn’t be very difficult.
Find a new DVD drive and follow step 4.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Hey this looks great. I need to replace my CD/DVD drive on my FE31Z and i think i can do it myself now with these instructions. Thank you!
October 20th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Good lord thank you. . . may i ask if you can make a “how to disassemble vgn-fe lcd” my display is kinda garbled so i hope i can check my lcd connector through opening the lcd and check the display
October 7th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Alberto,
I don’t know off the top of my head. It’s possible that CMOS battery is soldered directly to the motherboard, like in many other newer laptops.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
Javier,
Thank you for your comment. I fixed the image and instruction. I did forget one screw securing the keyboard on the bottom. I mentioned that in the step 1.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 am
You forgotten that there is a screw in the bottom of the laptop that fixes the keyboard and it is necesary to remove it if you want ti remove it. I almost break my keyboard. My model is a FE41Z
But apart from this, it is a great guide, congratulations
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 am
Please, Can you said me where is the CMOS battery.
I have this model and is imposible find it…
Thanks.
September 5th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I did it.
Beside the 4 screws, the bezel is held by several plastic latches (4 on each side and 2 extras on the bottom side) snapped into the frame. The bottom end, on my laptop, the bezel was also taped to the screen frame in the middle. I’ve forced the latches out and broke 3 of them on the top end. But, I think this is no big deal. The latches just to hold the bezel close to the screen. I can fix it by taping (double side tape) the bezel to the new screen’s frame as it did at the bottom side before.
There is helpful documentation I’ve found HERE and download the service manual for VGN-FExxx model. The documentation lists how to disassemble the whole laptop. To disassemble the LCD screen, I just removed the KB cover (Step 11 and 12). Then, jumped to step 16 to disassemble the screen. Dismount the monitor and base of laptop is important. If I’ve read this document and dismount the monitor part from base first, I might save all the latches.
Now I am going to remove the LCD screen from the cover.