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In this guide I’ll be removing the LCD screen and inverter board from a Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop. You can use same set of instructions for a Dell Inspiron E1705 and probably some other Dell laptops. If my guide works for you, please mention the laptop model in the comments below.
Need a new LCD screen for your Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop? Find it here for less than $100.
Like in most other laptops, in this model the LCD screen is mounted between the display cover and front bezel. You’ll find eight screw seals on the front bezel. Six rubber seals (red circles) and two plastic seals (green circles).
Remove rubber seals using a sharp object. Glue these seals somewhere on the front bezel so they don’t get lost.
Remove two plastic seals using the same tool. Also, glue them somewhere on the front bezel.
Remove all eight screws found under the seals.
When all screws are removed you can start separating the front bezel from the display cover. Use your fingers and a piece of soft plastic. In this guide I’m using a guitar pick.
Continue separating the front bezel.
The front bezel has been removed.
There are screws securing the LCD screen to the hinge bracket. You’ll find four screws on each side.
Remove four screw on one side of the display panel.
And after that remove four screws on the other side of the panel.
Now you can separate the LCD screen assembly from the cover.
Be careful, there is a video cable connecting the LCD screen and inverter board to the motherboard.
Place the LCD screen on the palm rest so you can access the video cable and unplug it from the LCD screen and inverter.
Press on latches on both sides of the video cable connector and pull it from the LCD screen.
Unplug the other end of the video cable from the inverter board.
Now you can remove the LCD screen and inverter board. As you see, the inverter board is attached to the LCD screen frame. It’s very common setup for Dell laptops.
The inverter board is mounted inside the metal casing which is a part of the LCD screen frame.
Remove one screw securing the inverter board and turn the LCD screen upside down.
Unplug the backlight cable from the inverter board.
Carefully remove the inverter board from the metal casing and replace it with a new one if needed. You can buy a new inverter board here for about $15-20.
When you buy a new LCD screen for your Dell laptop, it might come with the inverter board already attached to it. It’s very common. If that’s the case, you don’t have to remove the old inverter.
Static electricity can kill your laptop. I recommend wearing an anti-static wrist strap while working with internal parts of your laptop.
If you find this article useful, please consider making a donation to the author. Thank you!
July 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I can’t get the video cable connector back in at the top. it seems like the top piece has come loose.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Dell Inspiron 1525:
I didn’t need to replace the screen, but the hinge on the lower right side of my screen had come unattached and I needed to fix it.
Using a guitar pick was perfect.
There are only 6 screws holding the Dell Inspiron 1525 front bezel.
Thanks!
July 31st, 2009 at 11:50 am
Thank you for these useful instructions.
Can you clarify how to remove the inverter board from the metal casing? Do you need to remove the casing from the screen first?
Tkx
August 20th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Thanks for the step by step breakdown instructions. Realy worked well. I had to change the inverter board of my samsung replacement screen by taking the inverter from my old philips screen this did require a little work but worth it never the less considering that dell would have charged $500.00 for replacing thr lcd and inverter board.
September 13th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
[...] Remove and replace the LCD assembly. Take a look at this guide for the LCD screen removal instructions. [...]
September 16th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
[...] Here’s an example of removing the LCD screen from a Dell display panel. [...]
October 11th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Thank you I just replaced my Dell Inspiron XPS screen with a Dell Inspiron 9400 works great. I just re-used my old inverter and ,back in business. Cheers, keep up the good work, sites like this one gives an old plumber the courage to dive right in..
October 15th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I purchased a new screen to replace my broken one. I’m using the same inverter and plugged everything in where it needed to go but the screen doesn’t go on when I start up my computer. It looks like it lights up but nothing actually come up on the screen. Also I tried plugging the old screen in to see if it was the screen I bought and that no longer works at all either.
Is there anything else that could be the problem because I didn’t think I would have to replace the inverter board but I may be wrong.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Thank you for your tutorial on line that showed me how to change out the display. Had I now found it I would not have attempted the swap. The job took me about one hour to complete and my new display works like a champ. A tip to put on your site: Put then end of the small screwdriver in a stick of lip ice and the small screws will stick to the screwdriver with no problem.
I donated $10.00 to your site.
Thanks again