Home
In this post I explain how to take apart an Acer Aspire One netbook.
In this particular guide I’m taking apart an Acer Aspire One A0751h netbook (Also says Model No. ZA3 on the bottom).
I don’t know if all Acer Aspire One netbooks are similar but I think this guide should work for a few different models. If the guide works for your netbook, please mention the model number in comments after the post.
First of all, make sure the netbook is turned off and battery removed.
STEP 1.
I’ll start taking it apart with removing the keyboard.
The keyboard is secured on the top with four spring loaded latches.
I pointed to these latches with yellow arrows.
Push on each latch with a sharp object.
When you push on the latch, the keyboard lifts up a little bit and the latch remains in the pushed position.
There are two more plastick latches on the left and right sides of the keyboard.
These two latches do not move, they are part of the top cover assembly.
STEP 2.
Insert a thin object (I’m using a knife blade) between the left side of the keyboard and top cover and carefully lift it up.
I assume that four spring loaded latches on the top of the keyboard still pushed in.
STEP 3.
After the left side of the keyboard lifted up, you can continue removing it with your fingers.
STEP 4.
Lift up the keyboard and place it upside down on the palm rest.
Be careful, the keyboard still attached to the motherboard.
STEP 5.
Now you can access the keyboard cable connector.
NOTE: you cannot remove the keyboard until the connector is unlocked and ribbon cable released.
STEP 6.
On the following picture the keyboard connector shown in the locked position.
In order to unlock the keyboard connector, you have to lift up the left side of the brown clip so it opens up at a 90 degree angle.
NOTE: the brown clip must stay attached to the white base.
On the next picture the same connector shown in the unlocked position.
STEP 7.
Now you can pull the ribbon cable from the connector and remove the keyboard.
The keyboard has been removed.
You can search for a new replacement keyboard using the part number printed on the keyboard label.
In my case the keyboard part number is: AEZA3R00010
Here you can buy a new replacement keyboard for your Acer Aspire One netbook.
In the following few steps I explain how to remove netbook hard drive, memory module and wireless card.
STEP 8.
Remove six screws securing the hard drive, memory (RAM) and wireless card covers.
Remove all three covers.
STEP 9.
Remove one screws securing the hard dive assembly and slide the whole assemble to the left.
After the hard drive disconnected from the motherboard, you can remove it from the netbook.
If you are replacing the hard drive, you’ll have to transfer the caddy to the new drive.
In order to remove the caddy simply remove four screws (two screws on each side) and separate it from the hard drive.
In my Acer Aspire One netbook I found a regular 160GB 2.5″ SATA hard drive installed.
Any larger 2.5″ SATA hard drive should work just fine.
STEP 10.
In order to remove the memory module carefully spread latches on both sides of the memory slot.
After the memory module pops up at a 30 degree angle remove it from the slot by the edges.
In my Acer nebook I found only one memory slot.
I believe you can install up to 2GB DDR2 RAM module into this slot.
STEP 11.
Finally, let’s move to the wireless card.
Disconnect two antenna cables from the wireless card.
Remove one screw securing the wireless card.
STEP 12.
Remove the wireless card same way you removed the memory module.
In the next post I explain how to remove the LED-backlit screen from same Acer Aspire One A0751h netbook.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
[...] the previous post I explain how to remove keyboard, memory, wireless card and hard drive from same Acer Aspire One A0751h [...]
September 24th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Hallo, Nice to meet you.., Please i need help..,
I have troble at my AO 751 one, its won’t detect HardDisk & Battery.., in normal to swicth “ON” , it’s No power, only if i put out of the battery .., and only use cargh and it’s Ok.
So i change with the others Hard Disk.., but still “No Hard Disk Found”. Thank’s Before…..
October 3rd, 2010 at 1:11 pm
You might try a RESET… removed battery, remove power cord… hold down power(start) button for 3 min… install batter, see if netbook will start….. If it starts but can not find the HDD then you need to load the SATA Driver… my way, set Boot to f12 – then place the drivers needed on a USB Flash drive…boot to USB and install Drivers….
November 10th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Just wanted to say thanks-this was very helpful!
December 5th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Can you show me how to change the CPU in this product?
December 8th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
James,
I’m not sure if you can replace the CPU.
There is a chance the CPU soldered to the motherboard and not replaceable.
January 14th, 2011 at 7:25 am
Hi
I am replacing the jack plug on this machine, however I have been unable to locate a jack for this particular model.
Can anyone help?
Thanks
January 20th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Hey this guide was very helpful, thank you for putting it together.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
hello, i have a a0751h and the cmos battery must be getting bad, it wont keep date and time after a little while its off. i’ve reset it a couple of times do you know where the cmos battery is and a place to buy a new one..thanks
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:05 pm
i have a acer aspire one za3 a0751h-52bp but has a password set in biosand forgot what it is – how do i reset it?
February 4th, 2011 at 1:49 am
Hi, thanks for the helpful article. The reason I’m looking is I’m wondering if it’s possible to replace that piece-of-junk atheros wireless card with something that will do WPA? Any thoughts on that?
March 7th, 2011 at 5:44 am
I have Acer Aspire One A0751h netbook (Model ZA3), i want to format it and reinstall WinXp. But it has not any CD/DVD Drive.
I won’t to buy external USB CD/DVD Drive. So, without CD/DVD Drive how i will reinstall WinXP.
Is there any way to reinstall WinXp because my system is running very slow.
Plz Advice
March 8th, 2011 at 8:23 am
I need help..i don’t know how to remove/change battery of my acer za3..please help
March 10th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Naushad,
I don’t know if this laptop is capable of booting over a network. If yes, you can try installing Windows XP over network.
Check out this guide.
March 20th, 2011 at 5:05 am
David,
i have a acer aspire one za3 a0751h-52bp but has a password set in biosand forgot what it is – how do i reset it?
March 20th, 2011 at 5:06 am
sorry problem with posting! The default BIOS password is 1234
HTH
May 14th, 2011 at 12:02 am
i have notebook acer aspire 4730zg and currently having a monitor problem…..pls give me an advice
May 15th, 2011 at 9:56 am
zul,
It’s same like saying: “My car doesn’t start. What is wrong?”.
There is no way to guess what is wrong because you are not providing any details.
Do you get any image on the screen at all?
Is your image garbled, distorted?
Is it flickering?
Can you get any image on the external monitor?
Does your laptop turn on at all?
May 31st, 2011 at 2:13 am
Reply To Naushad
– || I have Acer Aspire One A0751h netbook (Model ZA3), i want to format it and reinstall WinXp. But it has not any CD/DVD Drive.
I won’t to buy external USB CD/DVD Drive. So, without CD/DVD Drive how i will reinstall WinXP.
Is there any way to reinstall WinXp because my system is running very slow.
Plz Advice ||–
You can install windows using a usb drive. Try google for answers.
June 24th, 2011 at 11:28 am
I have a KAV60 Netbook. It took so long for the replacement part to come in the amil that I’ve forgotten where I pulled it from. Where do i attach a new internal power source?
July 7th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
I have an acer aspire one. Pressure was placed on the screen by my child. The screen is partially black and distorted. Is this repairable and if so how?
July 16th, 2011 at 10:46 am
Hi,
Love the clear detail you give, really great job. I wondered if you had an angle on getting to the power point in the laptop, My acer will not poer up or charge any more. They was a period where if i held in certain position it worked but no more. Tried alt power source to no avail and wonder if just loose connect at laptop end.
Any help would be grat, Cheers D.
September 19th, 2011 at 1:31 am
OHMYGOD THANK YOU!!!
September 23rd, 2011 at 7:12 am
Thanks for such an amazing post, it is very helpful. However, the cooling fan on my model is full of dust. How do I get to it? I want to clean it, but I really don’t know how to get off the cover of the whole netbook. I don’t wanna mess anything up, obviously I’m not an expert ^^
September 23rd, 2011 at 10:12 am
@ Maggie,
In order to access the fan you’ll have to disassemble the whole thing but you can try the following.
Buy a can of compressed air and blow air into the fan grill on the side (and bottom if there is one). This should clean the fan and heatsink.
October 26th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
I want to temporary short out the battery to disable bios password. Anyone knows where is the battery on the motherboard for A0751h ZA3?
Thank ahead of any help
Wayne
November 28th, 2011 at 12:01 am
My acer screen is so dim, i think the backlight is the problem. i still see the image, but the light is so dim! ive tried to adjust the brightness but it getting more dim. when i hold the screen hardly, it becomes dark. i have searched that the inverter or ccfl was damaged. can somebody help me to fix this? and where to buy the inverter or ccfl? and also, can i replace by myself? without going to the technician. tnx!
December 1st, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@ chillo,
What is your Acer Aspire model number? Is it like one in this guide? If yes, I explained how to replace the screen in the following guide: http://www.insidemylaptop.com/remove-screen-from-acer-aspire-one-netbook/
But this model has a LED-backlit LCD screen which doesn’t have inverter board. If the screen stopped working properly, it could be bad screen ( or failed video cable or motherboard issue).
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:51 am
Hello,
I have an Acer Aspire One ZA3 and i have a problem with either my hard drive,my graphics card or my CPU… You see when I turn on my netbook nothing happens…it’s just a black screen and even if i leave it like that for hours nothing happens…the lights of CPU and Caps Lock turn on and then off but the Bluetooth light remains on. I feel there’s something wrong with the graphics card and I don’t know if I can replace it… All I can hear is a strange noise coming from the right of the netbook (as you see it standing over the netbook) and it seems like something is starting to move and suddenly it stops…and this goes on forever!!!
Any help would be useful because I use my netbook a lot!!!
Thanks
December 6th, 2011 at 10:43 am
@ Phil,
You cannot replace the graphics card. It’s integrated into the motherboard.
Isn’t it coming from the hard drive area? Maybe the hard drive failed.
Remove the hard drive and try turning on the laptop without it.
December 16th, 2011 at 2:21 am
Hello again,
I removed the hard drive and it has the same problem but now there is no strange sounds… so maybe the sounds were coming from the hard drive but that wasn’t the problem… any suggestions for what might be the problem???
Thanks!!!
December 16th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@ Phil,
There is one more thing you can try. Remove the memory module from the slot and try turning it on (you’ll still have built in memory).
If still nothing happens, probably this is motherboard related issue. If that’s the case, the netbook not worth fixing.
December 29th, 2011 at 11:42 am
Thanks for the help. The keyboard replacement is easy, but I disturbed the touch pad connector next to the keyboard connector which is now intermittently a problem and will need more attention. Be careful not to move it or it’s lock down tab, as I did before reading this post. I will be makng a donation!
December 29th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@ Dennis,
Did you damage the connector? Did you accidentally pulled the touchpad cable?
If the connector is not damaged, just unlock it and try reseating the cable.
December 30th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Hi and hello, I have a challenge in accessing the power plug on my wife’s Acer Aspire One model number KAV60. Unfortunately I was unable to find a disassembling procedure that covered this model, In the end with some gentle force I was able to gain enough access to super glue and hold it in position until dry. It seems to have done the trick. To reduce the risk of further damage by taping the plug in position on a foam support.
I found your series quite helpful and will return the next time I have a challenge.
January 13th, 2012 at 3:21 am
Good Morning,
What a great site. Thank you for doing this.
My issue is, I think, the same as the post on December 30 by Terri Rawlings. There is a problem with my plug. It will not stay in place; therefore, does not charge the computer unless I hold it tightly. I have tried to tape it but that doesn’t seem to work for very long.
I’m wondering how he got to it and would it be easy for me to figure out how to super glue it in place (if that’s the problem). It’s almost as though the stem of the plug is too short or too wide and doesn’t make contact.
Thank youl
January 13th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
@ Louise,
It will be necessary to disassemble the laptop.
After you go though all steps shown in this guide you’ll have to do the following.
1. Remove all screws from the bottom of the laptop.
2. Removed all screws found under the keyboard and disconnect cables from the motherboard.
After that you should be able to separate the top cover assembly from the base and access the insides of the laptop.
February 8th, 2012 at 8:43 am
i have an acer aspire kav60, screen is very dim, I;ve updated the bios- still dim, I’ve pressed the fn and brightness buttons, still nothing, I;ve changed the screen still nothing, please help.thanks
February 9th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
@ bryan,
I believe this laptop has a LED backlit screen installed, so there is no inverter board between the screen and motherboard.
If you replaced the screen but it didn’t fix the problem, it could be the following:
1. Bad connection between the video cable and motherboard. Try reconnecting the cable.
2. Failed video cable.
3. Motherboard problem.
I cannot tell which one is failing without testing the laptop with known good parts.
By the way, did you buy a brand new replacement screen. Is there any chance your new screen is defective?
May 17th, 2012 at 9:40 am
Hello, i want to tell you that you 1 awesome site!
I will donate for you if you can help me with my situation..
Look 1 day my brother pushed me and my Laptop felt down and then when i looked at the screen i saw some lines. Basically from the right i see my desktop and in between is sometimes black or white.. and next of the white screen is same as the right one. E.x: Now i see double desktop and between them is white. What’s the problem?? I opened the screen and watched if some cables werent on their positions but nothing. all are right.
I think that the problem is the connection with my motherboard.. what do u think??
Please reply via email!!!
Thank u for your time..!!!
May 18th, 2012 at 10:24 am
@ Daniel,
I would test the laptop with an external monitor. If the external video works properly and the problem appears only on the laptop screen, most likely the LCD screen was damaged. You’ll have to replace the screen.
I don’t think this is connection related issue.