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In this guide I’ll explain how to take apart an Acer Aspire 5100 laptop. I’ll show how to remove and replace major laptop components such as CD/DVD drive, memory, hard drive, wireless card, cooling fan and keyboard.
In the next article I’ll explain how to remove LCD screen and replace inverter board.
First of all, make sure the laptop is turned off, the power adapter is disconnected and the battery is removed.
Both memory modules, wireless card, cooling and and hard drive can be accessed from the bottom. Remove four screws marked with red circles and loosen two screws marked with green circles. Remove both covers.
You can search for Acer Aspire 5100 spare parts here.
Find brand new replacement laptop batteries in stock and ready to ship your way.
Removing DVD drive:
1. Remove one screw (red circle) securing the drive.
2. Push the drive from the laptop with a flathead screwdriver.
3. Pull the drive form the laptop.
Removing hard drive:
1. Pull the hard drive to the right side until it’s disconnected from the motherboard.
2. Lift up the hard drive.
If you are replacing the hard drive with a new one, you’ll have to transfer the mounting bracket to a new drive.
My laptop had a 80GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive installed. You can upgrade it to a larger and faster SATA drive.
100GB, 120GB, 160GB and 250GB SATA drives should work just fine in this laptop.
Removing laptop memory:
1. Carefully spread latches on both sides of the memory module until it pops up at a 30 degree angle.
2. Pull the memory module by the edges.
Acer Aspire 5100 has two memory slots. You can install up to 4GB RAM total. Up to 2GB memory module into each slot. You should use PC2-533 DDR2-667MHz 200pin SODIMM RAM modules.
Removing wireless card:
1. Disconnect both antenna cables. Grab the antenna cable connector with your fingers and unsnap it from the connector on the wireless card.
2. Spread latches on both sides of the wireless card same way as you did with RAM modules.
3. When the wireless card pops up at a 30 degree angle, pull it from the slot by the edges. Remove wireless card.
Removing cooling fan:
1. Remove two screws securing the fan.
2. Carefully disconnect fan cable from the motherboard.
3. Lift up and remove the fan.
My laptop had a lot of dust trapped between the fan and heatsink. This dust buildup kills normal airflow inside the cooling module and causes laptop overheating. You can blow off dust using canned air.
Here’s how you can replace thermal paste between the heatsink and CPU.
Removing laptop keyboard.
In the following steps I’ll explain how to disconnect and remove the keyboard.
1. Lift up the keyboard bezel with a flathead screwdriver as it shown on the picture below.
2. Remove keyboard bezel.
3. Remove two screws securing the keyboard.
4. Carefully lift up the keyboard, it’s still attached to the motherboard.
5. The keyboard is connected to the motherboard via a flat ribbon cable. Before you can remove the keyboard, you’ll have to unlock the connector and release the cable.
6. Carefully move the black tab about 1-2 millimeters up with your fingernails as it shown on the picture below.
DO NOT SEPARATE THIS TAB FROM THE CONNECTOR, IT HAS TO STAY ATTACHED TO THE CONNECTOR.
If you break the keyboard connector, you’ll have to replace the whole motherboard. Be careful.
7. Now you can release the cable and remove the keyboard.
December 9th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Pls read comment below to get a full grip of my situation.
According to Sisoft Sandra it seems that the DVD rom is hlds gcc-4244n.
It does seem like also the DVD rom is a craxxy ATA. Is there others that know for sure?
Pls help me out here so I might make the SATA SSD work. Would hate to have wasted my hard earned cash on a SSD I might not be able to use. I spent just over 200 $ on SSD and CPU hoping to bringing new life into the old laptop.
As I am raked for cash I have not other options then to make this work. As there is so few manufactorer of Pata SSD those are out of my reach due to cost.
Is there there any kind of adapters or smart tech bits I can use for making the SSD work in full speed on the Acer Aspire 5102 WLMI? (Btw Sisoft Sandre tells me Acer Aspire 5100, but all stickers on laptop says Aspire 5102WLMI.) Dont know if that really matter but now you know.
If there does excist adatpers or other ways of making sure I can use SSD I would appiriciate it.
December 9th, 2010 at 8:34 am
I have an Acer Aspire 5102WLMI with AMD Turion 64 x2 TL 50.
I have a SSD (SATA), but after the purchase of said SSD I discovered that the HDD was PATA.
I once read an article about how one could fit SSD into older laptops replacing the DVD/CD-rom with a sort of a caddy-thingy that enables you to mount the SSD into the caddy and just replace the entire DVD tray. The upgrade is also including av new TL 66 CPU boosting CPU as well as storage. I can not return SSD to get my money back. So I need help finding av way to make the SSD work for my Acer Aspire 5102 WLMI.
I can not track the article I once read, nor can I find any caddies that will fit for my Acer Aspire 5102.
Is there anyone that can help me with a link or even some technical data for the Aspire? Is it even possible to do this? What kind of connections does the DVD player use? Is it regular SATA II or is it also that dang Pata connection like on the HDD?
I hope someone can help me cause I would not like to take the laptop apart just to discover that the SSD is impossible to use for this laptop.
December 8th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Guy,
The touchpad buttons are part of the palm rest assembly.
You’ll have to disassemble the laptop and replace the palmrest assembly.
A new palmrest assembly for Acer Aspire 5100 laptop (with touchpad or without) is available here.
Here’s Acer Aspire 5100 service manual. Use it as disassembly guide. Disassembly procedure starts at the page 66.
December 8th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
leublios,
Sorry, I’m not very good with software.
I believe the laptop changes size of video memory depending on the load. When you play games, it allocates more memory. When the laptop not loaded, it allocates less memory. I don’t think you can manually assign memory for video use.
December 8th, 2010 at 4:50 am
hello there!
I have the acer aspire 1670 and i have a bios autostart password enabled. When i installed Windows 7, i restart my laptop and then the keypad does not work. I cant put the bios password and i cant enter to bios menu or boot menu! I try the FN+F6 or F7 but nothing happens!
I am on mountains now and the only thing to do is to work with my laptop!i really need help!i send this message from my mobile!please help me!
(sorry for my english…)
December 5th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Hi , great work there with photos and stuff. Very good effort.
As you mention, video card is integrated into the motherboard and cannot be removed, replaced or upgraded. By reading the manual i see that the graphics card ATI X1300 use shared memory up to 512 mb. The sticker on right bottom side of the keyboard on my Aspire 5100, indicates the graphics card as “up to 896mb ATI mobility radeon x1300 hypermemory”.
i have upgraded the RAM to 4GB (my Vista 32 bit should use 3+ not the whole 4GB).
what i am asking is if there is a way to reach the 896MB in the graphics card or even 512MB by setting up the laptop through vista or any other program.
i don’t know how to set it up like that (if it is possible) or where to get instructions on how to do it.
i would appreciate your advice on that.
December 2nd, 2010 at 11:16 am
My 5100 touchpad buttons are messed up, how can I get it out and replace the touchpad?
Thanks Guy
December 1st, 2010 at 3:48 am
i was unable to use my keyboard but after the lesson,i was now able to use it
November 25th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Tim,
Nope, the video card (graphics card) is not upgradable because it’s integrated into the motherboard.
November 25th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Thanks so much for this! I have been nervous about digging in. I wanted to know if video can be upgraded? I have a new camera from microsoft. It’s an hd camera and the resolution on the laptop i guess is too low, i have to stay on the lowest resolution setting of the camera to get a picture. is that a new motherboard? video is on the motherboard? thanks Tim