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In this guide I’ll be taking apart a Sony Vaio VPCZ1 laptop.
I’ll show how to remove the keyboard/palmrest assembly in order to access internal laptop components.
You can use this guide for accessing the hard drive (which is mounted inside the case), memory modules, optical DVD drive and wireless card. Also, when you remove the palmrest assembly you can access the laptop cooling fan and clean it up.
In this particular case I’m taking apart Sony Vaio VPCZ1290X model.
STEP 1.
Make sure the laptop is turned off.
Unlock and remove laptop battery.
STEP 2.
Remove two screws securing the memory cover.
Lift up and remove the memory cover.
STEP 3.
Both memory modules can be accessed on the bottom of the laptop.
Sony Vaio VPCZ1 laptop uses DDR3 memory.
STEP 4.
Remove all marked screws from the bottom of the laptop.
STEP 5.
Make sure the laptop display moved back as much as possible.
Lift up the upper side of the keyboard/palmrest assembly.
STEP 6.
Continue removing the keyboard/palmrest assembly. Be careful, there is a cable connecting the assembly to the motherboard.
STEP 7.
Unplug the palmrest assembly cable from the motherboard.
When the palmrest assembly removed you can get access to the following internal laptop components:
- Cooling fan.
- Wireless card.
- DVD drive.
- Hard drive.
In my Sony Vaio VPCZ1290X laptop I had two SSDs (Solid State Drives) sandwiched together and configured as RAID 0.
Some replacement parts for Sony Vaio VPCZ1 laptops available here.
April 22nd, 2013 at 8:58 pm
@ Phil M,
You can try heating up the screen with soldering gun and try removing it after that. The heat should make the lock tight stuff soft.
April 21st, 2013 at 8:12 pm
I just stumbled on the 2 screes as well Chris. However they are stuck fast.
Any hints on how to relax a stubon little screw?
April 11th, 2013 at 3:45 am
There were two more screws to be removed before lifting the keyboard out.
very small ones at the fron edge of the back cover.
April 3rd, 2013 at 11:34 am
@ Gary,
You cannot replace built-in CPU.
March 28th, 2013 at 9:45 am
it could be possible changing the i5 built in cpu with an i7 one?
February 17th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
What type of sata cable is required to connect the sandwiched raid ssd drive to a desktop mobo.
February 2nd, 2013 at 11:11 pm
@ Jayson,
I don’t go that far in my guide but in order to replace the cooling fan it’s necessary to remove the motherboard from the laptop. The fan is mounted to the bottom side of the motherboard.
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Can you teach me how to change cooling fan vpcz1
October 29th, 2012 at 2:09 am
how to clear cmos notebook sony vaio model PCG-61112W / VPCCW1ZEG, i have unplug the cable CMOS but bios password not clear, please help me, thank’s
October 12th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
@ Jens Holm,
I cannot tell what’s going on without looking at the laptop but most likely this is some kind of connection related issue.
Check all connectors you unplugged during the disassembly process.