Upgrading laptop with care

The most troublesome laptop components are hard drive, screen, and keyboard. While you probably would not want to replace an expensive laptop screen, anyone with the right tools and even a slight mechanical inclination can replace the hard drive, keyboard, and other components, with some patient tinkering.

Opening your laptop case may void the warranty, so if your system is still under warranty, let the manufacturer deal with repairs. Notebooks are delicate, so never force anything. One slip and your motherboard is ruined.

Before doing anything else, remove the notebook’s battery and disconnect its power cord. Remember to ground yourself before you open the case, either with a grounding strap ( the safest way), or by touching a piece of grounded metal ( a lamp or water pipe will do), while touching  a metal part on the case’s exterior.