Open a Lenovo Laptop for the Flex Series

5 Parts:

Opening Your Lenovo Laptop

Putting Your Lenovo Laptop Back Together

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In the following tutorial we will discuss how to take apart a Lenovo Flex 15 computer. We will be disassembling the Lenovo computer so that its internal components can be changed, including the CD drive, the hard drive or SSD drive, and even the RAM computer memory. Taking apart the system is very simple if you know what you're doing and have the right tools to perform the job. The Lenovo computer appears in the image below. Additionally, you will see a piece of cloth resting on top of the computer as well as two screwdrivers. These two screwdrivers, this cloth, and the Lenovo laptop computer will be used in the process of disassembling the laptop for upgrades, adjustments, or repairs.

1. 1
   To begin, place the cloth on your workspace

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   The reason a cloth should be placed on your workspace is that the Lenovo computer may get scratched or damaged if it sits directly on a table or other hard surface.

   

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2. 2
   Next, place the computer face down on top of the cloth in order to remove the screws

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   The screws hold the computer case to the components, so they do not move around while the computer is put together. It is very important that you carefully remove the screws and pay attention to where they are.

   

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3. 3
   Note that we have now removed two screws from the Lenovo computer

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   Each of these screws is a cross, or Phillips head screwdriver. The screw at the top of the photo is longer than the screw at the bottom of the photo. This is because the screws that hold the bottom part of the laptop together are shorter and the screws holding the top part of the laptop together are longer. If you mix up the screws, your laptop will not be securely closed and could be damaged. Damaging your laptop in this process could void your warranty.

   

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4. 4
   Once you have removed the screws from your laptop, turn the laptop so that the side of the CD tray is facing you

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   Now you'll need a straight and long metal object such as a paperclip or even a bread tie (If you use a bread tie, simply remove the plastic from the end).

   

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5. 5
   When you are ready, place the paperclip or bread tie into the small hole that appears at the edge of the CD tray

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   Then, press in firmly and the CD tray will pop out.

   

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6. 6
   Slide out the CD tray so that it is open and locate the two screws with flat round heads

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   These two screws are unlike the other screws on the Lenovo. One is on the left side of the CD tray and the other is on the right side under a small flat cable.

   

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7. 7
   Once you have removed the two screws, gently slide the CD tray back in, but do not close it all the way (you will not be able to physically remove the CD tray at this stage, so don't try)

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   At this point, you should have removed all of the screws from the bottom of the laptop and the CD tray.

   

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8. 8
   Flip your computer back over so that you are looking at the top of it

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   In this case, the logo will be upside down. In other words, when you read Lenovo, it will not appear to be facing right side up. Additionally, your CD tray should still be slightly protruding from the edge of the laptop. If you are at this stage, then we can proceed.

   

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9. 9
   In this image, you can see that our laptop currently has a keyboard protector, which keeps the keyboard from touching the screen

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   The keyboard protector is a white piece of cloth that has several holes in it. You want to remove this cloth, at which point you will be able to see your laptop keyboard.

   

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10. 10
    Take a small flat head screwdriver and place it under the edge of the laptop keyboard, being careful not to scratch your computer

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11. 11
    Slowly move around the edges of the keyboard with the screwdriver

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    Apply gentle pressure as you do so. This will allow you to pop up the keyboard tabs holding it in place. Remember not to apply too much pressure or you will run the risk of breaking the tabs.

    

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12. 12
    Place the white cloth previously used for covering the keyboard on the laptop screen

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    Lift the keyboard so that the keys are essentially touching the monitor, which is now covered by the cloth. The keyboard should remain flat.

    

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13. 13
    You will note that there are two cables that can be adjusted or removed.

    

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14. 14
    In order to remove these cables, you will need to lift the small black pieces holding the cables in, and they will slide right out

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15. 15
    Use the flat screwdriver to lift up the Lenovo sticker on the exposed metal frame of the laptop case

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    There will be a screw under this sticker that you will remove in order to pull the CD tray out of the system. Remember to try not to close the CD tray after pulling it out of the system, as you'll have to unlock it again as we did earlier to take out the screws.

    

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16. 16
    Take out all of the screws that are left in the area beneath the keyboard

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    There are a total of four such screws. Two screws are on the left and two are on the right. Note that each screw has a small triangular arrow pointing to it.

    

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17. 17
    When this is finished, close the laptop

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    When closing the laptop, make sure to keep the cloth over the keyboard to avoid any possible damage to your screen.

    

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18. 18
    Flip the laptop over once more

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19. 19
    Place your fingers under the bottom left or bottom right edge of your laptop case and apply slight pressure to lift the case up

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    Note that you will have to be careful when completing this step, as the laptop will be more interested in opening up than in releasing the case catches. You may have to use two fingers, and having fingernails is obviously an asset when completing this process.

    

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20. 20
    When you are done, lift the back of your laptop case up and you will see the inside of your Lenovo

    .

    

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21. 21
    Inside of the Lenovo, there are three things you will want to pay attention to

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    The first is a connection port for your CD tray that is located on the bottom right side of the big empty-looking space. This space is in fact not empty, because it is where your CD drive normally rests (we removed it earlier in order to open the case).

    

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22. 22
    The second is the place where your hard drive is located

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    This is directly below the CD tray area we discussed earlier.

    

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23. 23
    Remember that if you choose to, you can install an SSD in your Lenovo Flex 2 15 laptop.

    

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24. 24
    The third area of importance is your RAM

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    There are two slots, each of which supports an 8GB RAM chip, which must be 1.35v, as opposed to the much more common 1.5v RAM units. As above with the SSD, you can also upgrade your RAM on the Lenovo Flex 2 15 model laptop.

    

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You've now opened your Lenovo Laptop, and have seen all components. Good work. Now let's put it all back together!

1. 1
   Now that you have seen the components, and upgraded any you wanted to change, you're ready to put the laptop back together

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   Start by placing the back cover on once more, however, do not snap it into place. Also, do not put any screws into the back of your laptop yet. You want to put the keyboard and CD drives back in first.

   

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2. 2
   Next, slide the CD drive back into the system

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   Note that if you have elected to replace the CD drive with a drive port for your old hard drive, in case you have replaced the hard drive, you will follow the same procedure of simply sliding the CD drive or the drive case for your new hard drive back in. You will know you have done it correctly when the screw hole lines up and the drive is still open.

   

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3. 3
   Flip the laptop over and open it once more

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   Once the laptop is open, remove the white paper that we put there to protect the touchscreen, and once more place it against the screen of the monitor so that you do not scratch the monitor.

   

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4. 4
   Take the screws that you previously removed from beneath the keyboard, and return them to their positions

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   You should have a total of four small black screws and one long black screw. They are all essentially the same diameter, however the shorter screws are the ones that will go in the little holes indicated by triangles as pointed out earlier in this tutorial. Then the larger screw will go under the Lenovo sticker, which we also removed earlier in this tutorial.

   

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5. 5
   Note that before screwing the big screw in, you should be sure that the CD tray is actually lined up

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   This can be difficult to see, so shine a light into the hole and look for the other side of the screw hole in the lower area, as shown in the image.

   

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6. 6
   Remember, after these five screws have been replaced, do not close the CD tray (we still need to put two more screws in it)

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7. 7
   Instead, you will now place your keyboard against the monitor so that it sits in an upright position

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   On the back of the keyboard you will see the ribbon cables that were previously removed.

   

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8. 8
   Take the cables in your hand carefully and gently so as to not damage them

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   Using two hands, lower the keyboard so that it is resting in the same flat position it was resting in earlier when you removed the two cables. Now you should see both ribbon cables sticking out, which makes them much easier to replace, as shown in this image.

   

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9. 9
   All you have to do is line the cables up in their appropriate slots and hold them in place with one finger while using your thumb to close the black clip that holds the cables in place

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   You should hear a slight snap indicating that the cable is closed properly (if you don't hear it, that's OK -- it's very quiet -- just make sure your cables are secure and you'll be fine). You will need to repeat this process for both cables, being careful not to apply too much pressure. Otherwise, you may damage or break the cables.

   

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10. 10
    When you're finished with the keyboard and everything is lined up, put the keyboard back, and press firmly around the keyboard to lock it in place

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    Now, place the white cloth back over top of the keyboard and monitor, and then close the laptop. Make sure that your CD drive is still not closed. If it closed by accident, remember that you can simply use a pin to press in and unlock it again.

    

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11. 11
    Flip the laptop over once more so it's resting with the back up so you can put the screws back

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    Just remember to keep one finger on the edge of your CD tray as you flip the laptop over, so that it doesn't slide out and come open or potentially break. In the worst-case scenario, it could fall out if you didn't replace the screws under the keyboard as instructed.

    

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12. 12
    Return all of the screws to their proper places on your laptop

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    We prefer to put the CD screws in first, because some of us are always forgetting to do it otherwise, but others prefer to put the system screws in first. Generally speaking, there is no right or wrong way to put the screws back in. The only thing that you should pay close attention to is that the screws are in the correct place on the system.

    

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13. 13
    Once each screw is in the correct place, go back and forth from side to side and tighten the screws

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    For example, tighten the screw in the top right corner, and then in the top left corner. Move around the system going to opposite screws and tighten each one as you get to it. Don't forget that there are five long screws and four short screws. The five long screws go in the top five screw holes in your system and the four short screws go in the bottom. This is because the bottom of the system is the thinnest area and the screw holes are very small. This should let you easily identify where the screws go. If you are not sure, reference our images, or go back to the earlier diagram.

    

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Congratulations! You have now successfully opened and closed your Lenovo laptop computer. You've also probably saved yourself between $100 and $300 in service fees if you changed any components.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions, make sure to let us know in the area below and one of our expert technicians will get back to you as soon as possible. For a faster response, sign up for an account and you can directly message one of us for help. We get notifications via email when your question has been asked. As ever, have a great day.

See other computer- and notebook-related tutorials: Connecting Sound Equipment, Choosing the Best Video Card, and Cleaning Your PC.

How to open CD tray with the paper clip? I try to do it but nothing happena?

The paper clip does not do anything and I fear I'm breaking the tray

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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