Once that’s done, find your coffee cup of screws and replace them as well. A magnetic screwdriver helps with this step. You’ll probably need to push harder than you think for everything to snap into place. The area around the trackpad is tricky, and you may need to use your spudger to wedge the whole thing apart and try again. Secure the captive screws first, then press the keyboard layer and bottom panel back together. Once you’re done mucking around inside, lay the bottom panel back on the laptop’s guts-checking the orientation, of course. Plug this drive in when you boot the machine for the first time, and you’ll be walked through Dell’s custom Windows 10 installation. Before upgrading, you’ll need to navigate to Dell’s website and download the Dell OS Recovery Tool, then put it on a 16GB USB stick. This approach is also more complicated because you’ve removed the C: drive. …turn it around and reinsert it at the 2280 position for most off-the-shelf M.2 drives. Next, look for this metal clip that’s in the “2230” position… IDG / Hayden Dingman Remove the default M.2 2230 form factor drive. Give the captive screws one more twist if this happens. Even after you’ve freed the edges you might notice the panel’s still holding on. This is the part that always feels illegal. Starting from the existing gaps on the hinge side, run your plastic doohickey under the edges to pop the clips holding the bottom panel in place. A “spudger” is the correct tool for the job, but anything will do so long as it’s thin, durable, and plastic. Then, get ready to rock-by which I mean, find a guitar pick if you have one. Keep a coffee cup nearby to stash them so they don’t get lost. All that’s left is to loosen the five remaining screws. Once you’ve loosened all three, you should notice the side with the hinges has already begun separating. IDG / Hayden DingmanĬaptive screws help separate the bottom panel from the rest of the chassis. Stop turning! They’re “out,” even if it’s difficult to tell. After turning them a bit, you’ll hear a pop as the threads snap back into place.

The three along the hinge side are “captive,” meaning they’re not meant to come out of the lid. The Inspiis held together by eight screws, all very visible on the bottom of the machine.

Replacing hard drive in dell laptop