How to Take Apart a Compaq Presario Computer

Disassembling your Compaq Presario computer can be useful when you have to replace or upgrade components or when you wish to remove the hard drive before selling the computer or disposing of it. Taking a computer apart will instill valuable computing knowledge, making you more comfortable when working within a computer case and saving you money on upgrades and troubleshooting.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips screwdriver

Instructions

1. Remove the screws from the right side of the rear of the case.

2. Slide off the right side panel of the case to expose the contents.

3. Unclasp the latches on either side of the RAM slots and pull out the system memory.

4. Unscrew all of the PCI cards in the machine and pull them out of the case.

5. Unclasp the retaining lever on the heatsink and pull it away from the processor.

6. Lift the processor retaining lever and pull the CPU chip out of the case.

7. Unscrew all of the drives (hard and optical) from the front of the case and disconnect the cables on the back of the drives.

8. Pull the drives out of the case to complete the disassembling of your Presario.

References

• PC Mech: Build Your Own PC