My brother (the computer tech of the family) told me to throw my laptop away and get a new one. This video, and the previous one for disassembling the laptop to get to the fan, not only saved me money but taught me a lot. Thanks for these videos. They are very helpful, and the step by step instructions are great!
I thought this was not worth the trouble until I found your video. Been dealing with my overheating dv7 for a long time. Went through the video and 2 hours later had the fan out and cleaned, with new thermal paste on the cpu and gpu. Really hard to tell how much dust collects without taking it apart, but sure enough about 50% of the fins were blocked when I got it apart. Thing is like new again. Thank You!
Dude, I'm subbed. Like your way of explaining things completely made up for the home video filming style. Good quality shots when it counted too. Excellent walkthrough.
Thank you so much this was a huge help on my dv7 4165 replacing my power cable. I was stuck and never would have thought the ram would need to come off. And the keyboard coming off the way it did too. Thanks for helping me before I damn near broke it trying to do it without your instructions. Peace
Your video was incredibly useful. All of the others I found had no step-by-step (verbal) and/or we no where near as detailed in showing what you were doing. I found this brief video to be exactly what I needed to take apart the laptop in an attempt to fix a white screen issue. Thank you! -Joe
Thank You MTTech. This was one of the best instructional on this particular laptop. Everything was taken apart easily and put back together without a single problem. I had to replace a noisy fan and now iit's nice a quiet again.
+Herman Hong Yay! I'm glad I was able to help you. I enjoy making these instructional videos when I get a chance. I just like helping people out. Good job fixing your noisy fan!
+MTTech - we must have a helluva dusty house... when I got down to the vents, it was completely clogged with lint so I'm guessing the fan was always working at high-speed mode until the bushings gave out. I'm keeping a can of air so I can shoot it into the exhaust so it'll loosen it enough to blow it out. This laptop always runs a bit on the hot-side of things but at least now I know how to prevent this and/or replace the fan again.
+Herman Hong yup. Dust will do that to any computer. Blowing the air through the exhaust vent does help, but not much as it will just blow most of the dust further into the laptop. Taking the whole thing apart would be the best way to get all the dust out, however is very time consuming.
Hi, just wanted to say thanks for a very clear and concise video! You gave me the confidence to attempt my own project: I had two DV7 4000-series laptops, one with a good MB and busted case, and the other with a bad MB and a near-mint case. So you guessed it: I wanted to take both laptops apart and swap the good MB into the good case! I had never taken a laptop apart before (always kind of scared to) but with your guidance I accomplished the whole project last night in 1.5 hours! (yes, sounds like forever, but remember this was my first time doing this). When I was done, I hit the power button and held my breath, and voile: The rebuilt DV7 booted up and ran without a single hitch... Needless to say, I was pretty proud of myself! I videotaped my own process as well, for my own benefit mainly, but I was thinking of posting it on RU-vid. However, it's not nearly as good as yours, and does include some embarrassing complaining and fumbling (as well as stopping the tape now and then to look at YOUR video!!) Thanks again for making it seem so easy-- It actually IS (to my surprise), as long as you take your time and approach it methodically and with care.
+epf1961 Reading this just makes me happy! :) I'm glad that I am able to show others how to do things, now you have spare parts that can be swapped back and forth if needed. Yes, most of these types of jobs will take a good hour or so. I don't like rushing through something, as it will lead to missed steps, and broken parts. Honestly, it is pretty easy to do something with the right guidance, and that's my goal when I make these types of videos. If my viewers are stuck on step I didn't mention, I didn't put enough effort into the video. Overall, I'd like to congratulate you for being able to tackle this task on your own and succeeding. Enjoy your now working laptop, and if you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask.
+MTTech Actually I did have a question-- I'm noticing that the fan on the rebuilt laptop operates in a "pumping" way (that is, two seconds on, then it turns off, then 2 seconds on again, then off, etc.) instead of staying on in a steady way. So I think I need to go back in and swap in the fan/heatsink from the old (bad) MB? Also, the old MB has a faster CPU in it (2.8Ghz vs. 2.2Ghz) so I figured I'd swap in the faster CPU at the same time. Do you think this will fix the issue? Any thoughts would be appreciated... Tks.
+epf1961 First thing, depending on the Model of the motherboards, swapping the CPU may or may not work. You'll know if it works or not if the processors look different underneath, or if the computer no longer functions like normal after powering on and using it for a while. ex. shuts down at random times, etc. Second thing, if you do take the heat sink off of the CPU, you will need to clean off the old thermal paste using cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol, and then reapply a small bead of new thermal paste on the CPU before putting the heat sink back on top of it. Third thing, I don't remember for sure, because I don't have this laptop to verify, but you could try swapping only the fan which is less work, but that may require you to remove the heat sink if the fan is attached to it. Doing so will require you to replace the thermal paste as well, just like the above step. Overall, look at the motherboard models, are they the same? if they are, then most likely you should be able to swap CPUs, just remember to change the thermal paste while you're at it or the CPU will overheat quickly. I personally use Arctic Silver 5 for thermal paste. Be careful when taking off the heat sink. On top of the CPU are four screws labeled 1-4 unscrew each one a little bit going in order. 1, 2, 3, 4 and repeat until all screws are loose all the way. Do the same when putting the heat sink back on. Screw each screw a little bit, and go in order 1, 2, 3, 4. use a flat head screw driver to unlock the CPU screw. Good luck! and take your time!
+MTTech Ok, thanks... When I'm feeling brave again, I'll go back in and "operate" once more! I printed out your above post and will keep it handy for reference. I appreciate your time.
Thank you so much for this video as well as your re-assemble video. We were able to replace our fan thanks to your guidance. I'm sure we saved a lot of money by doing this ourselves. Thanks again!
+seashe22 Oh yes, I'm glad I was able to help you save some $$$. The cost of labor is why it costs so much to repair such an item. It feels great to repair something yourself. The feeling of accomplishment is a good thing! Repairing these things takes a lot of time and patience. If you have those two key things, you can fix just about anything yourself. (with proper instruction that is).
Great Job Mel. This should help multiple replace my HP dv7 that has a cracked case in left upper corner and the hinge has separated. Thanks for the step by step.
At 17:26 you pry between the chassis and keyboard and pop it out. Just a little help for ya, there is a slide lock on the bottom of the PC in the battery compartment, it slides and unlocks the keyboard at the top. Then it's easy to remove the keyboard. There is a tiny keyboard icon and an arrow that says Release. Just a heads up for you and anyone who reads comments like I do. Best of luck, T
thx !!! because of your vid I could fix the overheating problem with my dv7 4103sg with help of my brother we disassembled everything as you showed on the vid and cleaned the cooler :) now my laptop is quiet and working properly like it used to :D we were quite nervous since it was the first time opening a laptop this complex (thx HP.... ) but it worked out perfectly thank you!!! :)
Your video was such a great help for me and my friend, thank you so much for posting this! (I still think it's an insane amount of work JUST to get to the CPU lol).
No offence, but paying $1200 fora laptop with 1.5 TB and powerful everything else is not a cheap model. Cheap is $500. BTW, thank you for the video and going through all the trouble just to help others is more than kind of you.
+devotee81 Yeah, its hard to find a disassembly video for any laptop, as there are so many, and also because manufacturer's no longer supply a service manual that give step by step instructions on how to take apart laptops, I just do what I can based off of experience.
My friend you are the best!!! Excellent except for the final in which was expecting to see how to replace the fan. It was like getting a bucket of ice on my body Still thank you very much
germo cane Thanks for watching. I see what you mean. The title is a bit misleading. We're you still able to figure out how to remove the fan? It's usually a couple screws that hold it in place.
Buddy,there is a keyboard latch under the laptop to release it. it is located near the battery power connector. put the laptop on the side with screen open at 90 degres, activate the latch while you gently pull it out with hand. no need to pry it with a screwdriver...
Yes you are correct. Someone else posted a comment telling me about that latch shortly after this video was posted. as its the "D" shaped latch at about 4:12 in the video.
Thank you. I just wish you also gave instructions to put it back together. Put if back together in reverse would be nice. I also couldn't where you plugged the fan back into.
If you watch the video closely, you can kind of see where I plugged the fan cable in. If unplugging and plugging in this cable does not solve your fan issue then you may have a non-working fan. Therefore, replacing the fan may fix the problem. What exactly is the problem you're having?
Yeah I agree, HP laptops are crap. The batteries go bad in a year a no longer hold a charge, they have overheating problems and are built cheaply with plastic.
Eugene Heriniaina Well, in this rare occasion. It did become unplugged. I guess it all depends on if you move your laptop around a lot, and if you've dropped the laptop before which could cause cables to come loose. The person who owned it told me about that fan error message in the beginning, so I knew that either the cable was unplugged or the fan decided to quit. Turned out to be the cable in this case.
That's the comment I was looking for because how on earth this could happen? I also use a notebook in the wilderness (carrying it around in a rucksack while cycling), using it outside for timing at sports events and this jack never became lose. Very strange! :D
Thanks you very much for sharing your video it help me so much i clean my laptop my self the same thing was happend to me and ther want charge me like $200.00 to fixed my laptop i like hell no way i do it my self now my fan is working so much now thanks ah lot
Thanks for the great video.. I exactly have the same chunk bought on Nov 2010 during Thanks Giving. The video really helped much to identify what the problem was. One of the screw mount point in the base closure was broken and the keyboard part is pulling apart from it. I have to order a new part to replace that. And also I am facing the overheating problem like others. Please let me know, mere cleaning the fans will just fix the problem?. I have other laptop Elitebook, which is working like a charm.. But really fed up with dv7t-4100
+Saravanan Dhandapani Looks like I missed this comment when you posted. Yeah, HP's quality on certain laptops, especially the lower end ones tend to have issues.
Just wanted to thank you for this video, I was having problems with overheating and wanted to check the inside and maybe clean it, it was fairly clean for a 4 year old. I went ahead and upgraded the ram but when I put it back together and did some other software updates, I noticed my front speakers were not working and only the sub was. After uninstalling and reinstalling drivers to no avail, I decided to watch your video again. I accidentally plugged the speaker plug into the port next to it, which was for Bluetooth? Anyway my speakers work again, now back to seeing if I still have overheating problems. Thanks again.
+II N3MES1S II Glad my video helped. Hope your overheating issues are solved after cleaning out the dust. If it continues to overheat, you'll need to replace the thermal paste between the CPU and the heat sink.
If anyone ever wonders about the meaning of the colored cables on a 4 (FOUR) pin version of such a fan: RED is VCC BLACK is GND YELLOW is TACH BLUE is PWM You are welcome!
Do I have to take off the bottom side screws in order to get to display cable? I just need to adjust the display cable right and dont't need to take motherboard off
+nom1nator Late reply, The display cable near the fan? You should take off the bottom screws, as they hold the above plastic palm rest panel around the keyboard. If you do remove those screws, you risk cracking that plastic palm rest when you lift the panel up slightly to fix the cable. Unless you're talking about another cable that is located somewhere else.
Hi. I have for you a very important question in this video I'm interested in the cable, which you connect a second hard drive to a laptop. You connect it to the DVD, please tell me the name of the cable. (sata to .....)???
+asd asd there is not a specific name for this cable other than "HDD cable for HP dv7-4000" Try www.amazon.com/Caddy-Cable-dv7-4000--5000-dv7t/dp/B00K33UHZM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443130305&sr=8-1&keywords=2nd+hdd+cable+dv7-4000 or www.ebay.com/itm/HP-PAVILION-HDD-2nd-cable-connector-DV7-4000-DV7-5000-not-fit-DV7-6000-7000-/141693816995?hash=item20fd9c10a3
Hmm. That is strange that there are not any screws on that "T" cover. I would assume it does pull apart. But to make sure, what specific model dv7 do you have? You can check the model number by removing the battery. Look for "dv7-xxxx" the x would be numbers according to your laptop's model.
Very good vids, thank you... I'm an "old timer" help(less) IT tech. I think you should really be includi n g the importance of grounding yourself while working g b on any laptop/desktop/smartphone/tablet; etc. Right? Especially when working g with memory AND don't use magnetic screwdrivers...! $5.00 buys you a wrist ground to wear like a geek bracelet & plug it into the ground terminal of a nearby electrical connector and/or surge protector connection. I do enjoy watching you younger guys just go for it though. I haver several hp laptops, dv pavilions and an envy. Looking forward to get a "laptop/tablet combo (forget the hp name). Again, thanks for you vids they are helpful to me. I want to upgrade the network card on my envy as it is not as fast as my older dv7, doesn't make sense to me but computer hw just keeps getting poorer quality every year. I upgraded my router to an ac1900 and would like to upgrade the clients as well. Keep posting vids....
***** Thanks, and yes I should have mentioned using an Anti-static (ESD) wrist strap in my videos. I currently now have a computer tool kit which includes the ESD wrist strap and useful computer repair tools. it is important to use an ESD wrist strap if you have one, but it is ok to go without as long as you touch something metal before hand. You're also correct about a magnetic screwdriver. Seems like you're thinking about the HP 2 in 1's. Are you thinking of the HP Spectre? I"m glad you like my videos. It's hard keeping up with videos, as I film most of them, but have not edited them nor posted them since i'm so busy with school. Yeah, depending on the computer, build quality is getting worse. You can tell with the cheap plastic laptops these days. I also hate how Apple is making their hardware non-replaceable by soldering the memory on the motherboard. I will definitely keep posting vids. I would love to see this channel grow, and better quality videos. I currently have an Acer Aspire V5-471P that will need to be filmed for a video. Also, my new cellphone, an Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3. Thanks for Subscribing!
So quick question. I took apart my HP beats edition laptop. its like, h6 something or other model but anyway, when I reassembled it, it said that my hard drive was uninstalled. I did in fact put everything back correctly, but, I still undid everything and repluged everything making sure the hard drive was secure and correct. Now my laptop works fine but was just wondering if the same error could occur with my Hp dv7 laptop if and when I were to remove the two hard drives. P.s The HP beat edition is definately alot easier to take apart then this guy and I'm just super worried I'll ruin my lap, all just to clean the dust out of my fan. Which by the way I'm assuming is clumped, the air is very hot and it hasn't been cleaned in AT LEAST 2.5 years.
There is a chance that you could run into the same error with your dv7 model. However, as long as you take your time and don't rush, you should be fine. Cables that are not plugged in all the way are the main causes for those types of error messages. As long as you document and put each cable and part in the exact spot it came out of, it should be fine. If you run into error messages, its 90% cables and parts not being put in correctly, and 10% is damaging a part. Because you took apart your HP beats edition, at least you have some experience handling computer parts. It'll basically be the same thing with the dv7, just more steps and parts to keep track of. Taking your time and documenting is the key.
Okay, Thanks. I don't know too much about computers so I am worried and nervous that I may damage a part while trying to take the things apart however I've been pretty ginger with it in an attempt to not ruin anything. And the dv7 really worries me because like, of coarse the fan would be smack dab in the middle of the thing. I suppose though that, like you said, if i allowed myself enough space and documentation/notes on where pieces parts go then I could do it. Thank you for your help, its greatly appreciated.
+Alfredo Jacobo Perez Gomez According to HP, the cooling fan and heat sink come out as one piece. As seen in the picture here: imgur.com/ASvJ35g I don't have this laptop, so therefore I cannot check to see whether the fan can be separated from the heat sink.
to truly do a thorough cleaning of the fan and heatsink, you would have to remove everything I did in this video. because the fan is mounted below the motherboard, you would need to take out the motherboard, and to do so all the other parts must come out.
i haven't gotten that error message that you received during the beginning of the video, however the minute the laptop's cpu begins to overheat it will slow down tremdously. I can use my laptop for about 15 mins.- 1 hour without it overheating at times but I was wondering if I should purchase a cooling pad. Do you think that would help out the cause?
+Theamazingmilipede What temperature is the CPU when its overheating? Use a program like SpeedFan found here: www.almico.com/sfdownload.php to see what the CPU temperature is. Let me know what the temperature of the CPU is and what icon is next to it. (flame, up arrow, down arrow, or check mark).
+Oma Mak Steps are not the same but similar. Glad you were able to disassemble yours. Looks like I missed your original comment 2 months ago. Sorry about that.
I used this video to clean my fan. But now when I start up my laptop, it says bootdevice not found, please install an operating system on your hard disk. I plugged everything exactly the same way back in. Pls help
check your hard drive cables and make sure they are not loose. Also if you have two hard drives, make sure you didn't accidentally plug them into the other hard drive's port on the motherboard. let me know if this doesn't work.
If neglected after years, forget compressed air, going to have to physically take fan apart to remove build up. I tried compressed air on this one (DV7), didn't even budge the gunk. Customers board eventually died due to BGA liftoff of GPU, I had replaced the board when I discovered the new board was having constant thermal shutdowns. Here's what I found: tinypic.com/a/aboun4/4
+Teufelgott12 yeah, their engineers have no creativity whatsoever. All those laptop screws show the number of times you were screwed by HP or about to be :)
Ok, here is the question .. If you take out just the screws from the bottom side of the laptop and not the memory the hard drives and the other thing you pulled out ( with the two cables on ) will you be able to pull the front side off so that you can clean the fan ? Its unrealistically ridiculous to have to put all that components out in order to just clean the fan... Enough reason to not buy hp laptop never never ever ever again... And jesus haven't they invented screws yet? Why they have you to tear it off like a cave man. ( 19:35 ) I can provide video of my laptop if you want .. Its dv7-6b11ev. If you can help, please do so brother !
***** There are several reasons on why I did what I did in the video. 1. This video is not only about the cooling fan, but how to "disassemble" the laptop. Which is why I took out all those components. 2. If I left the hard drives, and RAM in, the front side cover/palm rest will still be able to be pulled off. However, due to the hard drive cable being plugged into the motherboard for the bottom. You wouldn't be able to pull up on the motherboard from the top side of the laptop. and since the fan cable is located underneath the motherboard, I would have to unplug the hard drives and take those out. 3. I took out the RAM and the Wireless card (the thing with two cables) because there is a chance that I could've damaged those components if they got caught on something, lets say a wire as I pulled the motherboard up from the top. Which means the RAM or the wireless card could get pulled out or damaged. So that's another reason why I took those components out. Yes, I totally agree about yanking the palm rest cover off the top side of the laptop. the screws do in fact hold the palm rest down, however after removing most of the screws from underneath the laptop, the cover is still held down by plastic lock tabs/clips. HP isn't the only brand that does this. Other brands like Dell, Acer/Gateway, Toshiba, Sony, do the same exact thing. Just watch my Gateway laptop disassembly video. I had to pull on that palm rest cover also!! I even broke one of the clips since they're made of plastic. Gateway NE56R/Acer Aspire E1 Series Disassembly
