- The insides of the netBook

- Thanks re: MalayBook rogue file / CF card corrupt

Date: 4 Jul 2007 12:01:33 +0000
From: Thomas F. van der Zijden <address truncated>
Subject: The insides of the netBook

Dear all,

If any other newbie on dismantling netBooks still wants to have a go at it, here are some advices I gathered from Pieter:

1. ALL batteries, the netBook personality module and (if you have it) the extra memory must be removed beforehand.

2. The best way to remove the netBook sticker is to carefully heat it for about 15 seconds with a hairblower. When doing this, cover the keyboard with a piece of paper/hardboard. Otherwise, you will remove the letters as well.
Try to pull off the sticker. If this does not go easily, re-use the hairblower.

3. Remove the screw under the netBook sticker.

4. If the screen is still in its "half open" position you will notice hinge pins next to the slots for the ROM/memory cards. Remove these.

5. You should no be able to remove the piece of plastic with the netBook sticker, the on/off button and the stylus button. This may need some force, but be careful not to break it.

6. There are different models of screen connectors. In my case I needed to remove 2 screws. Remember how exactly it was placed on the connector !

7. The white thingy that actually holds the cable onto the motherboard should be carefully lifted up. If you put to much force on it and you break it, the motherboard is total loss.

8. Fumble back the connector into the white clamp and re-assemble.

When putting back the two screws I may have lied the netBook screen too flat on the table. This means that at the same moment I fumbled back the screen cable into the connector, it probably came loose already. The third time I put a book under the screen. The netBook now seems to be still all right.

The whole operation is of course on your own risk. If you put to much force on the netBook motherboard, it may break.

Yours truly,

Thomas van der Zijden

Date: 5 Jul 2007 12:21:28 +0000
From: Chris Cooper
Subject: Thanks re: MalayBook rogue file / CF card corrupt

Thanks to everyone on the list who advised me that the un-get-riddable-of file on my CF card portended imminent disaster. I backed up, formatted and restored, and all is well.

I restored via PsiWin and it hung before the process was complete. I had to do quite a bit of manual restoring of individual files. Perhaps it would have worked better if I'd copied my backed-up files to the formatted card in my card reader.