Alienware M18x R2 User manual

Alienware M18x R2
Owner’s Manual
Computer model: M18x R2
Regulatory model: P12E
Regulatory type: P12E002
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Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make
better use of your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to
hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2012 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission
of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Alienware®is a registered trademark of Alienware
Corporation; Dell™ is a trademark of Dell Inc.; Microsoft®,Windows®, and the Windows start
button logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft corporation in the
United States and/or other countries;Bluetooth®is a registered trademark owned by
Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by Dell under license.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the
entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary
interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
2012 - 04 Rev. A00
Book.book Page 2 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM

Contents | 3
Contents
1 Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices. . . . 9
Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Recommended Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 After Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3 Removing the Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4 Replacing the Battery Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5 Removing the Base Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6ReplacingtheBaseCover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7 Removing the mSATA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8 Replacing the mSATA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9 Removing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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4| Contents
10 Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
11 Removing the Hard Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
12 Replacing the Hard Drive(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
13 Removing the Center Control Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
14 Replacing the Center Control Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
15 Removing the Power-Button Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
16 Replacing the Power-Button Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
17 Removing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
18 Replacing the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
19 Removing the Macro Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
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Contents | 5
20 Replacing the Macro Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
21 Removing the Memory Module(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
22 Replacing the Memory Module(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
23 Removing the Display Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
24 Replacing the Display Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
25 Removing the Palm Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
26 Replacing the Palm Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
27 Removing the Status-Light Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
28 Replacing the Status-Light Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
29 Removing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
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6| Contents
30 Replacing the Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
31 Removing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
32 Replacing the I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
33 Removing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
34 Replacing the Optical Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
35 Removing the Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(s) . . . . . . . 67
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
36 Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink Fan(s) . . . . . . . 69
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
37 Removing the Video-Card Heat-Sink(s) . . . . . . . . . . 70
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
38 Replacing the Video-Card Heat-Sink(s) . . . . . . . . . . 72
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
39 Removing the Video Card(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
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Contents | 7
40 Replacing the Video Card(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
41 Removing the Processor Heat-Sink Fan. . . . . . . . . . 76
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
42 Replacing the Processor Heat-Sink Fan . . . . . . . . . . 77
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
43 Removing the Processor Heat-Sink. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
44 Replacing the Processor Heat-Sink. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
45 Removing the Processor Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
46 Replacing the Processor Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
47 Removing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
48 Replacing the System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Entering the Service Tag in the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . 88
49 Removing the Wireless Mini-Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
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8| Contents
50 Replacing the Wireless Mini-Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
51 Removing the Subwoofer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
52 Replacing the Subwoofer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Postrequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
53 System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Entering System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
System Setup Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
System Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Boot Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
54 Flashing the BIOS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
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Before You Begin | 9
Before You Begin
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected
Devices
CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit
all open programs before you turn off your computer.
1Save and close all open files and exit all open programs.
2Click Start and click Shut Down.
Microsoft Windows shuts down and then the computer turns off.
NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation
of your operating system for shut-down instructions.
3Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
4Disconnect all telephone cables, network cables, and attached devices from your
computer.
5After the computer is unplugged, press and hold the power button for about 5
seconds to ground the system board.
Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to protect your computer from potential damage and
ensure your personal safety.
WARNING: Disconnect all power sources before opening the
computer cover or panels. After you finish working inside the
computer, replace all covers, panels, and screws before connecting to
the power source.
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer. For additional safety
best practices information, see the Regulatory Compliance
Homepage at dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, ensure that the work
surface is flat and clean.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the components and cards, handle
them by their edges and avoid touching pins and contacts.
1
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10 | Before You Begin
CAUTION: Only a certified service technician is authorized to remove
the computer cover and access any of the components inside the
computer. See the safety instructions for complete information
about safety precautions, working inside your computer, and
protecting against electrostatic discharge.
CAUTION: Before touching anything inside your computer, ground
yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface, such as the metal
at the back of the computer. While you work, periodically touch an
unpainted metal surface to dissipate static electricity, which could
harm internal components.
CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on
its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with
locking tabs or thumb-screws that you must disengage before
disconnecting the cable. When disconnecting cables, keep them
evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. When
connecting cables, ensure that the connectors and ports are
correctly oriented and aligned.
CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from
your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.
Recommended Tools
The procedures in this document may require the following tools:
•Phillips screwdriver
•Plastic scribe
•Small flat-blade screwdriver
Book.book Page 10 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM

After Working Inside Your Computer | 11
After Working Inside Your
Computer
After you complete the replacement procedures, ensure the following:
•Replace all screws and ensure that no stray screws remain inside your computer
•Connect any external devices, cables, cards, and any other part(s) you removed
before working on your computer
•Connect your computer and all attached devices to their electrical outlets
CAUTION: Before turning on your computer, replace all screws and
ensure that no stray screws remain inside the computer. Failure to do
so may damage your computer.
2
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12 | Removing the Battery Pack
Removing the Battery Pack
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Slide the battery latch to the unlock position. The battery pack pops up.
2Lift and slide the battery pack away from the battery bay.
1 battery pack 2 battery latch
3
1
2
Book.book Page 12 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM

Replacing the Battery Pack | 13
Replacing the Battery Pack
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
CAUTION: To avoid damage to the computer, use only the battery
designed for this particular Alienware computer.
Procedure
Align the tabs on the battery with the slots on the battery bay and snap the battery into
place.
Postrequisites
Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
4
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14 | Removing the Base Cover
Removing the Base Cover
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Prerequisites
Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
Procedure
1Remove the screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.
2Slide the base cover toward the back of the computer, and then lift it up to remove it
from the computer.
1 screws (4) 2 base cover
5
1
2
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Replacing the Base Cover | 15
Replacing the Base Cover
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Align the tabs on the base cover with the slots on the computer base and slide the
base cover into place.
2Replace the screws that secure the base cover to the computer base.
Postrequisites
1Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.
2Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
6
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16 | Removing the mSATA Card
Removing the mSATA Card
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Prerequisites
1Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
2Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.
Procedure
1Remove the screw that secures the mSATA to the system board.
2Slide and remove the mSATA card off the system-board connector.
1 screw 2 mSATA card
7
1
2
Book.book Page 16 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM

Replacing the mSATA Card | 17
Replacing the mSATA Card
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Insert the mSATA card connector at a 45-degree angle into the system- board
connector.
2Press the other end of the mSATA card down into the slot on the system board and
replace the screw that secures the mSATA card to the system-board connector.
Postrequisites
1Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.
2Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.
3Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
8
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18 | Removing the Coin-Cell Battery
Removing the Coin-Cell
Battery
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
The coin-cell battery may need replacing if an incorrect time or date is displayed during
the boot routine along with a message such as:
Time-of-day not set - please run SETUP program
or
Invalid configuration information -
please run SETUP program
or
Strike the F1 key to continue,
F2 to run the setup utility
To determine whether you need to replace the coin-cell battery, reenter the time and date
in system setup and exit the program to save the information. Turn off your computer and
disconnect it from the electrical outlet for a few hours; then reconnect the computer, turn
it on, and enter system setup. If the date and time are not correct in system setup, replace
the coin-cell battery.
You can operate your computer without a coin-cell battery; however, without a coin-cell
battery, the configuration information is erased if the computer is turned off or
disconnected from the electrical outlet. In this case, you must enter system setup and
reset the configuration options.
WARNING: The battery may explode if installed incorrectly.
Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type.
Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
CAUTION: Removing the coin-cell battery resets the BIOS settings
to default. It is recommended that you note the BIOS settings before
removing the coin-cell battery.
Prerequisites
1Remove the battery pack. See "Removing the Battery Pack" on page 12.
2Remove the base cover. See "Removing the Base Cover" on page 14.
9
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Removing the Coin-Cell Battery | 19
Procedure
1Disconnect the coin-cell battery cable from the connector on the system board.
2Remove the coin-cell battery cable from the routing guides on the computer base.
3Pry up the coin-cell battery from the slot on the system board.
1 coin-cell battery cable connector 2 coin-cell battery
2
1
Book.book Page 19 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM

20 | Replacing the Coin-Cell Battery
Replacing the Coin-Cell
Battery
WARNING: Before working inside your computer, read the safety
information that shipped with your computer and follow the steps in
"Before You Begin" on page 9. For additional safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at dell.com/
regulatory_compliance.
Procedure
1Place the coin-cell battery into the slot and press gently to adhere it to the computer
base.
2Route the coin-cell battery cable through the routing guides on the computer base.
3Connect the coin-cell battery cable to the connector on the system board.
Postrequisites
1Replace the base cover. See "Replacing the Base Cover" on page 15.
2Replace the battery pack. See "Replacing the Battery Pack" on page 13.
3Follow the instructions in "After Working Inside Your Computer" on page 11.
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Book.book Page 20 Thursday, April 19, 2012 2:38 PM