How to Replace Broken Hinges on Dell Latitude C640

The Dell Latitude C640 has a rather negative reputation of having weak, vulnerable laptop hinges that are likely to break. Replacing broken hinges may seem like a difficult task because many people are not comfortable with disassembling their laptops. This tutorial will walk you through the process of replacing broken hinges on the Dell Latitude C640.

Note: Before starting, you will need to find new replacement hinges. Auction sites like eBay should have cheap replacement parts.

How to Repair Broken Laptop Hinges on a Dell Latitude

1. You will need to begin disassembling your laptop. Before you start, however, you will need to remove the laptop battery to prevent any possible risks.

2. Now you need to remove the five little screws holding the keyboard in place. These screws are found on the bottom of the laptop and marked with the letter K.

3. After that, you will need to remove the five screws securing the display hinges. Three of these screws are located on the left side and two of these screws are found to the right of the laptop.

4. Now you need to carefully remove the keyboard bezel with a flathead screwdriver or other sharp object. After doing that, you can lift up and remove both of the hinge covers.

5. You should now be able to life the keyboard from its base. You have be very careful when doing this because the keyboard is attached directly to the motherboard with a flat ribbon cable. Disconnect the ribbon cable and remove the keyboard.

6. Once you have removed the keyboard cable, you will need to remove the four screws securing the video cable. After doing this, you will need to carefully disconnect the video cable from the motherboard using the yellow belt found on the connector.

7. Now you need to remove the six rubber seals with any sharp object. After removing these seals, you will need to take out the six screws found under these seals. After that, insert your fingers between the display bezel and the LCD screen and separate the bezel from the display. Keep separating the bezel from the display with your fingers until it is completely separated. You can now remove the bezel.

8. Next, remove the two small screws securing the LCD screen to the display hinges. You can remove the LCD screen from the display cover and unplug the video cable from the LCD screen and the inverter board. You should be able to remove the screen after this.

9. Once the LCD screen has been removed, you can remove the two screws holding the display hinges together.10. Remove both hinges from the display cover and replace the old hinges with the new ones.