Things to Know Before Upgrading Your Laptop Computer's Hardware

This step may seem fairly obvious but it's one of the most important steps to take before working on your laptop computer. Before you even unscrew the very first screw to open up your laptop, the battery should be removed and power cord unplugged. Should you forget to disconnect the power cable and remove the battery, you run the risk of damaging your laptop's motherboard while upgrading your laptop or even giving yourself an electrical shock.

Keep Track of Any Screws Removed

When performing common upgrades, such as upgrading your laptop's ram, hard drive, or processor, it is usually necessary to unscrew the laptop case or a component's respective compartment. These screws are usually very small and therefore easy to lose (especially if your workspace is covered by a rug or carpet). When removing screws from your laptop, don't just randomly toss them aside. Set aside a specific spot in your work area to keep loose screws or store them in a small bag until you're ready to screw them back in.

Keep Yourself Electrically Grounded

Anyone with a lot of experience working with laptops or any other type of computer knows the damaging effects static electricity can have on a laptop's motherboard or other sensitive components. To avoid destroying your laptop's circuitry with static shock, make sure you are electrically grounded before you even begin to upgrade your laptop computer. You can ground yourself by touching something metal to discharge any built up static electricity in your body. For extra protection, you may want to consider purchasing a grounding strap to keep yourself grounded at all times while working on your laptop. Grounding straps can be found in electronic stores such as Radioshack as well as many online retailers.

Check the Laptop Manual or Online for Instructions

Even if you're fairly confident you know what you're doing, it's always a good idea to check the manual before working on or upgrading your laptop. Some laptop manuals include specific information about upgrading components such as the processor, ram, and hard drive that you may find useful. Also, if you have access to another computer with an internet connection, it is wise to first check online for step by step instructions. You'd be surprised how often someone else will have already done the very same upgrade you are planning to do and decided to post a guide (sometimes with pictures) on the internet.

Don't Try to Force Any Part of Your Laptop Open

When upgrading some components of your laptop, it may be necessary to disassemble the laptop. Often, this will involve removing fragile parts of your laptop and it's case, such as plastic covers, liners, hatches. If you have any difficulty or encounter a lot of resistance when removing these easily breakable parts, do not pull or pry at them with excessive force. Doing so risks bending or breaking these parts. Instead, check for hidden latches, spring release buttons, or perhaps even a screw you may have missed that is still screwed in and holding the component in place.