Opening a Toshiba Satellite P205 laptop and removing the motherboard
These instructions explain how to open a Toshiba Satellite P205 laptop case and remove the motherboard.
Removing the speaker cover could be tricky. In order to separate the speaker cover from the top cover you’ll have to use a guitar pick (or something similar).
ATTENTION: The same heatsink covers two chips – the northbridge and the processor. You cannot use regular thermal grease for the northbridge, you have to use special thermal grease. Here’s the part number for this grease: K000051370
For the processor you can use the following grease: X-23-7762-01
October 27th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
The P205 series laptops have 6 USB ports and an empty space under one of the compartments underneath. Is it possible to hook up internally a USB Bluetooth adapter in the empty compartment?
October 27th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Niman,
Not sure how you want to hook it up but if your laptop has a spot for the internal bluetooth card you can use this one: K000048130
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:06 pm
hmmmm…i didn’t open up the laptop all the way myself…were you able to locate the cmos battery? this i really need to know….thank you.
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
sylent,
If you are asking about a Satellite P205 model then take a look at the disassembly step 26. There are two connectors on the lower rights side from the cooling fan. There is a bluish disc located close to these connectors, this is the CMOS battery.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
hmmm…just a thought. This series of toshiba has the cmos battery soldered onto the board, as displayed on step 26. I’m wondering how to get that battery off so I can reset my bios pw. Any idea(s)?
November 27th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I’m trying to get the keyboard off a satellite u300 (coca-cola is stickier than you’d think!), and this seems to be the most similar model you have instructions for… except the bezel that covers the screws is either absent, or is placed below the keyboard rather than above, and it seems to be anchored rather securely, like there may be screws holding it from below.. I’d rather not take the whole thing apart if I can help it.. do you know anything about these models and how their keyboard is secured?
I’ve tried gently prying at it with a credit card, and there are a couple of snap-fit attachments in the middle of the bezel, but the corners seem much more secure, and I can feel myself stressing the plastic when I pry..
November 28th, 2007 at 12:01 am
bobdole,
Yeah, I haven’t created a guide for Satellite U300 yet.
Here are some instructions you can follow:
1. Remove two screws located in the battery bay (under the battery)
2. Remove three screw seals located between the Windows license and Toshiba sticker with the serial number. Removed screws located under the seals.
3. Remove three screws located under the hard drive.
4. Turn the laptop over and remove the keyboard bezel (located below the keyboard). Start removing from the left side.
5. Remove one keyboard screw located under the bezel, lift up the keyboard and replace it.
November 28th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Hey Thanks!
You have a very nice site here, seems to be the definitive resource for taking toshibas apart… You’d think toshiba themselves would provide such a resource…
Anyway, So some of the screws on the bottom are holding the bezel in place? I’ll be taking the plunge tomorrow probably, if everything works out I’ll take pics of each step, I can submit them if you like.
Also, unrelated, but do you know if the cpu in these is upgradeable? If I were to stick in another socket M processor, like a core2 7100 or whatever, is there any sort of jumper settings or would it automatically configure itself?
November 28th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
I’m trying to replace the lcd screen on my p205-s6297. I can only find 4 screws on the bezel. After removing them, I can only get the bezel to come away from the screen along the top where the camera is. I’ve applied what I think is a lot of pressure along the rest of the bezel but it won’t pull apart. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can provide.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
#5: not-so-techie: Most modern laptops
don’tstore the bios password in some kind of flash rom, not in volatile CMOS memory like desktops do… this is great because it’s more secure, but very annoying if you are the legitimate owner of your laptop and have forgotten the password… with these sorts of chips you can remove the batteries for years and the password will still be there.There is, however, a way of clearing the contents of these chips, though the process is kinda sketchy.
here is a page regarding old dell laptops, the process should be the same (though with a different layout, and probably a different chip)… it’s pretty intense, so you may want to exhaust your toshiba-customer-service options first.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
err, on my previous comment, ignore the word “don’t” in the first sentence… Most modern laptops store their passwords in nonvolatile memory is what I meant. I’m not sure with satellite 205’s, but if you wanted to remove the cmos battery to check, you’d need a soldering iron, a steady hand, and some previous soldering practice.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
I appreciate the fantastic tutorial! I may be using your instruction set depending on whether or not I can upgrade my p205-s7402’s CPU. Do you know if it’s possible to replace the current T5250 with a T7700? Any thoughts on it is appreciated! Thanks again!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
I have a p205-7476 I got about a month ago on ebay, it’s been a champ. But being a typical techie, now I am looking at the greener grass, i.e., stuff other machiens had that i wished it did, just to have the biggest, baddest laptop. That won’t happen with this, as I just saw the 20 inch HP laptop LOL. But wondering, follwed your disassembly of the p205 here, as I was going to start out with that though 200 gigs is plenty big and I only half filled it, I am itching to get one of the 320’s, seems WD makes a scorpio that looks to be a match, and toshiba has made it hard to find, but has the only other match. Also seems that getting a CMS data transfer package is REALLY smart. Wondering a few things, the big empty area on the bottom under the 2 screw cover, where the hard drive is to the next one screw cover to the left, it sure looks like a second hard drive woudl fit there, and the sata pin guides for the main drive are visible in there; what DOES go in this spot, can a p205 support a second sata drive or ONLY swap the main drive? (Another reason to swap the factory drive OEM 4200 rpm and sata 1.5 versus the 320’s are sata 3.0 and 5400 rpm, so faster transfer rate, and a faster spindle besides gaining 40% more space). Finally, assuming the memory slots on this are a totoal of 2 (didn’t look) and assuming OEM is 2 1 gig chips, can they be mix and match, i.e. replace one iGB with a 2gb for a total of three assuming same type/speed ram (so like a total of 3 gb) or does it have exact matchign pairs? This seems to be a really nice laptop (nicest I have ever owned, though I only used it for work; it would seem a good desktop replacement machine too for those leaning that way). Sorry this is so long, one BIG rub I have with Toshiba after for years owning HP and Dell laptops and towers and hearing what POS’s Toshiba’s were, I chanced it, so far, nice machine, but the factory support, pdf’s, tech manual type stuff, etc is a MAJOR joke, i.e. HP and Dell will give you info overload, yet Toshiba’s site is pathetic, it more just is pushing accessories. MAJOR disappointment – guys like you shouldnt have to lovingly make things like this – this fact alone no matter HOW good this laptop turns out to be – like buying a great car but bad dealer service – I won’t EVER buy another Toshiba long as their info online for high tech guys like us that like to tinker, the info is not there in any way, shape or form.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
i have a p205-s6347 i need to replace my fan it stopped working do i need to buy the same exact fan for it or an i use a spare one i got the seems like it should fit. the connectors are different but i figured i could replace the connector from the old one as well wat do u think?
June 21st, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Hi from Mexico, could you pls tell me, Where is the Bios Battery?
I need to reset the passwod of it becase I dont Know this password, is it necesary jus to desconect the battery to reset the Cmos Password? Other question I have is Do I need to open all to get it?
Thanks a lot.
June 21st, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Gustavo Caballero,
Removing or disconnection the BIOS battery will not clear the password, don’t even try. Take your laptop to a repair service center and they will clear the BIOS password for you. I believe Toshiba will clear the BIOS password even if the laptop is not under warranty anymore because some older BIOS versions had a glitch when laptop sets the BIOS password on its own.
August 9th, 2008 at 12:41 am
hi i have a satellite P200 and the screen is now playing up it goes all colours intermixed and blury if you get the screen in the right place it works fine it seems as if it is a bad connection any idears cheers paqul
August 12th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I have the same question as someone else earlier. I am wanting to replace my cpu with a 2.4 ghz t7700. Is this possible? Thanks
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 pm
hi all:
i need to replace the plastic thingy that holds the numbers of the numeric keypad on my satellite p205d-s8804. i also want to replace the number keys as they are starting to wear off. does anyone know where i can buy the items mentioned above?
i appreciate the help.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I’ve seen keyboards for the P205’s on eBay.
Anyways, I just want to thank you for this 30-step guide. Thanks to you I was able to successfully upgrade my Intel T5450 processor to a T8300. Though I did mess up some of the trim trying to pry the cover open.. Turns out I missed 1 or 2 screws on the bottom cover, after that it just lifted up. Thanks again!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Regarding the T7700 upgrades.. you should be able to get any Socket P CPU with a Front-Side Bus speed that doesn’t exceed your motherboard.
I was going to go with a T7700, but decided to go with a T8300, it was less expensive than a T7700, and I’ve read 45nm’s run cooler. The only numeric difference is that the 7700 has 1MB more in Cache, but it performs great. I haven’t tried out a 7700, but I don’t really think it’s worth the extra dough since the 8300 is a newer 45nm chip. If I was going to spend money on a 7700, might as well get a 9300. If you get a 45nm chip, make sure your BIOS supports it usually by making sure the BIOS version is up to date. Mine went in, no problem. But 7700 and 8300 is where I had some decision-making to do.
Some Socket P Processors.
T5450 1.66GHz/2MB Cache/667MHz FSB/65nm $ 50
T7700 2.40GHz/4MB Cache/800MHz FSB/65nm $325
T8300 2.40GHz/3MB Cache/800MHz FSB/45nm $250
T9300 2.50GHz/6MB Cache/800MHz FSB/45nm $335
You can of course find them cheaper if you look in the right places.
Hope I helped you guys figure out some CPU questions.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Hello, I was also wondering about the CPU upgrade. I have P205-S7402 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5250 1.5GHz, 2MB L2, 667MHz FSB Mobile Intel® GM965 Express Chipset. I have not seen a definetive reply that a T7700 or T8300 can replace a T5250 and would fit into P205-S7402 model. Thanks a lot guys.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 am
Since the T5250/T5450 has a Socket P, yes you can upgrade to any T5xx0, T7xx0, T8×00, T9×00. This includes the T7700, T8300, and others.
Go to NewEgg.com and search mobile Socket P processors.
So yes you can upgrade a T5250 to a T7700 or T8300 and others on a Toshiba P205.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Thanks a lot. I have talked to a couple of people and decided to put that 250$ for T8300 or T9500 and save it towards a better laptop for my needs. I am considering the Gateway P7811FX. Unless it goes down in price below 150$.
What do you think, what is a cost effective upgrade for a laptop: a new CPU for around 300-350$ or just to get a new laptop??? Thanks again.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Well, it depends on what laptop you have, how old it is, and how much you’re attached to it. I bought my 17″ laptop 6 months ago. So it’s not even a year old. So I decided to invest $200 for a new processor since it’s still got some years left of life.
Mine came with 3GB of RAM and a 17″ LCD. So I decided it was a great long-term investment. To me, $350 seems like a lot of dough to spend on a Dual-Core processor. I’ve seen desktop Quad-Core processors cheaper than that.
But like I always say, if you’ve got the money.. go for it.
So I mean think about how much life your laptop’s got left, and if the only thing it’s missing is a good processor.. then swap the processor. But if it’s lacking in more areas than you’d like.. go for a whole new computer.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hi, i was wondering if you could tell me where the battery for the Toshiba Satellite P200 is exactly on the motherboard and how it looks like. Thanks.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I have a Toshiba P205-S7436 running a 1.7GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 processor. Can I replace it with the Turion TL-68- a 2.4GHz processor? Or will the heat be excessive? OR is there a better choice? Great web site!
January 4th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
hello,
i love your guide on the p205…
i have a p205-s7476, and i have two questions… what IS that big empty area under the modem cover really there for?? there’s those silver pins you can see non-soldered in your pictures… hard drive, or some kind of pcie-x video card?
2. i REALLY need to get a better video card in this thing… what are my options? something has to be able to be added/replaced… the same model has been sold with intel/amd/ati … i have the intel integrated…
PLEASE help
January 28th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
ive been trying to find ways to personaly upgrade my laptop and its seems you have given me most of my answers i was wondering about a few more
are there any tricks to possibly installing a new cpu in my 205?
and how do i know which cpu fits my 205 without opening it up first?
March 20th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I have a P205-S6327 and wondering if the same applies to it as the discussions on replacing the cpu’s in other P205’s are the same. I have a Core 2Duo T5300 processor and want to upgrade to a T8300 if possible
March 20th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
to remove the lcd screen you have to use a lot of power to remove the bezel first
March 24th, 2009 at 9:21 am
This tutorial seems to be skipping a step. After removing all the screws and wires, the top cover assembly cannot be removed because something is causing it to be bolted down near the top. I think it’s caused by a couple screws and if they are then they are completely inaccessible or otherwise not visible on the surface.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I experienced the same problem of Veryconfused.
There must be some screws inaccessible or invisible.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Very Confused,
Did you go through all four pages of the disassembly guide?
March 28th, 2009 at 11:24 am
From what I remember to remove the top silver cover DO NOT JUST USE FORCE you will only maybe break it. I found out I forgot to take out a screw, don’t remember if it was my mistake or misread the guide. So before you if you’re trying to rip off the top cover and it will simply not give, you’re probably missing a screw (most likely by the top LCD side). This was a big hoop I encountered because then I got frustrated and tried to rip it off out of frustration but don’t make the same mistake, check the screws, they should come out.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:11 am
The fan on my P205 is just about dead. Does anyone know a part number for it or the difficulty involved in trying to replace it?
May 6th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Drummond,
In order to replace the fan you’ll have to remove the motherboard as it explained in the guide I linked to.
Check out this part number: K000048100
This is the CPU fan for Satellite P200, P205, P205D, X205. Should be fine for you, but just in case contact the seller and make sure it fits your model.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I got the fan for the P205 from National Parts Depot @ 800-524-8338. Talk to Maria @ ext. 2321 and she will fix you up!
DavE
June 18th, 2009 at 3:00 am
there are so many screws, i’ve managed to put it all back together and i still have like 20 extra… are they important? i mean, as long as my motherboard doesnt wobble, its fine right? :p is there some kind of screw guide to help?
August 6th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Dear laptopka
Thanks your site is AWESOME.
I wish you had instructions for just REMOVING THE KEYBOARD, I ended up taking off alot more then I needed to + I dropped a screw inside, that required taking apart the computer even more.
I was hoping you might know of a good way to replace the enter key? I want to remove a key without harming it and then put it on another keyboard.
Thanks for your time
Yours truly
Brian
August 12th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I have one key that does not work. (Spilled coffee).
Any suggestions on cleaning. I looked at the disassebly but I don’t know how far to go for cleaning the keyboard.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
artmcbeth,
How it doesn’t work? The key will not pop up after you push on it or it moves properly but will not type anything?
If the key is sticky, you can try removing the key cap and cleaning underneath with alcohol. If the key doesn’t type anything, most likely you’ll have to replace the keyboard.
August 12th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
brian king,
Simply unsnap the key cap with your finger nail and install it on another keyboard. Check it out: A key fell off the laptop keyboard. Fixing the problem.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:17 am
I just received a laptop from a friend who spilled a small amount of wine on it. P205-S8810 is the model. I recently took the entire laptop apart and cleaned anything that looked “dirty”. There is MINOR corrosion on the spot where the touchpad plugs into the motherboard, but the connection appears to still be ‘fine’. I try to power on the laptop and everything sounds like it is going fine but the video card
fan stops after about 3 seconds and then everything sounds like it is in a an idle stage and does nothing. Nothing shows up on the monitor and nothing appears on an external screen either. Everything else appears to be functional. I’m just wondering, what would exactly cause the initial boot to stop and most likely fail post and nothing appear on the screen at all. If it is the motherboard then I am willing to spend ~$300 for a new motherboard and replace it… But if it is something else that could be fixed by replacing a chip or re-soldering a connection that would be great. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
im reformating my toshiba laptop satelite p205.i have the recovery disc and the os.i inserted the 1st cd it was sucessfully done it said finished so i inserted my vista as my os it was ok but my problem are the drivers.i inserted my 2nd cd as to recover my drivers but i dont know what to do then.should it be inserted after my 1st recovery cd?can you give me the sequencing of these cd?
November 15th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Well, I had the fan fail on my p205-s6347 and I was able to use the instructions to successfully replace it. BUT the new fan doesn’t run either. Any hints?
November 15th, 2009 at 11:39 am
silvernblack,
Apparently, the circuit which controls the cooling fan has failed.
If you want your fan to operate properly, you’ll have to replace the motherboard. Or….if you have nothing to lose, you can do this.
Take a look at the fan and find out how much voltage in needs. Using a voltmeter, find out where you can get this voltage on the motherboard and solder the fan directly to these spots.
The fan will run all the time, but at least you can make it work without replacing the motherboard. Proceed on your own risk.
November 15th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Yep….I was afraid of that. Bummer. I think I’ll go buy one of them “under the laptop” fan units. I really just use it on a desk anyway.
November 15th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
silvernblack,
I really doubt that the cooling pad will help. I don’t think that it can keep the CPU cool enough.
November 16th, 2009 at 5:46 am
I’ve been using it with the bottom propped up and a portable fan blowing thru/by it, but you’re right that I don’t know how much air those “coolpad fans” move.
December 18th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
well i need help with my toshiba laptop my problem when i turn on my Laptop the screen backlight stopped working. If you look very closely on the screen you will see it but not very well i change my screen nothing same problem i think is inverter still not working what i suppose to do i need some advice anyone can help me manufact when i put in external monitor scree is work properly
Thx for you advice
December 18th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
its me again i’m back i forget to let you know what model number its a satellite a215-s4697
December 25th, 2009 at 8:30 am
P205-S6327:
AC adapter and battery lights OK. Push power button lights
the “On” indicator, but nothing on screen, only disk activity
is the CDROM init (couple flickers). No beeps or blink codes
on lights.
Same on AC only or battery only.
Press-hold power button powers off.
Tried reseating and replacing memory.
Does not light the Satellite logo or wireless indicator.
I’m leaning towards disassembly to reseat CPU.
Any other ideas/tricks?
Thanks.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Does anyone know if there is a way of getting to the fans without having to disembowel the whole thing?
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Spadge,
There is no way.
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Ok, thanks