How to disassemble a Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop
Following these instructions you can disassemble a Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop.
Some main components can be accessed and removed from the bottom of the laptop.
1. You can easily access the CPU with the heatsink through the door on the bottom of the laptop, as it shown on the steps 4 and 5.
2. Memory, wireless card and DVD drive also can be removed without taking the whole thing apart. In order to remove the DVD drive, follow steps 6-7.
3. If you are replacing the keyboard, you don’t have to remove any screws from the bottom, simply follow steps 9-12.
If you want to replace the cooling fan, then you’ll have to remove the top cover and the motherboard, there is no easy access to the cooling fan.
For the display panel disassembly instructions, please proceed to these instructions.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
[...] Are you looking for the whole laptop disassembly instructions? You’ll find them here. [...]
June 27th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I have a M45-S165 toshiba laptop, and my RTC battery is dying. I want cu chnage it, So if you know what kind of battery, the SN of the battery please tell me. I dont want to stay a week with my laptop disassembled searching for a battery
June 29th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
delu,
Unfortunately, I don’t know the part number for the CMOS battery. The CMOS battery comes attached to the motherboard and Toshiba doesn’t supply the battery separately from the board. You can see the battery on the step 26, it’s on the bottom of the picture on the left side from the Intel chip but I don’t know the part number.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:32 am
cj2600,
thankyou very much for the answer.
So if the CMOS battery is dying I cant do a thing about it? A have to change the whole MB for a battery, I guess only the pro can “glue it” back the damn battery. I watched the 26 picture, I zoomit but I didnt saw clearly the battery and how it is attached to the MB. I guess, after all, I have to disassemble the laptop.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I disassembled my laptop and the bad news for me is that the CMOS battery is soldered to the MB. it has no number written on it. I will seek professional help.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
my power button broke on me this weekend on my M45-S2653. does anyone know if i need to replace the top cover (v000917700) and switchboard (v000050380) or just the top cover to turn on my laptop? how do i know if i need to replace the switchboard? a certified repair place quoted the parts would cost $80 but i found online the top cover’s cost is a lot cheaper than that.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Hello,
I have a Toshiba M45 laptop computer which will not turn on, or even recognize when a power cord is plugged into it. I have tested the power cord, and it is working properly. I also do not think it is the power switch. I installed a new battery into it, and it fixed the problem for about 3 days, but now the problem is back. Does anyone know what is wrong???
August 26th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I have a M45 – S169. I need a motherboard and was wondering if there might be a place that will list all boards that would fit. Looking at disassembly photos they look close but is there a significant difference. Mine has a 80GB hard drive and I see that particular drive fits about 50 Toshiba models. Also have a 1.6 celeron M CPU and it has 2MG ram slots.
Appreciate any help.
Tom
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Please help
I can’t figure out step #9 & #10, removing the securing strip when trying to replace my keyboard… specifically the two parts that appear to be latched onto the lcd screen…
any tips?
(M45-s331 replacing keyboard)
December 8th, 2008 at 9:04 am
In a couple of places on the M45 thin black tape is used to hold wires in place. What is a good replacement for this tape? 3M # if possible
January 7th, 2009 at 7:00 am
I never could find directions on your website to remove keyboard. I can’t get the cover with the speaker grills in it off.
January 7th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Bob,
Really? I thought I linked to the guide in the first sentence and it says these instructions.
For the keyboard removal follow steps 9-12. There is more than one page in the guide.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
it says there are 2 memory slots,i took the cover off and there was only 1 slot w/1 ram stick in it(512) i got 2 512′s for it so i can make it 1gi of ram……..is there another slot somewhere,or do i have to buy a 1 gig stick? sign,confused
January 9th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
bert beasley,
Do you have a Satellite M45 laptop? Take a look at the disassembly guide (step 3). You’ll see that there are two memory slots on the bottom and you can install two memory modules in there.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Going back to Bob’s question:
I never could find directions on your website to remove keyboard. I can’t get the cover with the speaker grills in it off.
The left bracket attached from the LCD to base broke on my M45-s331, in your instructions the stip comes right out in my laptop strip is attached to LCD from the hinges I have to bent it away to remove however I can’t get it to seaparate, I think Bob and this one other guy were having the same problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
February 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Same thing happend to me with the keyboard removal, i cant get past the cover with the grill its very hard to remove does someone know how to do this???
March 1st, 2009 at 8:18 pm
was wondering if there was any kind of chart available for all the screws that go in the underside of the case
thanks,
renee
March 19th, 2009 at 2:45 am
I have a Toshiba laptop M45 that has a control key that stays on. Also cap lock light stays on. I have replaced the key board. Sometimes by pressing hard close to the control key it will return to normal.
Any thoughts on what is going on?
Also, where can I get detailed instruction on how to open the case to get to the power jack?
Any help most welcomed.
Wm. Grotendick
April 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am
renee,
I don’t have that chart. Are you looking for a particular screw? Let me know which one and I might be able to look up the part number for you.
April 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Wm. Grothendick,
Could be a bad keyboard but I’m not sure 100%.
Here’s what you can try. Remove the keyboard from the laptop but keep it connected to the motherboard. Now start the laptop and find out how you can “fix” the problem. Try pressing on the keyboard and on the cover under the keyboard. Which one is “fixing” the problem.
If the Cap Lock key goes back to normal when you press on the laptop cover (not keyboard) there could be a problem with the motherboard.
Also, on some Satellite M45 laptops, I’ve seen the power button board (also known as seven button board) causing really weird problems. This power button board is located on the left side of the laptop and attached to the top cover.
That’s funny! I posted a link to the step-by-step disassembly guide in the post. Did you follow the link?
April 19th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Your last comment on the 14th of this month…you mention the weird stuff with the “seven button board”. I’m working on an A40, so it’s a bit different…I only have 3 buttons. However, the attachment points on two of the three sides of the “button cover” where broken…and I was able to glue them back to the cover.
While looking at that board (7 butt board) it seems quite simple, and I’m wondering what issues could come up from that. I’m trying to solve a system freeze problem. My next step will be to test and replace the fan if required, thinking fan many not be working & overheating. Like you said…no easy access & must remove mother board.
Also, some bozo cranked the HDD bottom cover so tight it cracked & broke the bottoms from the screw retaining well in the cover…so I’ll have to fabricate something to glue to (what’s left of) the screw “tube” to give the screw head something to grip and hold the cover down. Don’t know if anyone else has working on this one before…but there sure was a lot of thermal paste glumpped on the processor. Is that the norm for these…real thick globs of actual paste, or it that an indication the same clod who cranked the screws down also didn’t understand thermal paste application?
April 19th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Sorry…above machine is a Tecra A4, full model number is:
PTA40U-1D701F.
Also, strange I could run the machine fine with BartPE but not from a newly restored HD. Ran 5 hours of “BartStuff” Hd test with no read/write issues reported…also ran 2 cycles of memtest 2.01 without issue. Issues occur with internal or external HID’s. Only actual “damage” would be the afore-mentioned hard drive covered torqued to … 180ftlbs ! K/B is quite clean & no evidence of sticky keys (err…from spillage…not the handicapped kind….8-) The power button as mentioned had two of it’s outer fabric moorings broken, but that’s easy to fix if you understand plastic glues (hint…Loctite product # 01-07011…usually found at Home Despots is the best all around plastic glue product I’ve found for ANY plastic! Follow instructions with primer & glue. Generally, it’s stronger than the plastic it bonds!!!)
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Rich Gosselin,
I was getting some strange problems with the keyboard. Some keys didn’t work and replacing the motherboard and keyboard didn’t fix it. Only after I replaced the 7 button board the problem was gone.
Can you hear the fan working at all?
A lot of pink thermal paste all over the CPU? That’s normal for some Toshiba laptops. I’ve seen that many times before.
It’s possible that one of the devices is defective and it’s causing the problem. Disassemble the laptop as much as you can. Remove DVD drive, wireless card, modem, unplug the internal LCD screen (you can run the laptop with an external monitor) and test it this way. If the laptop is not freezing anymore start adding parts one by one and test it after each step. This technique will help you to find a faulty part.
By the way, try running the laptop in VGA mode (when Windows loads all drivers except the video card driver). Maybe the laptop freezes because of a problem with the video card?
April 30th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Same as Scott, Bob, Steve and John CM
keyboard removal, I can’t get past the cover with the grill! Hate to break it!
M45-S2692
For the Love of God, Please help us!
Good Days,
Leo
April 30th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Leo,
On some laptops it’s not easy to remove the keyboard bezel. Make sure the display is open as much as possible. Can you lift up one side of the bezel at all? If you can, put your fingers underneath of the bezel and try to disengage the latches by wiggling the bezel. Man, it’s hard to explain. You have to feel it.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Hey, I was just wondering if there was any way to take off the base covering without disassembly the lcd display, keyboard etc. I only need to replace my dc power jack and it’s accessible via the base covering alone. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I got a a4 tecra its doing something very strange,the cpu fan is turning off 4seconds after booting,which is causing all sorts of overheating problems i have changed the fan 3times(these fans work on another a4,the machine will load but only if i have a huge cooling fan placed direct on top of the laptop,so its 100% overheating but what is causing the fan to turn off ?
July 21st, 2009 at 11:56 am
I have a Toshiba M45 laptop and the on button is broke. Do I have to disassemble it completely to replace? And you say to remove black tape and glue in some steps what kind of tape, glue or other products do I use when reassembling? Appreciate the help
July 21st, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Ron,
The power button is located on a small board which is mounted to the hidden side of the top cover.
In order to remove the power button board, you’ll have to remove the top cover first as it shown in the step 21. You’ll have to go through steps 1-21.
You can use same tape. The tape simply secures some cables to the top cover. You assemble the laptop the same way you disassemble it, you don’t need anything extra.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Many thanks for the info.and speedy response to my questions. It going too save me a bundle of money because the repair guy by my house wanted $60.00 for the part and $90.oo for the repair. I ordered the part over the phone and it’s only $20.00 with shipping.
Ron
July 28th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Hello, I was taking apart my Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop and when I got to step 3 I pulled the white wire of the wireless card antenna cable connector out of its socket. Any suggestions on how to fix it or do I need to put in a new one and if so do you know where I can get one. Thanks, Ron
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 am
Thank you very much for all the descriptions ! I swaped the mother card and it works now. I’m so happy, thank to you !
September 29th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Ok, i got the new motherboard for my Toshiba M40, the diffrence between this one and the one i have is that the new one has integrated video card. My question is since the new motherboard doesnt have the slot where you plug in the video card, do i have to remove the bracket that holds down the video card, or i can leave it in? The bracket is loose and moving all over the place, one end of the bracket goes inside the fan assembly(yellow color). I can easily remove it.
September 30th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Alex,
If the bracket is used only for securing the video card, you can safely remove it.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:22 am
1.How to replace the keyboard of Toshiba Satellite M40?
2. How to fix (glue?)the key (J).
November 6th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Jerzy,
Are you kidding me? There is a link to the disassembly guide in the first sentence of this post. Just follow the link and read on.
You don’t glue the keyboard key. Check out this post for more help with the key repair. How to repair keyboard key.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Hi, it’s the 2nd time I replace the inverter on my M45, the last one was good for only 2 days; I see the ghost image on the LCD. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Ricardo
November 28th, 2009 at 5:43 am
I intend to change the 90GB HD of my M45, upgrading capacity to 250 or 320GB, but I’m not sure because of connectors – ATA/IDE etc.
What do you recommend?
Many thanks!
November 28th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Sergio,
Take a look at this post: http://www.laptopparts101.com/hard-drive/
It shows the difference between IDE and SATA hard drives.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Ricardo,
It’s hard to tell what is causing the problem, I don’t know the quality of spare parts you are using.
It’s possible that the inverter board is defective. Also, could be faulty backlight lamp.
The only way to find out which one is causing the problem is testing the laptop with a KNOWN GOOD inverter board or backlight lamp.
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:17 am
I have two questions.
1) my motherboard is shot and need to know the best place to find and reliable but reasonably pric.ed replacement?
2)Do you have instructions on your website to switch out motherboards or would taking it to a tech shop be the best idea?
January 11th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Hi I’ve got a satellite M40, i’ve changed my cd rom to a new DVD burning rom as my old one is broken, it is recognised when i am in windows but when i want to use it as a bootable drive it is not recognised,how can i solve this problem please can someone help me thanks lot
January 18th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Hi,
but I can’t seem to find one that explains how to get to the power jack…
I believe I need to replace the internal power jack on my Toshiba M45-s331. The laptop will not turn on nor will any of the power display lights come on. The socket for the power jack seems very loose. Previously the laptop would work but would shut off if the power cord was moved in even the slightest way. At this point it doesn’t even power up at all anymore so I am thinking that this is the problem. I am able to find plenty of choices for replacement power jacks but I am wondering if this is a job a fairly handy “regular” person should take on by themselves and if so, how do you disassemble the laptop to that point? I have checked out your disassembly guides which are helpful
I appreciate your time and any advice you can give me:) Stephanie
April 5th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Thanks for the help taking my M45 apart. I thought the right hinge was broken, turns out the screws had backed out.
April 12th, 2010 at 5:55 am
I found that when removing the motherboard from the case there were a couple problems using this guide. First, there were four screws not two fastening the MB and secondly if you lift the MB from the righ side as suggested you may break the volume control which protrudes through the front of the case. It happened to me. I suggest starting at the right and then begin lifting more from the back in order to ease the audio jacks and the volume control through the openings in the front of the case. Other than that this gi=uide was very useful.
April 15th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
hi,
How to replace the cover top of Toshiba Satellite M40-s351 do I have remove all parts?
thanks in avanced
Pavel from Caracas
May 7th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I too have tried to use the guide and cannot get the keyboard securing strip off. The guide shows it coming off easily and it definately isn’t coming off easily. I’ve popped it off on both sides and two rivets in the back but it’s still firmly attached in the back by the hinges. Please help!!!
May 7th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Oh and it’s a toshiba satellite m45.
May 9th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Well I figured it out. You have to lay the laptop all the way open and then it comes out easily.
May 10th, 2010 at 4:22 am
I have a M45 S169 There are NOT 2 memory modules under the cover of Step #3. The second memory module is hidden under the keyboard. This company(Toshiba) is a complete joke. Off to the HP store now to purchase one I can actually work on without taking the chance of breaking their poorly constructed laptops.
May 15th, 2010 at 5:35 am
I need to replace the C moss on my toshiba M45, ????? Help.
Thanks, Kurt
July 28th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Is it possible to remove the rear cover of Toshiba M45 (S269) after performing the step of sliding the DVD tray out?
How can I get access to the 2 USB ports and S-Video Out port above the DVD drive to verify physical connections with the motherboard? Finally, how could I replace one of the two above-mentioned USB ports? Thanks!
September 18th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I need to replace the LAN/Modem port with another for toshiba m45-s355. do you know whats the easiest way to do instead of taking out all parts? because I’m afraid to damage any part when removing them.
December 2nd, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Wow, this looks great!
I’m having issues with the power button not working, or working after I disconnect the battery and retry boot.
I was told I should look into replacing the power ribbon.
How many steps do I need to get to in order to do this?
Thank you very much in advance!!!
April 25th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Awesome Guide!!! My buddy’s laptop’s button was pushed through into the case and I was able to take apart the whole thing (up to the point where you remove the top cover plate where the power button is. I bought some epoxy and glued the thing back to its three glue points. The thing works perfectly now. This is the second laptop I open and fix successfully thanks to people like the site publishers.