How to take apart Toshiba Satellite A300 or A305 laptop
In this guide I will be taking apart a Toshiba Satellite A305 laptop. Also this guide will work for a Satellite A300 series. Basically Satellite A300 and A305 laptops have a similar design but different names.
I start the disassembly process with removing the keyboard as it shown in steps 1-5. Be very careful with the keyboard cable connector on the motherboard. If you break this connector, you’ll have to replace the whole motherboard.
Steps 6-9 explain how to access and remove the hard drive, both memory modules and the optical drive. Fortunately, in this model both memory modules could be access from the bottom making the removal/upgrade process very simple.
In steps 10-14 I’m removing the laptop top cover assembly. By the way, both touch pad buttons are a part of the top cover. If one of the buttons feels loose, most likely the plastic bridge connecting this button to the top cover is broken. In order to fix this problem, you’ll have to replace the whole top cover assembly.
In steps 15-25 I proceed with removing the motherboard. I would like to mention that the cooling fan is mounted under the motherboard. If you would like to replace the fan, you’ll have to remove the motherboard first.
In the next post I explain the LCD screen and inverter board removal procedure.
Need spare parts for your laptop? Search here by the laptop model and part name or number.
September 4th, 2010 at 6:26 am
I have a Toshiba satellite A 300 When it connect to the power it’s alway restarting
August 13th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Dear Mr,
I have Toshiba dynabook satellite a300, bought from Japan.
now i cann’t turn it on even press power button for a while.
the adapter power is good, the indicators show charging and full charge. i faced this problem (in Japan) before this time, i sent pc to service center and they said this is because of virus. Now i am in Myanmar, there has no service center. for this time the power is shut down after installing some fonts. sometimes i can turn it on fortunately but it is for only two times.
Pls help me for this pc. Thank you so much for your website because i get valuable knowledge.
August 11th, 2010 at 2:39 am
Hi,
Need help with my Satellite A300 unit.
The problem is when i press power ON button after a while the unit restarting contineously. Unit will power ON again then after awhile it will restarted by itself.
I remove the battery pack & power ON the unit, this time using power adaptor charger but still same result.
Any idea to solve problem with my laptop.
Thanks.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:45 am
hi,
i own a toshiba A305D. over the last few days im having problems with my keyboard. one or two keys doesnt work and some keys when pressed gives someother outputs eg: when ‘a’ is pressed i get character ‘n{/;’ n so on.i removed the keyboard as given in ur guide repacked it.i found out that the key z is very sensitive ..so i removed the key ‘z’ and found that the plastic button inside works like a touchpad.all other keys are normal.what can b done abt that?if needs to be replaced,can i replace only that key?
also i am not able to remove the top cover.i removed the pins and screw n tried to pull it out but in vain.i need 2 clean up the cooler,plz help.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:32 am
hi nice site…very helpfull.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:37 am
i hav a problem with my charger, we ever i put it in mt laptop a305 it shuts the laptop down and freezes the screen. it works ok with out the power cord. what is the problem there?
July 18th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Hello…I have A305-s6883 Satellite, really have been happy with it, got new motherboard 2 days before warranty was out 2/10 and replaced keyboard over a month ago. A few nights ago I had fallen asleep while checking email, I woke up and it had gone to sleep, but was making static noises, crackling like cellophane. I powered it off and went back to sleep.
When I went online the next day the speakers did not work; I went to toshiba online and dl’d new speaker driver, that did not do anything. Have virus scanned and malware scanned, still no sound. I have a strong feeling the speakers are kaput. I am in the middle of nowhere, probably at least 60 miles away from a repair service (Gainesville,FL). And it is out of warranty anyway. My daughter is pretty savvy about electronics, her fiance is too, but I hesitate to ask them for help right now, they are both working several jobs just to make ends meet. I am on Social Security but I have a lot of courage>>> stupidity?? and would like to do this myself. I have worked on laboratory equipment and done some reclamation after fires on expensive equipment so I think I could try this, where could I get the replacement parts and instructions??? I thank you for any consideration. Huggles, Grandma Ellie
July 17th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Gary M,
Sorry cannot help with your model. This is a Canadian model and I don’t have list of parts for it.
Search for the part number in the memory compartment. It should be somewhere on a white sticker. After that Google the part number.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:05 am
nick,
It’s necessary to disassemble the laptop and take a closer look at the DC jack (power connector).
It’s either bad DC jack or motherboard failure. You cannot tell without replacing the jack first.
Fortunately, the DC jack is not soldered to the motherboard and can be easily replaced. Take a look at this picture: http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/Toshiba-Satellite-A305/disassembly-big/disassembly-process-24.jpg
You simply unplug the DC jack harness and replace it with a new one.
If the battery still not charging even after replacing the DC jack harness, I would assume you have a problem with the motherboard.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Allan Barratt,
There is no easy way. You’ll have to remove the top cover first.
The CMOS battery is soldered to the motherboard.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:52 am
rumesh,
First of all, make sure the AC adapter works correctly. Test your AC adapter with a voltmeter.
Test your laptop with another AC adapter.
If you still have a problem even after replacing the adapter, most likely there is a problem with the motherboard.
Also, could be bad DC jack (where you plug the adapter).
July 17th, 2010 at 9:24 am
max reason,
You are welcome. I’m glad my guide helps people.
July 15th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Big problem after dissamble battery want charge where is the problem please help
sorry on my bad english
July 12th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
i am using SAT A300 which is asking for a password which i dont know nomatter if am on cemos or before the computer boots up the os please help me!