How do I completely remove back panel from Acer Aspire R5-471T-71W2 laptop?

Beck18 · July 2020

I have an Acer Aspire R5-471T-71W2. I am trying to replace the hard drive.
I was able to open the whole back panel, but when I tried lifting it off, I was only able to lift it off about a 1/2 inch and then I could encountered resistance. I could feel that in one small spot, about an inch inwards from the right hinge (the hinge closest to the AC adapter jack) there was some cable or something attached between the inside of the back panel, and the hardware beneath it. I was afraid that if I tugged more at the back panel, I would rip out whatever was connected between it and the interior. So I had no choice but to close the laptop back up without being able to access the hard drive.
Any way to resolve this and access the harddrive without doing damage to whatever is connecting the back panel to the interior?

billsey · July 2020

This is the best picture I can find of that area. The LVDS cable looks like it has some tape holding it in place and it might be sticking to the cover. If any of that tape isn't down fully it could be rolled over to adhere to the bottom cover...

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/9c/ujeqepwsvrr4.png

Beck18 · July 2020

billsey said:

Also, guitar picks are a cheap option for prying... No need for the more spendy laptop disassembly kit.

Thanks for the tip!

ttttt · July 2020

I don't use the same computer, so cannot help with the specific. May I suggest you to visit Youtube and search if people have some videos for servicing your type of computer.

Beck18 · July 2020

ttttt said:

I don't use the same computer, so cannot help with the specific. May I suggest you to visit Youtube and search if people have some videos for servicing your type of computer.

Hi, Thank you for your suggestion!
I actually had already done a very exhaustive search online and have not found any videos (or text explanations) that speak to this. As I said, I was able to detach 97% of the back panel from the interior. There is a small spot that is connected to the base and that prevents me from removing it and gaining access. I can't even really look inside the gap, to see what the problem is, because whatever is there is keeping the panel tethered closely, and it only lifts off about a half-inch before I feel it tugging . . .

billsey · July 2020

Here's where the screws are. Have you got them all out?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/16/isynk5bai4k4.png

Beck18 · July 2020

Yes, I definitely removed all 12 screws. I successfully pried open the bottom panel ALL around the laptop's perimeter, and then I slowly lifted the back panel upwards and off the underlying chassis -- but only got it a 1/2 inch distance from the rest of the laptop when I could feel that it was still attached in one small part (probably in an area smaller than the size of a dime). It felt like there was a cable or something that was attached to the underside of the panel, such that I couldn't completely lift up the panel and remove it -- there was something still tethering the back panel to the the other half of the computer . . .

billsey · July 2020

There shouldn't be anything holding it back then. There is nothing mounted in the bottom cover. I wonder if a piece of tape is what you're feeling?

Beck18 · July 2020

Hmm. Maybe it is some tape. Unfortunately, the gap is so small, I can't even peer in to see what's there. I did stick the edge of a credit card into the gap, and it did hit up against something. By the amount of resistance encountered with the credit card, I suspect it might be some kind of cable.
This is a 2-in-1 laptop. The point of adhesion is about 1 inch inwards (toward center of laptop) from the right hinge. (Meaning the "right hinge" when the laptop is oriented with keyboard facing upwards, as in normal use.)
My fear is that if I tug the back panel off, it may pull out or damage whatever it's adhering to. I gently tried tugging at it, but was afraid to exert any real force.
I welcome any ideas.

Beck18 · July 2020

(Actually, now that I think about it, I had earlier described the adhesion location backwards.)
The the point of adhesion is next to the Left hinge -- towards the HDMI port (if viewed with laptop oriented with keyboard in normal use position -- but the Right hinge if viewed while he laptop is flipped over such that the back panel is facing upwards and the hinge furthest away from you).
Just for some extra info, I would say that, if you could imagine the whole surface of the keyboard and border around it being transparent, that if you looked just a half-inch to an inch above where the "Esc" & "F1" keys are on the keyboard (meaning in the area between the laptop hinge and those keys), just beneath that area (or in close proximity) is where the point of adhesion is.

billsey · July 2020

This is the best picture I can find of that area. The LVDS cable looks like it has some tape holding it in place and it might be sticking to the cover. If any of that tape isn't down fully it could be rolled over to adhere to the bottom cover...

Beck18 · July 2020

billsey, thank you so much for your research and for sending me the photo! Two questions:
1) Just so I know what to expect, is that a photo from inside the identical model laptop I have?
(Or if not, is that LDVS cable setup likely identical within my model?)
2) Since I can only lift the back panel about a quarter to a half-inch before I encounter the resistance, any thoughts on how to even get access to the cable in order to disconnect it?
Even at the furthest corner from the adhesion, I still can't lift the panel more than a quarter - 1/2 inch off the chassis before I can feel that I'm causing tension at the point of adhesion. So I have no way to visually inspect the interior right now.

Commodore_1995# · July 2020

I suggest you check it out here: https://www.insidemylaptop.com/full-disassembly-of-acer-aspire-r-14-r5-471t-71w2-n15p6/
Comece a separar a tampa inferior do resto da mquina

Comece a separar a tampa inferior do resto da mquina

Beck18 · July 2020

Whoa!! Thanks egydiocoelho!!! What a motherlode of useful info that link is! (I had searched every which way from Sunday on the internet -- and while I had found a number of proximately helpful and instructive videos on Crucials's website and on ifixit's website and youtube, I had not stumbled across "insidemylaptop.com"! So I couldn't divine what I might be specifically dealing with within my laptop. Your link is a wonderful accessory to billsey's earlier info.

If I may, I'll pose the same question to you, assuming now it is an issue of some tape there, any recommendation how to safely "unadhere" it from the backside of the back panel? do you think I should slip a knife or razor into the gap sideways? Or might you (or anyone else) have a recommendation for the safest way to untether, considering I'll have to do it blindly, so to speak?

Commodore_1995# · July 2020

I think it would be better if you send a photo of the procedure that you have already done, so that we can check what is missing. I do not advise using a knife or scissors. Is it possible to send an internal photo of the place that is holding the lower case? These photos can be useful:

Beck18 · July 2020

egydiocoelho said:

I think it would be better if you send a photo of the procedure that you have already done, so that we can check what is missing. I do not advise using a knife or scissors. Is it possible to send an internal photo of the place that is holding the lower case?

Thanks for your suggestion. I will probably attempt to open it up again sometime in the next few days, so I will try to take a photo then if I can.

Beck18 · July 2020

egydiocoelho, thanks for the illustrative photos. I only just noticed them now when I returned to my post page. When I had opened the case (which was about 3 weeks ago), I had done it entirely with the laptop laying on its cover, and oriented with the bottom panel facing up. So I first removed all 12 screws. Then, with the laptop still on its cover and the hinged side facing furthest away from me, I think I began by finding a spot to insert a credit-card type card (or store membership card) into the front seam, and then I slowly worked my way around the perimeter. Then I carefully first picked up one side and then the other to disengage the case from around the I/O ports. (I basically followed this video,though just using one or two cards:

Acer Aspire R5 | SSD Upgrade | Dissassembly.

. (

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEZeN-br3Js  You can see the gist of it from minutes 11-13.)
So what's interesting is that, unlike your demo photos, I did the whole thing with the laptop laying on its cover. Is there any reason to think that if I instead open it while it's laying onto its bottom (with its cover facing up) I'd get a different result?

Also, if you don't mind my asking, is there a specific tool you'd recommend I use next time I open it -- rather than the store membership cards, that might make it easier to open? (The photos you sent were a little small, so I couldn't make out what kind of tool that white plastic pry one is.)

Commodore_1995# · July 2020

I believe that by removing the upper case, as shown in the service guide, you will be able to see what is preventing you from disassembling the laptop. The guy in the photo uses a spatula to disassemble the notebook, see:
Jogo de Chaves Para Celular notebook - Computadores e acessrios

Jogo de Chaves Para Celular notebook - Computadores e acessrios

Beck18 · July 2020

ok, thank you. In the next few days I will try opening the case again and if it's stuck I will see if there's any way to photograph the inside . . .
I hope to follow up on the thread then.

If it turns out I can't open it more than a little bit, would the best strategy be to stick a larger plastic spatula or credit card towards the inside top of the back panel to try to detach from there -- rather than detaching the adhesion from inside of the chassis?
I assume anything I detach from the inside of the back panel won't be pulling any hardware off, as it might from the chassis side . . . ?

Commodore_1995# · July 2020

If you disassemble the notebook by pulling the upper case upwards, care must be taken with the keyboard connector. Now, the lower case does not have any cables that are connected to the hardware.

billsey · July 2020

Also, guitar picks are a cheap option for prying... No need for the more spendy laptop disassembly kit.

Beck18 · July 2020

billsey said:

Also, guitar picks are a cheap option for prying... No need for the more spendy laptop disassembly kit.

Thanks for the tip!

Beck18 · July 2020

Beck18 said:

ok, thank you. In the next few days I will try opening the case again and if it's stuck I will see if there's any way to photograph the inside . . .
I hope to follow up on the thread then.

If it turns out I can't open it more than a little bit, would the best strategy be to stick a larger plastic spatula or credit card towards the inside top of the back panel to try to detach from there -- rather than detaching the adhesion from inside of the chassis?
I assume anything I detach from the inside of the back panel won't be pulling any hardware off, as it might from the chassis side . . . ?

Hi Again, I got it open and separated!! (Pics attached.) Thanks to you both -- billsey and egydiocoelho! -- for your terrifically detailed and targeted help! It made all the difference and gave me the confidence to pursue getting the case open and separated.
Indeed, it turned out that the tape had rolled back and was adhering to the case bottom -- you nailed it!
Luckily, with the help of a friend, I got the back panel off without damaging anything and was able to successfully install a new SSD drive.

Kudos and thanks to you both!!