M17x LCD/Lid Replacement Tutorial. FINALLY!

First, let me say, I am not responsible for any damage you may cause to your system.
Now, on with it........

I took some pictures, wanted to take more, but just got caught up in doing the job so we’ll have to use what we have. I’m sure they will be adequate. You may want to do as I do when disassembling laptops. Get a pill box from any drug store or department store and cut some small 1 inch by 1 inch pieces of paper so you can label each compartment and where the screws go. Usually 7 is enough, but you can get the month long pillbox if you want. Might wanna throw a few Advil® or Tylenol® in one of those compartments cause you might end up with a headache before you are done.

Let’s get into it……

Tools needed are a small(#0 or #1) Phillips head, a small flathead, a plastic knife, and some patience. You may want to include a muzzle for you or earplugs if you have kids and don’t want them to hear you curse. There is a good chance you will be before you are done.

1. First thing we want to do is unplug the A/C adapter and remove the battery.

2. Now, place the lappy face down, and remove the 2 screws that hold the media/power button bar.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us There, I let Imageshack get one plug in. Least I could do!
3. Now, on the opposite side, there will be 3 screws where the battery WAS. Remove those screws as well.



4. Flip it back over and open the lid. Now remove the media bar using the plastic knife. Plastic won't mar or scratch as bad as a METAL screwdriver!!!! Yes, I did it! Start at the back edge by the screen and when you get one corner up move to the other. Push the whole bar forward (towards the screen) and lift with the corners you have pried with the knife. When/If you get it out, be careful because there is a ribbon cable attached to it you will have to remove. Simply ‘lift’ the brown tab and the cable will come out.



5. Next we will remove the palm rest. That is what the second set of screws in step 3 hold. Simply slide, with some coercion, the palm rest to the front and off. It will slide about 1/4” and then you must lift it. It too has a ribbon cable attached to it which is removed in similar fashion.



6. On to the keyboard. Pretty simple here. Should have 5 screws that are tiny and difficult to handle when you have large hands. I knew a girl with large hands once. It was kinda scary! She was always wanting to…..Oops. Got side tracked. Back to the tutorial. 5 screws, then lift it out. 2 ribbon cables.



7. There are two black metal pieces located at the top of the lappy in each corner for air directional purposes. These need to be removed. They have captive screws (they stay in the slots so you won’t lose ‘em).




DEEP Breath! 5 minute break. Back to work.

8. Now we must remove the magnesium casing. There are 10 screws here and all are marked on the casing with the letter ‘P’. Makes it pretty easy. Remove all the screws and then remove the aluminum piece. You will have to disconnect the monitor cable and the Backlight/inverter/power cable that is right beside it. They just plug in, so it’s pretty straight forward. Also, you will need to disconnect the SLI cable if you have one, from your card. Lastly here, you will need to disconnect the WLAN wire (blue) and the wireless adapter wire (black and white) from the cards. Once all the cables and wires are disconnected, remove the aluminum piece.



9. Getting close! With the lid still open, remove the 4 screws for the LCD/LID. At this point, the Lid is ready to come off. Fold it back closed to about a 45 degree angle and lift gently. It should come off pretty easy.

Now, you should have the lid off. If you are replacing the whole lid, then you are done except for reinstalling of course. Just reverse the directions and –BOOM! New lid installed.


Now, if you are changing just the LCD/E2E (Edge to Edge) and not the whole panel, keep reading. And I will restart the steps at #1 like it is a new/different instruction set.
1. Right beside each hinge, there is a small screw. Remove these screws and the plastic cover on the lid will come off. Once the screws are removed, slide the cover down and off. This will reveal the inverter, Alienware LED, and some more crap too. Just be careful and don’t break anything (like you weren’t doing that already).




2. To remove the lid that the Alien head is on, there are 2 small screws that need to be removed. The hole where they attached are circled with purple in the pic so just look for them. Can’t miss ‘em. See the picture. After removal, the screen lid where the Alien head is will slide up and off. Be aware that the Alien head IS attached still and you don’t want to break the ribbon cable. Remove the screw to remove the head or unplug it.




3. The inverter is that green bar wrapped in brown plastic/cellophane that has all the wires on it. Note where the backlight wires are plugged up. You should have two sets of wires-red and white, and black and blue (I think). Not sure if it matters which one they are plugged back into, but just in case. Also, unplug the webcam/LED connector from the inverter board. Set the inverter to the side for now.

4. Under the inverter there is a black piece of plastic. It has 4 screws holding it in place. Remove the screws and subsequently, remove the plastic. It is a little tricky getting it back in, so pay attention while removing. It’s basically used for holding the wires in place and makes it neater and incased.

5. To remove the webcam, pull the 2 screws on either side where it is connected to the lid housing. Put all that conglomeration to the side.

6. Remove the monitor cable from the LCD. Be very careful while doing this. There are clips on the side that you have to disengage to remove. This is the cable that is connected to the LCD.


7. After this, you should have just the 3 wires for the wireless devices attached to the E2E panel. You are now ready to swap panels.
As you can see, if you made it this far, unless you cut the aluminum housing or somehow remove the seal/tape that is holding the LCD to the E2E, there is no way to remove the LCD by itself. If I am wrong, please, someone correct me.

I hope this will help someone out along the way. I had a time doing it, it was aggravating the first time. Partly because I was ‘flying blind’, partly because it was late. The second and third time, it was cake. Just watch those cables when you put em back together. Don’t pinch them and fry something. I hope the pics fit on the screen good enough for everyone. If not let me know and I can edit it or I have this tutorial in Word form also and I can e-mail it to you.
Look here for a generic, but thorough manual(s) for the M17x. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/M17x/en/index.html
Good luck. Questions????? PM me.

 

nice pics, +rep

 

Good job, I was confused at the 'inverter' portion but then I remembered this was for the CCFL while mine has the RGB. I am a little further along than this in that I am trying to remove the LCD from the E2E but of course there is the tape keeping it in and I am currently trying to figure out the best method in removing it without harming the E2E and lcd too much.

 

Dremel tool. You would have to cut the aluminum. Just have to have someone help and hold a vacuum right at the blade point so as to minimize dust. If I remember right, the screen itself is held in by screws. That peice of aluminum just provides support is all I can gather. I MAY try to do it with the 1440X900 I have and see what happens. What would be nice is if we could put and LED in if we get the old one out. What does the inverter look like on LED?

 

I am past the aluminum portion. I meant I was stuck on the how to cut around under the lcd at the tape to get it out easily without doing damage. The metal frame is in the way except in a small portion in the bottom left.

I don't even remember seeing an inverter. There are two cables connected to the led lcd that end up in one connector.

 

Ugggggh! It would be sooooo nice if I could just pop in a LED and make it work somehow. And by pop in, I mean just buy the screen. Not the whole lid assembly. How many times have I heard that? Great idea if you have $1000 dollars to throw away. I DON'T!!!! How did you 'take care' of the aluminum?

 

yes, they certainly made the LCD replacement in the m17x a real pain in the ...

and much more expensive as a result.

 

+1 rep, good job!

 

Good Job! I did this process on my first R1 since the bleed on the screen was so bad, Dell just shipped me a new screen and I had to move everything over to it, wires, webcam, inverter, ect.. It was a pain in the ......

Nice job on the pics!

 

you guys may want to see this how to take the panel out of the frame , old thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/414368-m17x-panel-dismanteling.html#post5271626

 

Yep! That's what I was talking about doing. Nice job. Wasn't sure someone had done that already. Buuuut, Dell sent a 1920X1200 as the replacement(with a Red lid?). They didn't however, send the cable for the Alien head on the lid so my lid Alien head is still not lighting up. No big deal, really. So after the tech informed the service tech on the phone, they decided to ship a whole new system to me. Wonder what I will get? R2?!!! Any ideas? Has Dell discontinued the R1?

 

yes the r1s are discontinued..

 

For the records i have a lid+e2e+WUXGA screen for sale

 

Ok I am currently testing out an LG lcd (LP171WU5 RGB LED) by simply exposing the back of the M17x-R2 lid with the video cable hanging out. The rest of the system is put together but I'm having a hard time figuring out why the system doesn't power on at all with the lcd connected. I did the whole hold the power button down without it plugged in/battery in and reset the cmos battery.

The led lcd cable plugs into the motherboard with only one connector but splits into two connectors at the lcd end, one being the video portion and the other powers the lcd. When I have neither plugged into the LG the notebook powers on and the 'no lcd detected' pattern of lights is played out but when I only have the video cable plugged in, the notebook turns on without a hitch, of course nothing is on the screen because I didn't plug the power connector in. When both are plugged into the lcd the notebook simply doesn't power on at all. Need any help. Thanks

 

Looks like it's simply not supported.

 

could it be PSU related?

 

But I thought someone said the R1 would support the RGB LED??!! I was hoping so for future upgrade. Anyone---advise. Or advice.

 

The R1 is still sold on the Dell's website. I made a magically re-appeared recently.

The RGB LED screen does work in the R1 as confirmed and tested by a few members from here but the screen is very costly to get around $750.00 therefore it's most likely not worth it.

 

Ha. I meant future when it's like $300 and 'Old' hat. You know?

 

Anyone know the part number for the lcd cable for the rgb led?

 

I'm not gonna do any of this on my lappy but I lol while reading your tut. So funny.

 

Like these pictures the m17x with a screen that has jumping horizontal lines, I can't find a replacement. It is dual bulb and model LTN170CT11. The cable is too wide and has two extra inputs.


http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...52095591-m17x-panel-dismanteling-screen-9.jpg
http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...52095591-m17x-panel-dismanteling-screen-8.jpg

 

So an RGB LED does NOT work with the 17xR1? I'm trying to learn here fellas.

 

YES IT DOES ! At least the two models that initially came with the M17x R2, idk about other models.

 

katalin, do you have a part number so I could pursue pricing?

 

There's one here:
Dell Alienware 17" m17x WUXGA LED RGB KIT 0CWMH | eBay

Or call Dell they used to have the assemblies for ~1k $

 

I've seen that one bro, just looking for the LCD part number so I might slice and dice into the current assembly that I have that's broken!

The BLUE ribbon cable that feeds that display is much smaller than the one on the 17xR1. It doesn't look like it would work.

Speedy had issues here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/414368-m17x-panel-dismanteling.html#post5271626

Now I think he's stuck with an LCD he can't use!

 

Ah right I remember, but how about the inverter?!

Well here they are:
K1NFP€170CT - dell part number: DELL 0CWMH
or
J2CY8€170CT - dell part number: DELL 0CWMH

 

Well, that's another story, he bought a panel that Dell doesn't provide :/
The ones listed above in mu post they're sure to work (assuming you have everything else).

 

Ahhhhh, so it was just an inverter problem then?

 

For Speedy? No, completely different connectors

 

Katalin, I'm having trouble looking up those parts, perhaps the '€' character doesn't translate so well in English?

 

That's what's written as model behind the LCD.
I did a search and you're right.
I think you're options are:
-buy the one on e.bay
-buy a R2 with the screen and sell what you don't need.
-finally try Dell but i doubt you'll like the price

 

good info here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/510955-best-m17x-r2-lcd-screen-upgrade.html

 

@tomX, great info, and katalin, thanks again as always for pointing me in the right direction!

 

No problem, I hope you'll find what you need. Sadly this is all I can tell you, it's up to you now. Good luck

 

Help needed!! I had a fully functioning M17x with a cracked LCD still showing full display. After going through the replacement procedure, I am no longer able to get the screen to come on nor any of the lighting FX. The new screen is "brand new" with the same part numbers and manufacturer. It appears that I am not getting power to any of the lighting displays including the one within the power button. The computer powers up with drive and fans running normally under battery power. The screen is of the 2 CFFL type and I am sure I reinstalled the two connections as before except that I may have the two wires in each possibly switched. Can anyone relate to this problem and the fix?

 

Try a power drain:
Remove the power cord and system battery.
Remove the backplate held by the two screws
Unplug the coincell CMOS battery.
Press the power button for ~30 seconds

Put everything back together and try again.


Also, have you replaced the LCD only or the whole screen assembly?
Double check the connectivity of the 2 plugs on the motherboard.

 

Thanks for the reply. I tried all the above with no noted changes. I did notice that the larger of the two connectors is quite loose and I may have damaged it by not removing it properly by using the pull tab. I have ordered a new ribbon cable and should provide and update soon.

 

I did install the new ribbon cable, carefully taking time to check connections, disconnecting the BIOS battery connection along with battery and depressing the power button for 20+ seconds several times with no change. It's as though no power is coming through the motherboard to the video cards and all lighting including the alien heads are not working. I consider it has to be something simple I am missing as the computer was working perfectly with a cracked screen and I followed precise instructions to replace the LCD with the same Samsung model number. I hear the drive running as though booting into windows. I tried connecting to an external monitor without success also. Is there a certain way to connect the cables to the motherboard to make a good connection? They appear to be tightly connected. When I replaced the screen, several times I verified the integrity of all connections including at the inverter also. I also tried reseating the video cards and memory modules. I could not find any links on the web to anyone experiencing like issues so I am really baffled as this is unlike any problem I have experienced. Suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

You could try having your video cards tested by someone from this forum, to remove that probability...

 

Hello ,
i have Alienware 17x laptop with following configuration,


Intel® Core? i7 Processor 2860QM (2.50 Ghz, 8MB, 4C)

2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 580M

8192MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x4096]

44cm (17.3") WideHD+ (1600 x 900) WLED LCD


I wanted have a 3D screen for my laptop. So i want to know that, is it possible to replace my 2D LCD to 3D easily without any hitch?

 

This guide applies to the M17x and M17x R2 systems.
What you have is a M17x R3, a completely different laptop.
Also, please use the thread you've already created:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/652097-alienware-17xr3-2d-3d.html

 

Picture 1
So I cant seem to find my Inverter, to see if that is my Very dim to black screen problem.

Picture 2
Should that white wire be connected, could this be my Dim Screen problem?