Disassembly of the P172 or any 17" P series

I have scoured the Internet for days looking for a manual or something of the sort for disassembling my P172s FX. I don't have any real reason why I want to take it apart, other than a real detailed cleaning. Maybe even for a fan upgrade for the GPU.

Anyway, Someone Please help me with this. I know someone out there has taken their P series computer apart to see the motherboard in all its glory! So, if you know anybody or anywhere I can find some sort of diagram for disassembling the P172s FX, please post that bad boy right here! Thanks a ton!

:GEEK:​

 

Also Just to add. I have vista x86 and I want 4Gb of ram. Will this help my laptop run any better, or will it not help at all(Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 200-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel) Vista supports 4Gb ram but I already have 512Mb DDR3 on my GPU?

I have already contacted gateway for an exploded diagram or any schematics for the P172s FX and they tell me that they do not supply that information to the public. So even if you know where I could get info on taking apart this thing, it would be awesome.

 

A disassembly guide was posted a while back on this forum, check under the P-series discussion thread. I did it myself a while back. Just be careful with it, it has some delicate parts, IE. the media bar.

For a quick heads up, start by taking the battery out, there are two screws there, which lock the media bar in. From there push the screen all the way back until it's around 180 degrees, or level with the base of the laptop. Pry the round plastic parts of the media bar away from the screen and upward slowly with some type of screwdriver or something softer. Media bar should come right off. From there it's some screws which gets most of the keyboard area off, and then the screws I believe which start to connect the bottom area. That's as far as I ever got because I just had to change my keyboard.

Most of the bottom can be gotten to from the panels though... I don't think I would worry about disassembling the entire thing. It's a pain, and you can easily break something.

 

You won't see the whole 4GB's in x86, or 32-bit windows. You'll have to upgrade to 64-bit to see it all, or stick with the 3gb's

 

Sorry for the triple post, but here's that disassembly guide I was talking about. mrsamsa was the original guy who found it.

http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/8512680.pdf

 

Wow thanks now I am half way there. I seriously want to take this whole thing apart. The back cover mainly, to get to the GPU fan.

Question: Do they make a lighted keyboard that would fit the P172s Fx?

 

Don't think so... At least I haven't seen any backlit keyboards on any Gateway's yet.

 

Actually, I went to Costco the other day and I did see a gateway laptop with a backlit keyboard. Granted the gpu was integrated, but the point is, it was gateway branded, and the keyboard was backlit. I doubt the keyboard would fit on this one, but at least something is something.

 

If it was a 17" Gateway then there is a chance...

 

its the 16"er

 

When I had keyboard problems that I later fixed Gateway said they couldn't ship me a keyboard, despite the fact the keyboard can be user-detached. Just a heads-up about that, as if you found a backlit keyboard you'd probably have to get it somewhere else.

 

When I told Gateway I had no warranty but needed a new keyboard they directed me to www.mundocorp.com.... I would not suggest buying anything from them, their prices are hideous. Only place at the time I could buy a keyboard though... which was needed because the space bar had come off.....

 

You paid 80.00 bucks for a keyboard? dang.