Repairing the hinges on the Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop either entails tightening the screws on the hinges or replacing the hinges altogether. On most laptops, there is quite a bit of disassembly to do---like taking off the keyboard and removing the LCD screen----to install new hinges and fix the annoying swinging-display problem. But happily, on the Inspiron 9300, simply take the hinge cover off to tighten the screws or remove the screws to take the display off. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Shut down the computer and remove the power adapter cable.
2. Strip the computer of all the cables and components connected to it.
3. Close the display and flip the computer bottom-side-up. Pull the battery pack out from the base.
4. Extract the two screws from the Mini PCI card/modem compartment cover (near the hinged side of the base). Remove the cover from the base.
5. Disconnect the two antenna cables from the Mini PCI card.
6. Turn the computer top-side-up, open the display and lay it flat against your workspace.
7. Insert a flat-blade screwdriver into the notch at the right end of the hinge cover and pry it up. Lift the hinge cover off the computer.
8. Examine both hinges to see if either is loose or broken. If a hinge is loose, tighten the two screws on it. If a hinge is broken, continue to the next step to replace it (if one is broken, replace both of them).
9. Disconnect the display cable from its motherboard connector, just below the Dell logo on the bottom of the display.
10. Extract the two screws on each display hinge and lift the display off the computer.
11. Remove the eight rubber buffers around the display bezel (the faceplate) and extract the eight screws underneath them.
12. Use your hands to separate the display bezel from the display assembly.
13. Extract the screw securing each display hinge to the display backing and remove the hinges from the backing.
14. Perform the procedure in reverse order, with new display hinges and hinge screws, to reassemble the computer.
Tags: hinge cover, Inspiron 9300, display bezel, display hinge, each display, each display hinge