Microsoft Surface Laptop Teardown

Geschrieben von: Evan Noronha
Veröffentlicht: 16/06/17
  • Kommentare: 99

Microsoft Surface Laptop Teardown

Veröffentlicht: 16/06/17

Teardown

Einleitung

Teardown ist das Wort des Tages, und heute wollen wir in den Microsofts Surface Laptop eintauchen. Wird dieses plüschige Alcantara bezogene Laptop in unserem Teardown Studio herausragende Leistungen bringen? Die Macht liegt in unserer Hand. Kommen wir zum Punkt... Meine Damen und Herren, es ist Zeit für einen Teardown!

Und wo das herkommt gibt es noch mehr! Schau dir mal diesen Surface Pro 5 Teardown an, um noch mehr über neueste Microsoft Hardware zu erfahren.

Access und Windows gefällt dir? Du brauchst mehr Zugang zu Teardowns? Verpasste keine offenen Fenster und folge uns auf Facebook, Instagram, oder Twitter. Hier gibt es die neuesten Teardown Infos.

  1. OsWtKxKvPqqsHcT1
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    • Also gut, das Surface Book ist ausgepackt und liegt auf unserem Hackklotz Teardown Tisch. Das wollen wir uns heute anschauen:

    • 13,5” IPS PixelSense™ Display mit einer Auflösung von 2256 × 1504 (201 PPI)

    • Intel Kaby Lake Core i5 (3M Cache, bis zu 3.10 GHz) oder Core i7 (4M Cache, 4.00 GHz) CPU

    • 4 GB/8 GB/16 GB RAM

    • 128 GB/256 GB/512 GB PCIe SSD Speicher

    • 720p Frontkamera mit Windows Hello sign-in

    • USB 3.0 Anschluss, Mini DisplayPort und SurfaceConnect Ladebuchse

    • 802.11ac Wi-Fi Funkvernetzung, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n kompatibel, Bluetooth Wireless 4.0

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    • Bevor wir (vermutlich) in einen weiteren Reparatur-Alptraum eintauchen, verschaffen wir uns mit ein paar netten Röntgenbildern einen Überblick.

    • Dankeschön, Creative Electron!

    • Sieht nach einem fetten Akku, einem Lüfter und einem mächtigen Kühlkörper aus.

    • Und dazu noch einiges an Abschirmungen. Dieses Teil sieht schon ziemlich gruselig aus.

    Hi guys , use carburetor cleaner…ie xylene to dissolve glue …you must wait a few mins first for it to do its thing !!

    clive Besser -

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    • All die üblichen regulatorischen Aufschriften finden wir auf der Unterseite, zusammen mit der Modellnummer: 1769.

    • Wir stapeln den Surface Laptop auf ein MacBook Air und spielen "Suche den Unterschied"...

    • ...aber abgesehen vom Layout gibt es nicht so viele Unterschiede. Beide treten mit einer Kopfhörerbuchse, einer proprietären Ladebuchse, einem MiniDisplayPort Anschluss und mindestens einem USB 3.0 Anschluss an.

    • Als Unterschiede bei der Konnektivität finden wir einen SDXC Kartenleser und einen zweiten USB Anschluss beim Air.

    The air has a thunderbolt 2 port vs just a Mini DisplayPort connector?

    Luke Gould -

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    • Wir gucken mal unter die verdächtigen Gummifüße, finden dort aber nur Metall statt der erhofften Schrauben.

    • Sieht so aus, als ob wir dieses (fragwürdig luxuriöse) Alcantara ablösen müssten.

    • Mit dem Jimmy in der Hand beginnen wir Klammern und Klebstoff abzulösen. Vermutlich kriegen wir das nie mehr zusammen.

    • Wir versuchen die Stoffabdeckung zu entfernen, aber unterhalb der Tastatur geht das viel schwerer. Was ist da los?

    Did you try to use a heat blower for easing the fabric removal?

    Jeffo Moreira -

    We did! Unfortunately, it's secured with some extremely tough glue and dozens of plastic welds. (Side note: alcantara is very heat resistant, and is even used as a flame retardant in some applications.) So far as we can tell, there's no non-destructive way to get inside.

    Jeff Suovanen -

  5. nW3XGwppxrWETHAR
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    • Wir müssen die großen Kanonen Cutter herausholen, um den restlichen Belag abzutrennen. Darunter finden wir das Fleisch im Surface Sandwich, nämlich die metallene Abschirmung.

    • Diese Abschirmung wird unten von noch mehr Klebstoff und Kunstoffklammern festgehalten, also feuern wir unseren iOpener wieder an und knacken weiter auf.

    • Dann sehen wir endlich die Plastikteile deutlich, das sind wirklich keine Klammern, die nochmal verwendet werden können. Was wir so durchgepflügt haben, wurde mit Ultraschall verschweißt. Das wird definitiv nie mehr ohne eine Rolle Klebeband zusammenhalten.

  6. Cl5sVOBMHJdcAvxP
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    • Endlich haben wir die Tastatur-Platte von ihren Kerkermeistern aus Kunstoff und Klebstoff befreit und freuen uns wenigstens über das lange Kabel, mit dem es am Gehäuse angeschlossen ist.

    • Unsere Freude währt nur kurz. Der Stecker ist unter einem aufgeclipsten Metallschutz auf dem Motherboard gefangen, was den Ausbau beträchtlich erschwert.

    • Überraschenderweise ist das an neueren Surface Modellen nicht so ungewöhnlich.

    • Mit ausgebauter Tastatur können wir uns auf die Suche nach dem Trackpad machen. Vermutlich ist es irgendwo da drin, folgen wir der Kabelspur!

  7. cDJGvLqEM4WeCuZr
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    • Das Trackpad ist mit Klebeband und einem Metallschutz eingesperrt, aber das haben wir ja schonmal gehabt.

    • Wir halten einen Moment inne, um das Silizium zu sondieren, bevor wir das Trackpad freilassen:

    • NXP/Freescale MK22FN512 Kinetis K22-120 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 Core MCU

    • Synaptics S9101B Touch Controller (so wie beim Surface Book)

  8. BBJG6BV6iPUyUtUI
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    • Wie sehen uns nach einem Akkustecker zum Lösen um, finden aber nirgends einen. Sieht so aus, als würden wir das live machen müssen! Es ist an der Zeit, einige Teile herauszuholen!

    • Zuerst die Lautprecher. Was ist zu denen zu sagen. Sehen so aus, als wären sie gut im Töne machen.

    • Genau wie im Surface Pro 4, sind sie nicht ganz symmetrisch. So wie im Surface Book, gibt es zwei von ihnen.

    • Auf den ersten Blick sehen diese weißen Punkte wie Feuchtigkeitsindikatoren aus. Bei näherem Hinsehen, sind sie in Wirklichkeit Abdeckungen über dem Dämmschaumstoff, mit denen das Bassvolumen der Lautsprecher akustisch vergrößert wird.

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    • Es überrascht uns nicht, dass hinter der RF-Durchschleifung aus Plastik an der Gehäuseseite eine Antenne eingebaut ist.

    • Wir wenden uns wieder der Hauptplatine zu. Die vergnüglichen Teile sind unter Schutzschilden mit Wärmeleitpads versteckt. Es scheint so, als würde hier so einiges warm werden.

    • Wir müssen uns auf die Hitze einlassen, denn als nächstes kommt der Kühlkörper dran. Heraus mit ihm und auch seinem kleinen Lüfter.

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    • Stop. Zeit für die Hauptplatine!

    • Intel SR368 Core i7-7660U CPU

    • SK Hynix H9CCNNNBJTAL LPDDR3 RAM

    • Toshiba THNSND256GTYA 256 GB SSD

    • Marvell Avastar 88W8897 WLAN/BT/NFC SoC

    • Microsoft X904169 (x3) und X904163 Display Treiber ICs

    • Nuvoton NPCT650SBBWX TPM IC

    • Freescale/NXP M22J9VDC Kinetis K22F 512KB 120 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 Based MCU

    Hello tech people,

    Do you know what brand and model is the 1 TB solid state drive, installed in the Surface laptop (2)?

    I read today, that the M$ hardware engineers were installing two 512 GB SSD, creating 1 TB RAID in the first generation Surface laptop. (Obviously this moronic decision came from the greedy marketing department — to save money.)

    I hope the engineers will prevail over the marketing, and won't repeat the same mistake for Surface laptop 2. The 1 TB solid state drives are already cheaper than 2x512 GB...

    Emo Teofanov -

  11. oWSVV3JoHvskNGZE
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    • So sieht's aus, Leute: nach zehn Schritten ist der Akku endlich abgelöst!

    • Der Laptop ist mit einem 45,2 Wh Akku ausgestattet, in etwa die gleiche Kapazität wie beim letzten Surface Pro (45 Wh), und mehr als bei diesen beiden: iPad Pro 10,5" (31 Wh) und MacBook Retina (41 Wh).

    • Im Rückgehäuse ist ein zweites Wärmerohr (heat pipe) sichtbar, welches dabei hilft, die Wärme von beiden Seiten der Hauptplatine zu verteilen.

    • Der modulare Kopfhöreranschluss, wegen keinerlei Verbrechen angeklagt, kann mitsamt seiner Kontakte und allem frei gehen.

    • Kein Surface Produkt ist ohne ein Scharnier, dieses sieht aber ein wenig prosaisch aus, verglichen mit den anderen Angeboten. Und damit ist das Display dann auch schon aus seinem Scharnier gelöst.

  12. cQTEJNyYGaEJB1lU

    • Der Surface Laptop ist endlich niedergerungen zerlegt!

    • Das Urteil: Der Surface Laptop ist kein Laptop. Er ist eine klebstoffgefüllte Monstrosität. Nichts an ihm lässt sich aufrüsten, nichts ist auf Dauerbenutzung angelegt und er lässt sich buchstäblich nicht öffnen, ohne ihn zu zerstören. (Microsoft, zeig uns wie es geht, wir hätten nämlich gerne unrecht.)

    • Nur zum Angucken: Die Teile, die nie mehr zueinander finden werden...

    • Für noch noch mehr Surface Teardowns, schau mal nach dem 2017 Surface Pro Teardown!

  13. 5mExEV2xVFbqEILw

    • Microsoft Surface Laptop Reparierbarkeits-Wertung: 0 von 10 (10 ist am einfachsten zu reparieren)

    • Dieser Laptop wurde nicht gebaut, um geöffnet oder repariert zu werden; er lässt sich nicht öffnen ohne großen Schaden anzurichten.

    • Die CPU, der RAM und die Festplatte sind auf das Motherboard aufgelötet und machen damit ein Upgrade unmöglich.

    • Der Kopfhörerausgang kann, obwohl er modular ist, nur erreicht werden, wenn der Kühlkörper, der Lüfter, das Display und das Motherboard entfernt wurden.

    • Den Akku auszutauschen ist schwer und gefährlich. Damit hat das Gerät nur eine begrenzte Lebensdauer.

    Super erklärt, Danke

    Jürgen Chlebnitschek -

Tinte & Feder

Evan Noronha

Mitglied seit: 06/02/15

219164 Reputation

93 Kommentare

Zero! Way to go!

Tom Chai -

Oh, come on, it should have gotten at least a one! Plenty of MacBooks are just as hard or harder to work on.

George A. -

Most MacBooks are easy to trivial to open and replace the battery, at the very least. Many also have easily replaced storage and WiFi cards, though RAM is going the soldered route. They also don't require removal of the display for anything, unless you actually want to replace the display (or possibly the camera).

YCAU -

Macbooks are MUCH easier to work on than this.

TCRS Circuit -

Counterpoint: there are MacBooks that actually can be opened and closed without damage that scored only a 1 on iFixit. See: Retina MacBook 2017 Teardown

John Chadwick -

Good example. John. Seems to be a pretty consistent scoring method. It was marginally more openable (as you say, without damage), but still has soldered components and lots of glue for some parts.

YCAU -

Macbooks are actually quite repairable (but not upgradable) and have obviously been designed with serviceability and longevity in mind.

However ... they are also obviously designed to be only repairable by "authorized technicians", with all sorts of barriers to keep the unwashed masses from accessing their internals.

M.R. Betz -

It gets a zero because it's not fixable.

j0vian -

@John Chadwick: That MacBook is definitely not zero-worthy. You can open the case and swap the motherboard with just screwdrivers. Yes, the battery is glued to the case, but this still means you can replace a battery (even if you’re going to have to buy a replacement case-half to go with it.) Comapred with this Surface where you can’t do anything at all without causing permanent damage.

shamino -

Ok. So its like a MacBook Air that's more expensive, and much less repairable?

Andrew spoelstra -

At least you can unscrew the bottom of every Mac

anzollo -

yet another product of disposable design driven by shareholders to maximize quarterly earnings instead of customer lifetime value.

pig -

The only comment in the thread with both relevance, truth, and forward thinking.

Xhiril Dhul -

From where I sit there's nothing wrong with that but then again I'm not bitter about my lack of success in life, either.

Wo Fat -

Completely false. It's just a fact that laptops assembled this way are less expensive than those using other methods to achieve similar levels of thinness, rigidity, and durability. At the same cost, a fully repairable laptop is thicker, more likely to be damaged by flexure, and has a cheaper feel.

It's also a fact that laptops lose the vast majority of their consumer value after a few years anyway, so it's a false economy to think of paying a higher price up front in pursuit of greater value years later. For most customers, that's a bad deal.

Out in the real world, consumers have owned multiple generations of products that are less upgradeable and less maintainable, but also smaller, lighter, and less expensive. They have shown they prefer this new way of building machines.

If you don't like it, that's fine, but don't imagine that you're better informed than or morally superior to other consumers or the corporate decision-makers who aren't putting your desires above those of other people.

Peter G. -

Peter G. I would agree with you on this if it wasn't for the fact that the surface laptop is a very high cost laptop - in the same range as the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS ranges. Both of those other computers have comparable (most would say better) build quality and far greater serviceability without compromising on design and portability. Personal success is not defined by the choice buy poor quality products simply because you can afford to replace them. If that were the case the super rich would buy their clothes at Target.

patleslie91 -

I wonder if that glue might have come apart more easily if you had heated it first.

Jeff Witt -

The Alcantara material is just plastic (polyester and pu). Not sure you'd want to heat that too much.

cweagans -

On the video where they used heat it melted the keyboard.

davey0110 -

Actually Alcantara is completely fire proof. Apply all the heat and/or fire you want to it, it won't melt or catch on fire.

That's why it's so popular to use in cars and on furniture.

The flipside to that admirable quality, though, is that it is also non-recyclable.

M.R. Betz -

75C of even heat along the Outer edge for a minute or so. Should be easier to split the fabric cover and plastic from the aluminum bottom shell.

Asahi -

The iOpener does just that. Heats glue.

peerbz -

Where's the vapor chamber cooler they talked about? Is the bottom panel thicker to house it?

tipoo -

Interesting, they seem to be using a split fin design like the new 15" rmbp.

https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/ig...

tipoo -

How's screen repair look? I have one with a shattered display and was wondering it it's even possible to fix.

reneefaith -

I think a score of zero is a good indicator to that answer. :P If there was ANY way to fix it, it would get a 1. Alas...

The Legacy -

Oops! Zero .....

Buddhika Mahesh -

Although iFixit is focused on reparabilty, I am curious what sort of challenges a difficult to disassemble device poses to recycling?

Andre Mas -

Probably involves the following tools:

Saudering gun

Hammer

Chisel

There is no pretty way to disassemble these parts for even recycling, I'd imagine.

The Legacy -

@ The Legacy. Soldering Gun :)

Steve Tosh -

Really makes me wonder, I'd love to see Microsoft's official response to how they repair these for the inevitable SSD or battery problem that any and all computers will have over time. Maybe they fully intended to just scrap/recycle the base, maybe re-use screens?

Jeff Messer -

Products like this should be illegal.

Who asked for an artificial fabric covering anyway? This was their way of ensuring zero repairability.

Simon Metcalf -

Illegal? Seriously? Yikes. Maybe in California.

Biff Henderson -

Illegal now how stupid is that!!!!!!

How ignorant, that’s like buying an automobile and the dealer telling you that you can’t ever look under the hood or ever try and fix any little thing on it!!!! STUPID!

PETE ZITO -

Windows 10S is limited to apps in the Microsoft App Store? Deal-breaker.

Jarvis Family -

Free upgrade to windows 10 pro is available for the surface laptop until the end of the year

Clorox Bleach -

microsoft surely shows more courage than apple does.

Kai -

I bet this is sarcasm.

Raleigh Brecht -

This is not necessarily sarcasm. A brazen attitude is insinuated by the deployment of an even less repairable and upgradeable device.

Basically, Microsoft is showing that it cares even less what people think about fixing or repairing its devices by putting their name on this product.

Microsoft surely shows more courage than Apple does. Get it? They have gone all the way where Macbooks score only as low as a 1.

Xylophone_Process -

Over 15 years I have owned many laptops and slate devices. I have never had to repair or needed to upgrade any of them. If they are no longer of any use, I toss them. Why the old school need to open and repair everything? This sounds like something my grandpa would do.

Biff Henderson -

Over the last 15 years I've had just five laptops or tablets. I have extended the useful life of each and every one of those by performing hardware updates and repairs on them. For the past 5-6 years, the advancement of computer tech has been slow enough that devices would actually be perfectly usable for years if they survive long enough. And that survival could be helped if manufacturers wouldn't screw us over for profits. Of course Microsoft and friends would like me to just stuff my laptop in the garbage if it breaks down but that's bad for both my wallet and the environment.

Iipii -

Some people like to value what they spend, or don't want to spend 600USD every year or so when you can fix your good shape laptop with a new hard drive, new RAM, new screen, new keyboard, new charger or new battery, each one for way less than 50USD at most. There's no reason to spend on buying something new when you can fix and save a few bucks, also to preserve the environment, you don't know where your old laptop is going. Hope people in need use them for better uses than rotting in the trash.

Jesus Madrazo -

@lippi I don't believe a word you say about extending the life of laptops and tablets over the last 15yrs. Other than maybe a ram or hd upgrade, there's nothing to upgrade

buck.ten4 -

@buck.ten4 In 2002 I got a Compaq Presario 700. WIth a RAM upgrade from the original 128MB to 386MB I used that one until in 2006 I switched to some Fujitsu Amilo. On that I also upgraded the RAM from 512MB to 1GB but that's minor, since at one point, the power connector broke on it. A rather common failure that would have rendered it completely useless if I hadn't been able to repair it by soldering a new connector on the motherboard. I then bought a Compaq Mini 730 netbook in 2009 and upgraded the hard drive to an SSD and changed the 1GB stick of RAM to a 2GB one. In 2011 I bought a HP Probook 4330 with a Sandy Bridge i3 on it. This is still in daily use after six years and a HDD -> SSD upgrade and 4GB to 8GB RAM upgrade. Last year I received for free a Sony Vaio from 2013 that was thrown away because of intermittent power failures. It turned out not to be too hard to fix. Which one of these cases is unbelievable?

Iipii -

@buck.ten4: "Other than maybe a ram or hd upgrade, the two most useful upgrades to a computer, there's nothing to upgrade." There, FTFY.

dancermorris -

Buck.104 my father purchased a budget laptop from a supermarket in about 2008/9, it barely functioned on the web when new with its 2gb ram and celeron processor heck it couldn't even handle streaming video. Luckily it had a socketed processor so I found a low end core2 duo chip on eBay for less than a fiver and I already had a few ram sticks from other laptop upgrades so bumped it to to the max of 4gb. even of the time it was never going to set any standards but at least the laptop could then be comfortably used for another 4 years.

danguy2009 -

Often the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth component can be replaced (if it fails for some reason) or upgraded as well. Heck, my old Dell E1505 has a replaceable CPU, although I appreciate that's a rarity nowadays. And honestly, storage and RAM takes you a long, long way.

It's true that many things can now be plugged in, though - one reason that the lack of USB-C here is a shame.

GreenReaper -

I have seen people being displeased with 10S made for this when they can't even change the default browser being Edge. I'm sure this teardown will push them even more further away. I also bet a drop test proves not only that it could permanently ruin this, but that any inflicted damage could mean that the entire device needs to be replaced. I may have been !#^&@@ about Microsoft since Windows 8, but this takes it to a new low.

Raleigh Brecht -

Microsoft is already spending money to fight right to repair bills in states. Looks like they will avoid law by making products that cannot be repaired in the first place.

ggbyrne -

Imagine when after a while the heatsink gets some dust buildup and you can't open the unit to even do basic stuff like cleaning the heatsink.

inuyasha6332 -

Looks to me like a wonderful candidate for a cheap base (after someone tosses this out) for a cardboard laptop... Rip it apart and then build a case out of good old cardboard.

these should be under $300 with such crap build quality

Ben Rossington -

Typical planned obsolescence from Micro$oft

imcoolpimpin -

What it comes down to is this: if you buy this thing and it needs a repair then basically you will never get a refurbished one ever. This basically a throw-away product. If it's broken just throw it on the garbage pile. And that is exactly what this thing is. Garbage.

Ruurd Pels -

IF you do need a repair just think, The machine you do get will be brand NEW (no files of course the drive died)

deakins202us -

bought three Surface Pros for work, all three died, two within the first year under warranty. MS replaced with rebuilt ones (all data lost). third one died 1.5 years after purchase, it's a paperweight on the IT shelf. I will NEVER buy MS hardware again, and am avoiding win10 like the plague. lieflong IT (mostly MS) Pro here, have been learning Linux since win10 was released

chiefywiggum -

me interesaba este equipo, pero el saber de la dificultad para cambiar la bateria...Luego este equipo es desechable y dura entre 3 o 4 años, la duracion promedio de una bateria...un asco

chzuniga -

Microsoft must think Joe Public is going soft in the head, to fall for crap like this. I have an ancient Dell Inspiron 1100 lappie from 2002 that's STILL going strong. It's got bags of room inside to work on it, and every single component is repairable/upgradeable.

Planned obsolescence is planned for ONE thing, and one thing only; to fill shareholder's wallets. And THAT'S a fact. Money truly is the root of all evil.....

Mike Walsh -

There's a clue in the name of the brand. The Surface is a reminder that M$oft badness goes thru and thru, just like always.I remember seeing the first IBM PC, at ArAmCo (Dhahran) working on IBM mainframes. First reaction of technical group and IBM m/f engineers was any machine that stored a 4-byte field with bytes in 'reversed' order was broken from a debugging/dump-reading point of view, and nothing that badly designed would be a success. Badness continued : amateurish s/ware & modules with internal buffers allow code overwrite that plagued PCs since! Not even recent push to Win10Land and the promise of a secure computer can hide the badness that now includes more than CPU & RAM but the whole case!

Badness persists from surface to core. I moved all production and leisure to MacBooks years ago, haven't missed Microsoft once. I like that.

Typed on 2007 MacBookPro [pro photo/gfx/3D/vid/aud production] : £400 s/hand + 3x "For Spares" units £35 each to repair it, repairability saved ME about £3000! QED :D

steve.thehealer -

We recently had an issue with our 2 year Macbook Pro. The trackpad and keyboard were intermittently disconnecting. I am not a qualified electrical engineer, but I have been working on PCs, laptops, and the likes for 30+ years . Even though I took the back off, the macbook pro was completely impossible to work on. In fact, even when I thought I located the issue, it turned out that the 12V pins on the most microscopic keyboard connector I have ever seen had fused. I was trying to remove the battery connector to work on it, but that is impossible. I tried to remove it the keyboard connector with my professional tools to see if I could clean the pins and it just broke in half from fragility with heat. I could not remove the component keyboard module because that was also glued in. I gave up.

This is our 3rd Mac in 6 years. Each one has died some death along the way. We actually switched to Surface Laptop, knowing that the Macbooks are no better. At least it’s cheaper and it’s actually really nice.

Alan Osman -

Are there any real damage except cutting Alcantara cover? Seems that the laptop should boot again (with out the Alcantara cover).

PS: It seems that the display can be replaced. Somebody sell the display along with 3rd-party repairing services on taobao, it costs 2000 RMB.

Minggang Dou -

If they would market this thing as a tablet, and charge $300 for it, I don’t think anyone would have any complaints.  Instead, they are calling it a laptop and charging top dollar for this throwaway tablet.

As for whether anyone ever repairs laptops, two cases:

1.  I added RAM to my wife’s Dell laptop.  Ridiculously easy.

2.  My niece dropped her Chromebook, knocking a part loose inside.  I removed a few screws, removed the back cover, and fixed the problem in 30 seconds.  Total time for the repair: five minutes.

The comment above about cleaning out the dust is very true.

It is painfully obvious that no actual technician was in on the design or testing phase of this device.  If they were, they wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night after okaying a piece of junk like this.

MrJimPhelps -

I don’t understand how this got a score of 0 and the HomePod got a 1, when you actually had to saw it to pieces.

TimT2000 -

Fair question. If you look closely at the teardown, you’ll note that the HomePod actually does have several components that can be accessed and serviced non-destructively (main board, touch controls, outer mesh, etc.). I can’t think of a single component on the Surface Laptop that you can access non-destructively. As an aside, an expensive laptop vs. a smart speaker makes for a rather apples-to-oranges comparison in terms of repairability. The HomePod is designed to sit on a shelf, has no internal battery, and the glued-together construction is arguably needed to counter all the vibration you get from pumping out high-volume audio. Contrast that against a mobile device like a laptop, where during its lifetime you’d expect to encounter issues like a worn battery, storage failure, keyboard issues, possibly a cracked display or liquid damage, etc.—all of which require at least some concessions to repairability. The Surface Laptop is as solid of a zero as I have ever seen.

Jeff Suovanen -

Parts availability? Where can I get a screen? Links?

Kelly Cannon -

mine just died. it’s under 2 years old, but like an idiot I didn’t get a warranty. any idea on where I can take this POS to get my data off the hard drive?

Kyle Lullo -

Microsoft really hit the bucket this time, I own one it is cool and light but then I hate the Alcantara ! it got soiled in less than 3 months and looks terrible. I am pawning it off and I will go with Macbook Air.

Loved the statement : We stack it up (literally) against a MacBook Air to play a game of spot the differences... damns Microsoft can’t stop stealing from others

Joseph Malkom -

Surface 2 after 7 month do not working but do not do not charging battery 2,while liγηt is open.Every day create another error.Surface 2 is the more stupid laptop.

g t -

I don’t understand why this got a 0. It literally took me 15 minutes with a metal spudger after heating it (without a heat gun, I might add, which tbh is the last thing I’d ever use to heat a computer or tablet). Then got the entire keyboard assembly right off of the lower metal frame. The keyboard and the flexible shield are not meant to come apart.

So now…. where the !&&* do I get parts? I need either a trackpad for it because a customer dropped it and it cracked, or failing that, a whole palmrest including the keyboard. Not even alibaba has got anything.

Ryan Blakeslee -

This teardown is over two years old, so it’s possible the design has been improved. Did you have to break a bunch of plastic welds? Have you tried reassembling it? Our experience was a solid zero, but I’d be happy to hear if yours was better. As for parts, your guess is as good as mine. If all else fails, maybe a broken/for parts/salvage unit from eBay.

Jeff Suovanen -

For the plastic rivets did you replace them or just use an adhesive? I couldn't tell from the video if they were welded to a plastic strip beneath running along the edge of the frame or if there was a back side to the rivet.

Did they just have a round head with short shank?

I'll be doing the repair next month so any tips on reassembly would be helpful!

Thanks

Braedon -

Hello, my surface laptop's touchpad propped up a bit at the bottom of it. Can I just used some glue to fix it?

Azizul Haq Romel -

Oh Gott, Microsofts Laptops und Tablets sind schlimm…

Toni Makkaroni -

I would put that motherboard on the wall and put it in a

Austin Bihlman -

Okay, I need to know. IF one was to disassemble this thing without destroying it. Would disconnecting the battery reset the CMOS/UEFI? If not, is there a way to affect a UEFI reset by replacing/altering/shorting something on the motherboard? I am one of those who was prompted to enter a UEFI password after an update, and forgot the password before I even thought about how important it was, essentially bricking my machine. :(

Jordan -

Ah %#*!^@, I was going to take it to get repaired because the power button on the keyboard does not want to turn the computer on or off. I now fear to ever shut down my Windows 10 surface laptop in fear that i can never turn on again. I dont know what to do, should I just get a new laptop?

Lc 1116 -

Thanks for this!

Zasha Maistry -

There are jury-rigged fixes that could be done to the MS Surface Laptop. Here’s one, for the machine’s notorious hinges. If they fail, resulting in the screen flopping down with no tension, you can either toss out the laptop or simply take an unused thin cord and push some of it, just a couple inches, into the crevice along the back end of the machine that is formed when it is closed. Voila! The screen stays open with some adjustable tension. For legal reasons, I’m not recommending anyone do this. But it works on mine for zero cost. On mine, the diameter of the cord makes for a slightly tight fit in the crevice.

David Shapiro -

Is there a video to show how to reconnect the Enter key? It has the stability bar and two other bars, and I’m having a hard time putting it back.

New at This -

my surface laptop 2 ssd is corrupted due to a windows update and it wont turn on now. Is there anything i can do to get the ssd working again with a fresh installation of windows?

ArjunReddy Nareddy -

On the other hand if you need a Windows for a VIP Traveling to a location where their device may be physically tampered with (Say to get the bitlocker recovery code by tapping into the the TPM Chip with a Salae Login analyzer with Bitlocker extension) then this is the machine you want.

William Herrera -

It it possible to replace single keys on the surface book? Can you click them out like in an ordanary keyboard to clean them?

Trustim -

You might have more luck over on the Answers community of the Surface Book page. Happy fixing!

Carsten Frauenheim -

Please help me if anyone can.

Fix my surface laptop.

I'm very frustrated and stressed because of it.

My laptop is not turning on. It has some motherboard issue. Please help. I'm begging.

Mail: tungariyakamlesh52@gmail.com

Kamlesh Tungariya -

All I needed was the data from the internal ssd, I unsoldered it out and inserted it into the SSD to USB adapter for reading.

Then I read data image from SSD and used the bitlocker recovery key from Microsoft account or TPM as you like.

And the data was recovered.

And I threw away my laptop for recycling. Why should I repair it?

Oleg Gritsev -

Hi Oleg! I am hoping to recover my data from the SSD (presuming it is not the SSD that has failed). Could you give a bit more detail on how to do this? I have the motherboard out but don't know how to proceed next.

S S -

A little late, but you guys really butchered this tear down. Its not hard to take this thing apart without damaging it. Its called experience and patience.

Youknow -

For the plastic rivets did you replace them or just use an adhesive? I couldn't tell from the video if they were welded to a plastic strip beneath running along the edge of the frame or if there was a back side to the rivet.

Did they just have a round head with short shank?

I'll be doing the repair next month so any tips on reassembly would be helpful!

thanks

Braedon -

I really can't understand those fanboyish brainwashed comparisons Surface/MacBook. Would you buy a car if you had to dissect it to change the oil, the brakes or the wheels?

In both cases it's a worthless waste of money to wear a brand's sticker on a tool that's no better than any other cheaper, and made in china too, products. Pointless arguments on benchmarks or architectures to end up using email, facebook, youtube or whatelse where speed connection is a far more limiting factor.

joecool -

i just opened this machine, cleaned up water damage to solve charging issue and added new thermal paste all round. was a simple fix and looks as it did before. you just opened it wrong im afraid. glad i didnt read this guide before i repaired it.

Pete

peter marriott -

For the plastic rivets did you replace them or just use an adhesive? I couldn't tell from the video if they were welded to a plastic strip beneath running along the edge of the frame or if there was a back side to the rivet.

Did they just have a round head with short shank?

I'll be doing the repair next month so any tips on reassembly would be helpful! thanks

Braedon -

For the plastic rivets did you replace them or just use an adhesive? I couldn't tell from the video if they were welded to a plastic strip beneath running along the edge of the frame or if there was a back side to the rivet.

Did they just have a round head with short shank?

I'll be doing the repair next month so any tips on reassembly would be helpful!

thanks

Braedon -

For the plastic rivets did you replace them or just use an adhesive? I couldn't tell from the video if they were welded to a plastic strip beneath running along the edge of the frame or if there was a back side to the rivet.

Did they just have a round head with short shank?

I'll be doing the repair next month so any tips on reassembly would be helpful!

Thanks

Braedon -

The plastic rivets are integral with the keybord -the keyboard cover (alcantra outside, black plastic on the inside) plastic includes the rivetted/dotted parts which go across the holes in the metal edge on the keyboard. Eventually, these plastic rivets/dots are attached the lower /base metal housing using the same thermal/electronic tape or similar adhesive all across. I had someone else open it and they broke the rivets to open it but if was doing it myself again, i would work so as to save the rivets and open where they are attached via the adhesive tape.

S S -