How to Take Apart a Compaq Presario Desktop
- 1). Turn the computer off and remove the power cord. Wait a couple of minutes before proceeding to make sure the electricity has been discharged.
- 2). Remove the case from your computer by pushing in on the tabs located on the sides of the case. Pull the case forward and lift it off the base. Set the cover aside.
- 3). Locate the hard drive by looking for the silver metal box on the right hand side of the computer. The hard drive will have a gray ribbon cable coming off of it, along with a smaller white cable. These are the IDE cables and the power supply cables. Pull both cables off of the hard drive and then remove the screws that hold the drive in place. Ideally you should use a Torx driver, but if one is not available you can use a small Phillips or flat-head screwdriver instead.
- 4). Remove the CD or DVD drive from the computer. This drive will be on the right hand side of the computer, probably under the hard drive. Remove the IDE cable and the power supply cable from the back of the CD or DVD drive and then remove the screws that hold it in place. Pull the drive out and set it aside.
- 5). Locate the memory modules by looking for a set of white tabs holding the memory sticks into place. Push these tabs down until the memory modules come up slightly, then pull them up the rest of the way.
- 6). Locate the power supply at the back left of the computer. Loosen the power supply by unscrewing the screws in the back of the case. Locate all of the power cables running off of the power supply and make sure all of those power cables have been disconnected from the devices they power. Carefully lift the power supply free of the case.
Source...