Removing your existing laptop memory would be the first step when we are talking about laptop memory service.

There are 2 possible memory locations; one below the keyboard and the other underneath the laptop. In case you cannot find the memory compartment beneath the laptop, it might be because the memory is below the keyboard. To access the memory in such a case, you will need to remove the keyboard.

You can do this by unscrewing a few screws below the laptop which hold the keyboard. The screws can also be located below the laptop battery. So, we recommend removing them before the others.

Now, remove a bar (its location will depend on the laptop model) and take out the laptop keyboard. What you will find there will depend on the laptop model again.

Usually, you will find that the memory location is covered with an aluminum shield. You will need to unscrew the screws holding this shield and remove the memory. You will find an uncovered laptop memory in memory slots. To remove the memory slot, you will need to simply push the corners holding the metal strips and pull the memory module out. You will also need the new laptop memory module to be of the same type as the old one.

If your laptop memory is located beneath the laptop, it is necessary to find the memory compartment and unscrew a screw or two. For example, here is an IBM ThinkPad and its memory compartment is shown in the picture.

We will need to unscrew the one screw that’s holding the memory compartment lid. The memory here is an old SDRAM which is PC133SODIMM.

To take it out, just push the 2 holding metal strips in the socket and pull the memory out.

Replacing the Laptop Memory with a Larger One

You will first need to write down your memory type. It could be DDR1, DDR2 or DDR3. The DDR memory type is not exchangeable, which means you will need exactly the same time. You are not likely to make a mistake here because each memory type has a different slot size and you won’t be able to fit a wrong memory in a particular slot.

Adding Memory to the Laptop

First of all, you will need one free memory slot or a memory module with a bigger memory capacity. Just find out using the steps above what type of memory you need, and then look around for a memory of the same type but with bigger capacity. Or you will need to look around for a memory module if your laptop has a free memory slot that you could use.