What is it with laptops that don't have access covers on the bottom.

[Doomer]

Had to upgrade a HP Pavilion 17 laptop to SSD and had to split the case to access the HD because there were no access covers on the bottom.

THIS SUCKS !!!!

I was able to fine a youtube video that shows how to do it but it was still a royal PITA. No doubt HP would rather you throw it in the trash and buy another than upgrade.

 

[corkyg]

Interesting! According to the Maintenance and Service manual, it has bottom access to HDD bay.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=-lf4TQIOPiioJYxo8bJpcw&bvm=bv.83829542,d.aWw

 

[Ramses]

I noticed that too. Only thing I can figure, is in a cheap laptop, cheap being a grand or so, they cut manufacturing costs somehow by having a solid bottom. I bought an envy 17 the other month and you have to painstakingly pry the top keyboard palmrest panel off to get in it while somehow not bending the paper thin aluminum it's made of. Giant PITA.
Wasn't bad once it was open and ten ribbon cables were detached. They were nice enough to publish a pretty good service manual for download though, which was a large part of why I bought the thing. Had a $400 Toshiba I returned prior to this one that was the same deal, no less annoying to open but was less likely to damage something doing it. I guess most people don't upgrade laptops now maybe? HP makes so many different models of a given laptop, some have access, some do not.

 

[mikeymikec]

Are they usually referred to as 'ultrabooks' and/or are lacking a DVD drive? Those are the usual indicators I look out for in order to do further checking and avoid such devices (that and "looking a bit too thin").