Colin Smith's Guide to Disassembling the AV400 for a Hard Drive Upgrade

AV420 Disk Change guide*

Take out the battery as normal

Remove warranty sticker from battery area revealing screw

Remove 2 screws on end of case next to compact flash card

Remove screw on opposite end of case next to power socket

Remove  small screw from battery area

Unclip protective corners by pushing up and in (they do not come off, just release from case)

Unclip case from from bottom black plastic strip connecting corners in the center (you can see the case is notched below the CH in ARCHOS below the screen)  I used a small flat blade screwdriver pushed carefully at the notch.

Turn over and unclip case centre at opposite end (mic tv/lcd) to free center strip)

Remove case bottom and back now

Fold screen back to reveal i-torx screws holding hard disc

Remove I-torx screws to free disk

Turn over and remove disk from connector

Connect new disk and turn over, replace I-torx screws

Rebuild case by reversing the instructions above.

Once rebuilt with battery in place, power on and reformat disk when prompted by unit

Recover your files from your backup archive and you're done

*NOTE :  This is a guide showing how I replaced a hard disk in my failed AV420. By doing this I voided the warranty and risked damage to the unit.  If you follow these instructions you do so at your own risk and I take no responsibility for the outcome of your actions.

NewMP3Technology extends its appreciation to Colin Smith for providing this information in order to help our customers understand the AV400 disassembly process.

Thanks Colin!

 

---