mani1987

The title says it all. I'm repairing an HP ze1210 laptop that had a bad power jack via a motherboard swap.

Problem is, I CANNOT get the socket to lock.

I wish I could add a picture, but essentially, the socket has a thin sliding layer on top that moves to the left to "unlock" and to the right to "lock". Without the cpu installed, I can slide the layer back in forth without difficulty.

PRIYA

I REALLY want to thank you for posting this question! I found a bunch of websites with repair tips, while searching for your laptop Service Manual. (Forget about HP. Your laptop is in the 1200 series. I thought I had a Service Manual for the 1200 series saved in my Favorites, but now I can't find it. Shoulda' downloaded the PDF manual, and saved it!) I repair, and upgrade desktop computers all the time, but have tried my hand at repairing 5 laptops that I have around here, now. Small little suckers are a PAIN! I've replaced two processors in these unit's. It's a lotta' FUN, huh? With any of the cpu's,(processor's), you have to line the pins up with the orientation they go in. In the socket. I know, wait, here me out. With the mobile cpu's it's hard to determine. Looks like they line up like their desktop cousin's, but they have a subtle difference. Also you might have eagle eye's, but just one pin, just slightly bent won't let the slide close. I think I've got pretty good eyesight,(people hand me bottles with fine print to read on medicine, No Prob!),but I had to use a strong magnifying glass to see, that yes, no.42 pin,(No I don't know what number it actually was!), down had a slight little tilt. (You'd think I was a Surgeon, the way I use care! It still was bent, no denying that!) Used a mechanical pencil with the lead out, and straightened it. (That's fun too! Too much pressure, it could go, 'Tink', and snap off. Too little and no straightening!) Put it back in, held it down, and turned the screw with a little more force. The slide went into the locked position! The other one, I somehow turned it 180 degrees. I was careful, Ol' Surgeon Chickster at work, but the orientation got mixed up. Looked like it should go the way I had it. Fit in the socket real nice. Nope! For fun,(yeah, right!), I turned it 180, and set it in. Locked right in. I hate laptops!! lol! Starting to get better at it!
I wouldn't start the laptop up without the cpu being locked in. Yes, fortunately your's didn't start. This is a fail-safe feature built into the BIOS. If it doesn't get the 'read' that there's a heatsink/fan combo plugged in, and attached to the cpu, it doesn't start up. If it did, the cpu would burn up in a matter of Second's! Seconds! No kidding! The thermal pad should be replaced on the cpu. It's been smashed to fit already, and who knows how long. If there's air gaps anywhere the cpu will get hot, and 'funny' things start to happen with your computer. Unexplainable things will go on when you're using your OS. Like,"How's come I keep getting the Blue Screen of Death", or "Internet Explorer needs to shut down",and the list goes on.
Maybe you'll be lucky, and you can re-posistion this pad,(180 turn, or whatever), so that it gets a fresh surface to smash.
Just my thoughts. Don't know if they'll help, or not.
Edit: Oh by the way guy's, those links lead to no where!