Airport Extreme failure? How can I replace it myself!?

[undead-design]

i just bought a 17inch 1.5Ghz Powerbook G4 from a friend of mine. She said that the Airport Extreme Card is having issues where it won't recognize networks and is getting really bad reception when it does. (for those that do not require a pass and ones that do). Apple said her applecare warranty was expired so they offered her no help. I figured I could figure out it since I have a Airport Extreme card in the iBook I am using right now and that I could just swap it out. These are my problems though:

1) I have no idea how to open this thing and get to the Airport Extreme Card! I took the battery out, then the RAM cover but I have no idea what to do from there. All of the information I can find online is for a different version of the Powerbook then I have because my battery is in the bottom middle (front) and they show in their diagrams batteries on the bottom left (front). Can any one help me do this?

2) Even if I do get to the battery, what should I do if the swapped Airport doesn't work. What actually goes wrong with Airport Cards? Do I just need to adjust a setting rather then actually replace the wireless card?

Thank any of you that can help!

 

[thedude110]

Here's the manual for your machine ... maybe it can help you?

 

[undead-design]

thanks...i checked it..

i checked it out, downloaded it and read through it. it didn't seem to have anything in there about it. Apple wanted to send the computer out for 5-7 days to replace it. I find it odd that an Airport card is that hard to get to on a Powerbook when its a 5 minute replacement in an iBook of the same age. My best guess is taking off every one of these screws and detaching the bottom....but it just seems like such a bad idea if i don't know the actual procedure. I still have the Apple Care for the computer i used to have, would Apple honor that if I called in and asked?

The Airport does seem to work, but it hardly recognizes anything in the area. It is connected right now, and with one of those widgets that tells you what the Airport is reading. It sees the same two networks that my working with little problem iBook does. It is just weaker signal. Any ideas on what that means?

Thanks again!