Lift the heat sink and attached fans out of the computer.

If you are replacing the heat sink, be sure to transfer the attached thermal sensor to your new heat sink.

If you need to mount the heat sink back into the laptop, we have a thermal paste guide that makes replacing the thermal compound easy.

Now is a good time to lean the fans back and clean out any dust bunnies from the grill. Also clean any dried thermal paste from the heat sink contact pads.