I've taken apart alot of laptops and a few have soldered in cpu's especially if they are older than about 2 years. First off, check the back of the laptop for removable panels. If you cant access the cpu then you will have to remove the keyboard to get at it. I am on an HP right now, and i have to remove the keyboard, and one speaker to get at mine, and i have also replaced the processor and removed the thermal tape and put on paste. It just takes some exploration and patients with the small screws. Also do a search for manuals on google, i did and found an hp tech manual that covers all aspects of repair on my laptop. good luck