I was able to replace the motherboard using this guide, thus saving my poor tablet after the original motherboard mysteriously failed. Since official repair labor + parts costs are more than the Nexus 7 is even worth, home repair was really the only option. It is very doable, but not a repair for the faint of heart. I cracked the edge of the case while removing the screen, despite spending several minutes on it, being as gentle as I could; that sucker is just stuck on there tight! Also, my camera was stuck in the front case, and it was extremely difficult to remove without damaging it (but, removing it was necessary to connect to the new motherboard).

As a final note, I'd also say that the replacement motherboard comes with the ORIGINAL version of Android for this tablet, so it was several major versions behind when first turned on. However, I skipped having to re-install all the intervening versions by connecting it to my Mac, then using ADB to install the latest version from the Google website.

I tried both Windows 7 and 10. I'd say to upgrade the memory to max (1.5GB) before trying to run ANY version of Windows. Also, while 7 ran nicely enough with that upgrade, I think Linux works even better. Windows 10 (32-bit, of course) runs, but it was way too slow to be comfortable for me to use. Of course, Windows 10 has more built-in protections against malware, so there are trade-offs to consider. If you don't *need* to run any Windows-only apps, though, at least try Linux on a Live USB and see how you like it.

I used this guide to upgrade the hard drive, upgrade the memory (from 1GB to 1.5GB), and replace a busted internal WiFi card (upgrading from 802.11g to 802.11n in the process!). It can be done, but I will say that removing the keyboard is harder than it should be. In doing so, I broke one of the clips that holds it in. It still works great, but the keyboard now bounces a little. Be careful with that step!

Overall, considering that the ease of replacing these three parts once opened, it's a shame that Acer made it so HARD to open (safely).

I installed Windows 7 when I upgraded it, and it ran fine (but a bit pokey). I upgraded to Windows 10, and it worked, but it was even slower. After I migrated away from using apps on this machine that required Windows, I installed Linux Mint exclusively (had it dual-booting before), and it works better than it did with either Windows 7 or 10. (Note: To insure Linux compatibility, I used an Intel-branded WiFi card, which I checked for compatibility beforehand).

Agree on skipping steps 10-15 for motherboard replacement. The daughterboard was not in the way at all.

Removing the camera is necessary, as it is impossible (with any tool I have, anyway) to reconnect the camera to the motherboard while it is still in the housing. However, doing so was quite a pain on my machine as it not only did not "lift out of the tablet with the motherboard", but it also was stuck in there so tightly I wondered if it might be glued. I needed to spend several minutes gently prying it out with pliers.

I had a heck of a time doing this, spent ten or twenty minutes carefully prying, and I STILL cracked the case. At least on mine, the case was held in VERY well and required prying pretty much everywhere before it would let go. The tools I bought from iFixit really helped, but still a royal pain to open.