Might depend on the manufacturer, too. I'm most familiar with Dell comps, cause that's what I always get. So I can say with great confidence that a Dell laptop will have an easy-access compartment for the RAM. All you'll need is a screwdriver.

If she had another type of laptop, I wouldn't be so sure.

Now replacing anything else on a laptop is just pure hell. And forget about upgrading your graphics card. Just ain't gonna happen. *mourns old laptop with the failed graphics card*