It's all too easy to pop the keys off a laptop, and almost impossible to get them back on without losing or destroying the nigh-microscopic parts. This is a step-by-step diagram of how to put the keys back together on a Dell 4150 Inspiron, but the principles should work on other Dell laptops; these steps with HP Pavilion notebooks as well.
Step 1
Start with all the pieces. Examine them carefully. Note where the tiny tabs are on them. Arrange them correctly according to the diagram.
Step 2
Note the orientations of the tabs on the U-shaped piece, and slip the tabs under the metal loops on the laptop
like this :
Step 3
Slip the second O-shaped piece through the centre of the U-piece.
Step 4
Hook the tabs on the O-piece under the hooks on the laptop, like this:
Step 5
Click the tabs in the O-piece into the notches in the U-piece.
Step 6
At this point, the two pieces are gently locked together. If done correctly, they will not sit flat. They will be raised slightly above the laptop surface.
Step 7
Place the key right side up over the U and O pieces.
Step 8
Click it into place.
Step 9
Voila! The key is replaced.
Tips
- It may be easier to remove the base U-shaped piece from the keyboard in order to attach the O-shaped piece (or attach the pieces together before replacing to keyboard)
- You might want to turn your computer off while doing this to avoid causing errors in your open applications.
- Make sure you ground your self by placing one hand on the metal part of the notebook
- If you break any of the plastic parts on an often used key, you can harvest spare parts from a seldom used key. Just be very careful when taking the key's plastic parts off
- For a Latitude D800 this works slightly different. Best tip is to carefully remove another key as well and peek how to do it.
- If you are trying to put the spacebar on your dell laptop, there is also a long U shaped metal wire. Two ends of the wire go into their slots, and then you can pop back the spacebar key on top of the frames (i.e. the two set of frames for the spacebar)
- The tab key has one metal wire
Warnings
- Make sure that you don't scratch the board underneath the key on some models.
- Doing this may void your warranty.
