How to Put a Spacebar Back on Dell

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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 nearly microscopic parts. If you're careful and proceed with caution, then you can pop a key back onto your Dell keyboard and make it work as good as new. All you need is a careful eye and some very stable hands.

Steps

1. 1

   Start with all the pieces. Examine them carefully. Note where the tiny tabs are on them. Arrange them correctly according to the diagram.

2. 2

   Note the orientations of the tabs on the U-shaped piece. Slip the tabs under the metal loops on the laptop as shown.

3. 3

   Slip the second O-shaped piece through the centre of the U-piece.

4. 4

   Hook the tabs on the O-piece under the hooks on the laptop.

5. 5

   Click the tabs in the O-piece into the notches in the U-piece.

6. 6

   Make sure the tabs are raised. 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.

7. 7

   Place the key right-side up over the U and O pieces. So first click the right side (you'll hear it click!), and then push down the left side of the key.

8. 8

   Click it into place. If this doesn't work, verify that the little pieces are not broken, in this case you'll have to replace it.

9. 9

   Voila! The key is replaced.

Add New Question

• Question

  What should I do if it doesn't pop up when it's clicked?

  

  Thomas Houterman

  Community Answer

  That would indicate that the installation of the mechanical mechanism has failed to properly engage with the internal bracket part. Carefully and gently try to "lift" the key by sliding the tip of a knife under it and slowly move it up and down at eye level to see if it is correctly fitted.

• Question

  Can it damage your laptop?

  

  Thomas Houterman

  Community Answer

  No, replacing keyboard keys (following the suggested steps in this article correctly) will not result in any damage to the laptop. However, the particular key's recoil mechanism can very easily be damaged during removal of the old key as well as during the reassembly of the new key. In particular, on the little plastic plate that functions as a rocker underneath every key (see manual images for reference). The tiny tabs that form the hinge points (also the tabs that interlock with the keyboard base plate), are extremely delicate and take very little force to snap off the bracket, leaving you with no other option than to accept the missing key or replace the entire keyboard.

• Question

  I have an HP Pavilion laptop. What do I do?

  

  Sophie Walford

  Community Answer

  Contact HP to ask how, it all depends on what model of Pavilion it is.

• Question

  How do I install individual laptop keyboard keys on a Dell Inspirion?

  

  Pop off the old key and snap on the new one. There will be a terrifying cracking sound.

• Question

  What should I do if I have a newer Dell laptop that does not have the keys as shown?

  

  Sahil Gagrai

  Community Answer

  All flat keyboards have this particular design, except those keyboard that are block-shaped.

• Question

  What do I do if it doesn't work?

  

  If you can't get the key back on, try to use it without the key. If it bothers you enough, you might have to order a replacement keyboard.

• Question

  What do I do if I put a key back in my Dell laptop keyboard and it keeps popping back off?

  

  Usually, you keep pushing down hard, and wait for the click. If that doesn't work, make sure the mechanism is correctly put together and try again. If all fails, use the keyboard without the key, or buy a new keyboard.

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Video

• You might want to turn your computer off while doing this to avoid causing errors in your open applications.

• These steps work with HP Pavilion notebooks as well.

• Make sure you ground your self by placing one hand on the metal part of the notebook

• 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)

• 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).

• 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.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

• Make sure that you don't scratch the board underneath the key on some models.

• Doing this might void your warranty.

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How to Put a Spacebar Back on Dell

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Pop-a-Key-Back-Onto-a-Dell-Laptop-Keyboard

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