How to Replace an HP Pavilion Notebook Keyboard

You can replace a laptop keyboard in under an hour.

Notebook keyboards are fairly reliable, but occasionally they will go bad or get damaged. While you can go out and purchase a replacement computer, if you know how to use a screwdriver, you can save yourself a ton of money by simply replacing the keypad. While every model of HP Pavilion notebook is slightly different, they all have a similar process to remove and replace a notebook keyboard.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips screwdriver, small
• Flat-head screwdriver, small
• Replacement keyboard

Instructions

1. Turn the notebook over so that you are looking at the back. Pull the battery latch to the left to release the battery. Remove the battery from the notebook. Make sure that no cables are still plugged into the notebook.

2. Remove between three and six screws, depending on your model of HP Pavilion, in the cavity where the battery sits. Also remove any screws in the middle of the back of the notebook. Most notebooks will have a small keyboard icon next to the screws you need to take out, but if your screws are not marked, just take all the ones in the middle of the keyboard out. You won't hurt anything and can just put the screws back in later.

3. Turn the notebook over and open it up as far as it will go. Take your flat-head screwdriver and get it behind the switch cover. The switch cover is the piece of plastic between the keyboard and the hinge, running across the top of the keyboard. With your screwdriver behind the switch cover, press away on the screwdriver to pop the cover out of place. You can locate and unplug the cable that connects the switch cover to the motherboard, but it is unnecessary. Simply place the switch cover back above the keyboard, but shifted up about 1 inch.

4. Remove any screws that were hidden by the switch cover. If you had to remove several keyboard screws on the back side of the notebook, there might not be any screws here, but if you only had to remove one screw from the back, there can be up to three screws here.

5. Pull up on the back of the keyboard until you raise the keyboard to about 30 degrees. Then pull the keyboard toward the screen to release it from under the housing.

6. Tilt the keyboard up and find the cable that connects the keyboard to the motherboard. Pull up on the connector, or if the connector has latches on its side then push back on the latches, and slide the cable out of the connector. Remove the keyboard from the Pavilion notebook.

7. Slide the cable of the replacement keyboard into the slot that you just removed the old cable from. Flip the lid of the slot closed, or push the latches in, to lock the cable in place. Put the bottom of the keyboard in place while keeping the keyboard tilted at about 30 degrees. Once the bottom of the keyboard is in, tilt the keyboard down and replace any screws that you had removed.

8. Push the switch cover back into place and push down to lock it. Turn the notebook over and replace any screws that you removed.

References

• HP: HP Pavilion dv6000 Maintenance and Service Guide
• Inside My Laptop: HP Pavilion DV9000 Laptop.