How to Refit Keys on a Compaq Laptop Keyboard
Each of the individual keys on your Compaq laptop are seated onto a separate plastic hinge connected to a small rubber plunger. If your laptop is dropped or bumped with enough force, any of the keys may become unseated and pop off the keyboard. An unseated key isn't a cause for serious alarm however, as refitting the key is only a matter of setting the hinge and key back into position.
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Instructions
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1
Click the Compaq's "Start" menu and navigate to the "Shut Down" option. Wait for the operating system to shut off, and push closed the Compaq's lid. Rotate the laptop, and set it upside-down.
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2
Press down on the two battery releases latches located below the battery near the top of the laptop. Slide the latches over toward the unlock icon printed on the laptop's case to pop up the battery. Grab the raised edge of the battery, and pull it away from the laptop.
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3
Rotate the laptop again so it is sitting right side up and pull open the lid. Pull the white plastic hinge off the bottom of the unseated key. Align the rectangular hole on the left side of the plastic hinge with the clip inside the open area of the keyboard where the key is normally seated. Grip the left side of the hinge with needle-nose pliers to set it into place if you have difficulty replacing the hinge with your fingers.
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4
Press the hinge downward and toward the right so it snaps into place on the clip. Press the center hole of the plastic hinge onto the rubber plunger to the left of the clip.
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5
Set the unseated key over the plastic hinge and rubber plunger. Align the key so the printed letter is facing upward. Firmly press down the corners of the key to lock it in place on top of the hinge.
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Tips & Warnings
The space bar key is refit in a slightly different way than the rest of the keys. Instead of a white plastic hinge, the space bar uses a metal bar. Slide the hooks at the ends of the bar into the holes on the left and right sides of the space where the key is normally seated. Press the space bar into place over the metal bar.
If the plastic hinge is broken or missing, you need to buy a new key and plastic hinge, which are available through Compaq or online at keyboard key retailers.
