Working late into the night on a school paper, the worst accident for any laptop owner occurs: I spill liquid onto my keyboard. Thankfully it was lukewarm tea and not something sticky, yet after I used napkins and fans to dry out the many nooks and crannies of the keyboard, some of the keys of my keyboard did not work. After taking it into a computer repair store and finding out the outrageous cost they charged to replace it, I took it upon myself to take care of it myself.
Preparation
Unlike desktop keyboards that can easily be replaced with a USB or connection into the computer, laptop keyboards require a perfect fit that match up with the laptop’s shape and internal connections. Once all the liquids are dried out, try to turn it back on and see if it still works. If you’re able to get back to reach your desktop smoothly, check to see if all the keys are functioning properly.
If any of the keys on the laptop have any problems, try using an external keyboard to see whether or not the laptop itself has suffered any problems. Once it’s determined that the mother board is fine and the keyboard is the only problem, follow these steps to figure replace it.
Steps for replacing a laptop keyboard
1. Purchase the right keyboard. By looking based on the model number, you’ll find various venders (typically online) with the keyboard for you.
2. Look around the front panel of the laptop for edges or screws to know where you can access the keyboard unit. You may need a screwdriver to either pry open or unscrew the panels.
3. Once everything surrounding the keyboard is moved out of the way to access the keyboard, locate the ribbon cable (looks like plenty of small strands connected to one another in a row) connecting the keyboard to the mother board.
4. Disconnect the old keyboard from the ribbon cable and connect the new one in its place.
5. Place the new keyboard back to its original positioning before securing it by placing the exterior panels back in place.
6. Turn on the laptop to see if all the keys work alright, signifying a successful laptop keyboard replacement.
Here are some important tips to remember when you’re dealt with the fate of a water-damaged laptop keyboard:
Tips
Do turn off the laptop as soon as the spill happens.
Don’t use a hairdryer to dry up the spill; this will heat up and damage the keys if the keyboard is still functional.
Do check the model of your laptop in order to get the right replacement keyboard.
Don’t tilt the laptop on its side or upside down; this will cause the liquid to move around and possibly damage the mother board.
Do look online to see if there’s a video tutorial for your specific model on how to replace a keyboard.