I was typing on my 1-week old laptop today and the R key popped off! HP’s customer support says I have to send it in the get it fixed but I can’t do that. Does anyone know how to get the key back on?
I don’t know, but it would help if you gave your model.
I just pried one of my “alt” keys off, and it popped right back on.
(BTW, rather clever of me to experiment with a key I had 2 of, wasn’t it?)
You are supposed to just be able to push them back on as noted. That is how they got installed in the first place. However, you didn’t tell us how it came off to begin with. Laptop keys aren’t supposed to just pop off on their own so it may be faulty out of the factory or just plain broken some other way.
‘R’ is a pretty common letter so it sucks it wasn’t the Scroll Lock key or something. Back in my day, we didn’t even have letters on our computer keyboards. We just used the Alt key plus a few numbers to chat on Facebook. You don’t need any of them and you will develop character by doing without one of them for a while. You can use Alt key codes to make your 'r’s or find a document with an ‘r’ or an ‘R’ already in it to Cut and Paste it where you need it. Pretty soon, you will forget why you ever needed an ‘R’ key in the first place.
Try telling that to a pirate.
Sorry…it’s an HP dv7. The customer service guy also suggested I try to stick it back on with a glue stick since I can’t send it in. Now, I’m no computer genius but I’m pretty sure that’s not a good idea. I’m going to play with it a bit and see what I can do. Just frustrating.
You may not be a computer genius, but you know more than that CS representative at least. Pretty much every laptop keyboard on the market uses the scissor-switch type switch. That means you should have three pieces, a flat key piece, a small piece that is two pieces of plastic hinged together (like scissors), and the laptop.
You should have a small white piece like this. You just slide it into the small latches on the flat key part while it’s also latched into the small latches on the laptop. Once everything is aligned, you press down and it should snap lightly and everything will be locked together again. I’ll rip off a key on my laptop and video it tomorrow if you don’t get it.
Do not try to glue it. You are right, he was an idiot.
If the moving arms of the key mechanism are not broken you should be able to pop it back on. If they are you can actually buy an individual replacement key on eBay.
Go to eBay and search for “hp pavilion dv7 key” they are $5-$9 shipped.
Here’s a tutorial on how to install the key
I’m glad somon askd this qustion. My kyboard works fin xcpt for on ky. I hav trid putting up with it and just working around it, which works OK for a bit, but soonr or latr I find I nd to us th fraking ky and, to b quit honst, it nds up making m look lik som kind of a rtard whn I can’t. Hop I can gt it fixd now - of cours, ntring th wb addrss in th prvious post could b a bit of a challng!
If you’re cheap, you could remove one of your unused keys (Windows button, scroll lock, a spare ALT, menu key, whatever) and use that. You could even get a sharpie and write “R” on it.
It would help if you told us which key. We can’t read minds to give advice. The OP is missing an R key. Which one are you missing?
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I have all the pieces but they are still attached to the back of the key. The only thing left on the actual keyboard looks all metal except for the actual button (if that makes sense). My brother in law told me that Best Buy is an authorized warranty place so i’ll call them today. I’m scared I’m going to break it if I try to fix it myself.
I suspect you are just wooshing us, but if not, most of the problem will be fixed after you run a spellcheck.
Unless one of the counter BB Geeks wants to try and snap your key back on themselves all they are going to do is ship it out to an HP service depot for you. BB will do some simple install and virus scrubbbing stuff on site, but disassembling a notebook to replace the keyboard is not (so far as I know) in their scope of duties. You will save no time with them if that is your main concern. In fact it may take more time using them than handling it yourself via HP’s relatively simple shipback procedure.
Look at the pdf link in my prior post for how to replace the key.
I understand e.e. cummings lost his shift key.
Not exactly the same problem, but similar. I was able to do this pretty easily, so I doubt you have to bring your laptop in. Might void the warranty, though, which wasn’t an issue for me.
There should be little raised hooks protruding from the metal where the key is missing. You just slide nubs from the white plastic part under those hooks and press down. It’s super easy.
I took it in but the piece is indeed broken in one corner so it won’t stay hooked into the metal part. I am debating sending it in versus trying to order a key and fixing it myself.