# Where to get a somewhat obscure laptop spare part?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 3, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573 "2003-02-03T20:06:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/1 "2003-02-03T20:06:22Z")

</div>

Following a feline attack on my laptop, I need a replacement key cover for the Backspace key. Actually I just need the little white plastic spring that goes underneath the key cover. The laptop in question is a Dell Latitude C640. I’ve scoured the web and E-Bay but can only seem to find entire keyboards for circa $99, which seems a little overkill just for this one little key.

Anyone know where I could order such a part?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/2 "2003-02-03T20:27:45Z")

</div>

Silly suggestion: Is there another key on the keyboard that you don’t use, which you can steal the spring from and place it behind the backspace key? (You don’t reallly _need_ caps lock, do you?)

-lv

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/3 "2003-02-03T20:52:38Z")

</div>

That’s not silly at all - I’ll check to see if the Caps Lock key is the same size. Would like to get this fixed properly eventually, though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/4 "2003-02-03T22:20:00Z")

</div>

Get thee to [url="htt

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/5 "2003-02-03T22:41:05Z")

</div>

As I was saying before IE crashed, go to eBay and search for non-working Latitudes; you can often get these quite cheap.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/6 "2003-02-04T16:52:32Z")

</div>

At ebay, you don’t need to buy a whole keyboard, write the person with the auctions & ask them if they have a spare key spring handy.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-get-a-somewhat-obscure-laptop-spare-part/152573/7 "2003-02-07T19:02:07Z")

</div>

Well, as I know you’re all dying to find out 😉

I called up Dell, and it seems my laptop is still under warranty. Kudos to Dell - I got straight through (no waiting on hold), the tech told me he’d ship me a whole new keyboard and even send a tech out to install it. No more messing with little plastic springs for me.