Since I recently had to replace a keyboard on a laptop, and couldn’t find any resources on replacing it for this model, I thought I’d go ahead and do a run-through for anyone else who may need this.
Okay, to start with, you’ll need:
- Replacement keyboard (Part# 431414-001)
- Phillips Head Screwdriver
- Flat Head Screwdriver (for prying off cover)
Step 1: Remove RAM cover and Battery
Use your Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws securing the RAM cover, and set it aside. Then remove the battery as well.
Step 2: Remove Necessary Screws
There are a total of eight screws that you’ll need to remove to get to the keyboard: Five black screws, and three smaller silver screws.
You’ll see a keyboard icon next to the three lower screws:
And these are what you should end up with after removing the screws.
Step 3: Remove Keyboard Shield
Next, we’ll have to remove the shield that holds the keyboard in place. You can do this using the Flathead screwdriver, fingernails, or a coin.
You’ll pop them up like the image above on both sides.
Once you get the cover up, be careful not to damage the flex cables beneath it.
Step 4: Remove Keyboard
Now that you have the shield loose, you can now remove the keyboard. There is another flex cable connecting the keyboard, so don’t pull too far up on the keyboard just yet.
Carefully work the cable out of its slot by pulling back towards the screen.
Now you’ve got the keyboard removed, and you’re ready to reinstall the new one. Almost there!
Step 5: Install the New Keyboard
First, carefully insert the new cable into the slot. Be careful not to damage it, the cables are fragile.
Update: “The connector slot has a lever the pins are connected to the white box and the black lever at the bottom of the white box can be pulled towards the screen. This will loosen the keyboard cable. If you press that black lever back it will fix the cable.” Thanks, alex for the tip!
Now, place the keyboard back down inside the case.
Now we’ll replace the shield. Push backwards toward the screen to make sure the back latches set in place correctly, then pop the sides back down into the case until you feel them lock.
Step 6: Close It All Back Up
Now that you’ve got the keyboard back on, flip it back over onto its back, and reinstall all eight screws.
Don’t forget, the three small screws go here, under the battery.
Now, we’ll put the RAM cover back on…
…and put the battery back in.
And that’s it! As long as you’ve got the cable plugged in correctly, it should work with no problems.
hehehehehehehehe……very useful information, i’m sure
Incredible! Whoo-hoo. This clear, precise and perfectly illustrated DIY info allowed a this 53 year old techno-amateur to fearlessly change out a keyboard successfully. Only comment, getting the connection cable in was a bit of a pain and I didn’t lock it down right the first time so Alex’s advice was needed. Worked the second time.
I read two-three other sets of directions on how to do this but this was by far the best. I don’t understand why HP couldn’t have provided the how-to but it still wouldn’t/couldn’t have been at this quality.
BTW, the model I used these directions for was dv6500.
lol, yeah, but I’m sure all my Facebook friends are wondering why I posted this as a note. ;)
Facebook automatically imports all my posts as notes, so yeah. :D
thank-you I just put on new keyboard on my computer, I bought a skin to go over the keys. Hopefully it will keep my children from pulling off the keys. but I cant figure out how to put it on. do you have any suggestions how to do it?
lol it must have taken forever to post all those pics
An hour or so for the whole thing, not too bad.
Good job on this tutorial, Kevin. I didn’t even notice you were taking pictures while you did that the other day!
I wasn’t, this was when I put the new one onto her computer, she finally got it in from ebay. :)
wow, an entire hour, gone from your life forever. *_*
Great work man……….a very useful tip………
Thanks
B.T.Ram
very interesting. i’m adding in RSS Reader
Thanks for the excellent pics! I have a different HP laptop, but the basics are the same, and after spending a whopping $26 geting a new keyboard on Ebay, I was able to replace it in about 20 minutes. I appreciate you taking the time to post the pictures and document the process. Good Job!
You’re welcome! Glad it was useful for you, I know it would have been for me, haha!
You rock! My 2 1/2 yo son pulled almost every key off my wifes keyboard. I ordered a new keyboard but of course no instructions. I knew that this could be easy, or a real pain. Without your very accurate and detailed directions this would have taken me all night. Ten minutes! It seems that only fair that I should mention that my son’s name is Kevin. How appropo.
Thanks.
Steve
Thanks Kevin, you saved me $100 from what the local computer store would have charged me.
hello kevin,
thanks a lot .. u really saved ma money .. i would really appreciate that ..
tahnks a lot again ..
-prashanth
Hi,
I have a similar lap top, the problem is the screen just blurs up from time to time. I have been told that it could be the Flex Cable for screen? DO any you have any ideas on how to get at the flex cable or is this even the problem.
Rob
Robert,
Unfortunately, I have no idea on how to get to that cable. I was lucky to make it in enough to replace the keyboard without screwing it up, haha. :D
It’s possible that is your problem though. One thing you could do, just to ensure it’s a problem with the screen, is to plug an external monitor up to it and see if the problem persists.
Hi Kevin,
Great tutorial. I linked to these instructions from my blog.
I’m creating same kind of tutorials for Toshiba laptops, you can find them at http://www.irisvista.com
Should be useful for all Toshiba owners.
Disassemble your laptop at your own risk!
Good luck.
thank’s
detailed & useful
thak you its verry helpful
Excellent helpful guidness .. Thanks
I have two DV8000 HP laptops and I have to replace keyboards on both thanks to a one year old grandchild.. This will be extremely helpful information. I now feel confident I can do this myself.
Thanks again
Good post! Thanks for you help on my keyboard change!
****, as soon as I saw my laptop’s conection, I found out why the keyboard isnt working… mother ****** that sold me this PC had already ****** up with it inside…
The idiots superglued the keyboard cable to the conection, now I cant get it out without actually damaging the inlet…
Any tips on what to do?
Thanks very much, very good article.
Lucas
Ah man. Lucas, that sucks, did you buy it from someone online or local? Regardless, I really don’t know what to suggest, unless perhaps they make some sort of solvent for superglue that you could try, but I wouldn’t know for sure if that would work.
Thanks for answering,
I managed to yank it out, but the inlet is completely ruined. It was actually already ruined (thats why they superglued it). This sort of thing isn’t just replaceable because the thing is welded to the mother board, so this means I’m gonna have to take it to someone who knows how to replace this sort of thing..
Well, thanks anyway man.
Lucas
Thank you so much!!!!!!!! This was so helpful!
Thank you… very useful info =]
Thanx for the helpful info! It was much easier than i thought!
Thanks for these useful infos. Can you please help me on this? My DV 6000 keyboard is not working, for example: the C, V, B, X, Z are not working, what should I do before thinking of changing the keyboard? Thanks
Kine, first thing that I would try is to just unplug the keyboard and plug it back in. You’d be amazed how often that fixes things. Otherwise your best bet probably will be to get a replacement keyboard. Make sure to keep ahold of the old one though, as you can usually* use the old keys as replacements, should you need them later.
*sometimes these keyboards have different types of key connectors, in which case you couldn’t use them for replacements.
Very nice pictures, very informative. I have the same laptop. The an is very noisy and I want to open the case and clean the dust in the fan. I have retired all the screws but the case is stuck and I do not want to broke it. I do not know how to open the case.
could anybody help me?
Sorry Estebab, this was as far into the case as I could go. I’m not sure where to go from here.
Just found your instructions in a Google search. Great how-to, thanks again. Mine is a dv6645 and is exactly the same. I notice the quality of the keyboards hasn’t improved, mine is only 6 months old and the keys are shiny already, and I’m a one-finger typist!! :(.
Outstanding directions and photos for replacing the keyboard. Thank you for your time, effort, and for making this information available. I replaced my neighbors keyboard on her hp dv6000 after the shift key broke off the original keyboard. These instructions are an awesome guide. After new keyboard installed and reassembling I fired up the laptop with no issues. Now she can post those LOL’s she has been missing. Thanks again.
After failing to get any help from HP your direction where excellent and I applied them to the PAVILION dV2023 – a few less screws but it worked a treat.
Hi
its very usefull thank a lotttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
GR Max
Thank you so much i run a small business fixing peoples computers but as a college student i still dont know everything your guide has saved me much pain!
Another one year old takes out a keyboard. Thanks so much–the annotated pics are worth tons of text.
hey you forgot to mention:
the connector slot has a lever the pins are connected to the white box and the black lever at the bottom of the white box can be pulled towards the screen. this will losen the keyboard cable. if you press that black lever back it will fix the cable of course. but thanks for the howto was a lot of usefull information
Thanks for the tip, Alex! I put that up in Step #5 as an update. I had no idea those were there, haha.
Thanks a lot for the wonderful guidance.. and Kevins tip fix the fibre cable was really useful..
You’re welcome! And it was Alex’s tip, not mine. :)
Good tutorial. I am going to link to it. Thanks
I have hp pavilion dv6000 notebook which has a german version keypad.
So, can i change the keypad to American version?????
does it work .
Batman, that’s actually a very good question. I certainly couldn’t tell you for sure, but this is the scenario I would imagine:
You replace the keyboard with an American keyboard, assuming the connectors are the same, and then you should be able to change your regional settings in the Control Panel to US settings. In theory, that should switch the layout over, it’s just a question of whether the two pieces of hardware would be compatible.
I got hp dv6000
i need help
you know the rubber thing on top of the screen the circle thing one fell off is thre any way to replace that
plz plz plz
help
I imagine it’s just stuck on with adhesive. The problem would be finding a replacement. Unless it’s really bothering you, I wouldn’t worry about it, it won’t hurt anything.
it makes my laptop look ugly 3 rubber crap and one screw
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I spend one hour on the laptop before finding this guide. In fact, it is much easier than I thought. Thanks again
thanks…very helpful
thanks it is very helpful
Kevin, thank you sir. I had all the screws in the bottom removed except the one under the memory module cover. That is the ticket, I thought I was losing it. lol Great detailed instructions.
-Tom
Thanks for the helpful advice & self-explanatory pictures. Even a novice like me was ables to replace a hp keyboard in less than 10 minutes, all thanks to you.
hey i was wondering if you could also tell me how to clean ketchup of the laptop keyboard. Two keys of my keyboard arent responding well cos i spilt ketchup over them .. thank you in advance
Wow! I got this new keyboard not knowing much about the process for replacement until I opened this site up. Major props. This guide made my morning a breeze. It took 15 minutes compared to what I thought would be an hours worth of struggle. THANKS!!!!!
Hey Kevin
i have DV 6114tx mode
in total 10 keys dont work in mah keypad
they are left shift z x c v m , . / spacebar
what do u think
what should i do???????
Great guide!
I used it to get to my motherboard. Do you happen to have a guide to replacing the motherboard?
Thanks in advance
Thank you so much for this! My daughter spilled water on her laptop, and some of the keys would not work after that. I bought a new keyboard from ebay and with your tutorial was able to replace it with no problems whatsoever! Thank you!!!
Kevin,
the previous post says it all:
Thank you so much for this! My Son spilled water on her laptop, and some of the keys would not work after that. I bought a new keyboard from ebay and with your tutorial was able to replace it with no problems whatsoever! Thank you!!!
BRuce
Can anyone point me in the right direction to get a keyboard so that I can replace mine? The last thing I want to do is buy the wrong part…
Kevin,
Thank you for posting this. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have thought to remove the RAM cover in order to replace the keyboard. The new keyboard works perfectly, and your hour saved me at least an hour…
Best wishes,
Ed
Kyle,
I found a replacement at brilliantstore.com. I’ve purchased several replacement items from them, and they’re reliable and deliver quickly.
Thank you very much for this post. My daughter saw fit to pour mountain dew all over the keyboard of my dv6000. Luckily, the computer was ok, but all the keys were a sticky mess. Your tutorial really helped me to get the thing replaced and working perfectly. Thanks again.
Jim
Your post was extremely helpful. I am actually not sure where to order a notebook key pads for HP. I ‘d appreciate if you could tell me some websites. I ve been browsing through Hp’s website but I can’t find notebook keyboards.
Thanks in advance.
Izzah Abrar,
The easiest place to find them as far as I’m aware is eBay. If you take out the keyboard, HP should have a sticker with the part number, you could try searching for that part number on Google Shopping, and see what stores come up that sell it.
Ed above suggested brilliantstore.com. I’ve never been or purchased from there, so I cannot make a recommendation, but it might be worth checking out as well.
-Kevin
Thank-you soo much for posting this. I dropped my laptop on the concrete and the keyboard functions went absolutely wonky. F5 would refresh websites my keys stuck and than completely stopped working. I had to use a seperate keyboard jsut to use the computer, and it would still refresh all the time and hit random numbers. I took it in to a computer store and they quoted me at minimum $400. I cant afford it considering x-mas is here. I bought the piece for $10 and another $10 shipping and handling from China haha. With your instructions and pictures I did my first computer fix it job in 15 minutes. (after i had to buy a new screwdriver cause mine was stripped haha)
I just wanted to say thank-you. Without people like yourself posting these things I would have paid out the rear end for this! Thank-you very much!!
Mitchell Strachan
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
oh also the connector level tip was great!! it took me a second to figure out which to move to use it, but once I knew to move the black pieces on the side of the white piece up towards the screen, it took me all of 5 seconds to put my whole comp back together! You guys are worth more than HP themselves! Thanks again
Awesome man, you just saved me 40 bucks, thats what they wanted to charge for a simple replacement, it took me at most 7 minutes. Thanks again.
Kevin,
You saved me $300.00. The reason for this is that my daughter dropped her HP laptop and the keyboard was not working, but everything else was. I thought it was just a loose wire, but wasn’t sure. Anyway, the warranty had expired just 4 days prior to the accident, and HP would not honor extending it. So I decided to trouble shoot it using your guidance, and indeed the keyboard wire was out of place. I simply connected the wire, buttoned everything back according to your instructions, and voila. It now works. Thanks for taking the time to post your easy to follow and instructions, and for saving me money.
hey, i was wondering if you knew how to replace the mouse/touchpad thing on the hp pavillion as well??
Kevin, thank you so very much for this tutorial! These directions were very easy to follow.
I know when I accidentally broke off some of these keys, I couldn’t find any easy/cheap way to get those few keys replaced. Everyone said I would have to send it in, which would cost money I just don’t have. For over a year I didn’t have any key covers on those keys – just had to use the rubber nubby things.
Now, with your help, I got a keyboard off of ebay (only 18 dollars – not bad) and just installed the new keyboard. I’m typing on it right now, actually, lol, and it works great. Plus I saved a lot of money in the process. Hurray for not needing to feel embarrassed anymore when I use this laptop in public!
Thanks again for the tutorial!
~Brandon
thank you, thank you, thank you. I would never have been able to do this without your help.
thanks,
Michele
Kevin,
Excellent guide. Changed my DV6470 keyboard from US to UK version and with your guide it was a 10 min job. Brilliant.
Have a Happy New Year!!!!!
“Geek Squad North Carolina told me that nobody’s gonna do that keyboard problem of your’s”
so i do it myself with your best help….i guess i save a lot of dollars
this was really helpful…with my new 29$ keyboard that i bought online…
The Instructions here were great BIG THANKS on this one
Thanks so much for the great info. I changed keyboard for a friend and it went flawlessly in around 5 minutes!
Brian
I have a problem with heating, i think that the cooling system i sfull with dust, so do you know how to clean the cooling system.Thank You
Great tutorial , used this to replace a troublesome keyboard on a dv6000 multimedia laptop , keys were stuck resulting in a constant beeping error code , with your help it was fixed in a trice !!
Thanks Kevin, you deserve a treat :))
Good piece.
Excellent photos and helpful Photoshops! Applied your knowledge to a V5305. Only had to remove two screws under the battery instead of the pile necessary in the later models. From all the user comments it looks like you’ve helped a lot of people. Kudos to you!
Thanks, Very nice job.
Kevin – YOU ROCK!!!
I’m a regular nobody. No talent, nothing. For $20.00 (replacement keyboard on e-bay) and $2.00 for a little, tiny screwdriver and your FABULOUS directions, I replaced my keyboard and my computer now works perfectly. God Bless you. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!
kevin- you are amazing!
thanks for your directions . i could replace the keyboard with in 10-15 minutes.. i owe you at least 50$ what is your paypal id ? :-)
thank you so much
nakesh
Kevin,
This site looks great and I need to replace my dv6000 keyboard, do you have a recommendation for a site where I can buy a replacement keyboard? HP wants $80 for it, and I get a little nervous ordering from random sites based out of Hong Kong.
Thanks!
Brendan
Thanks Brendan! I don’t really have any recommendations other than eBay, that’s where I usually find stuff like this. Here is a link to one for $25 and free shipping that ships from California, and there’s several others on there. Just do a search for “HP dv6000 keyboard” and you’ll find plenty of results (most from Hong Kong though, haha).
Two weeks I ago my keyboard overdosed on a California Merlot. Seeking a rehabilitation expert I found your website. I ordered a new keyboard that promised to abstain from grape juice. Lo and behold the new installation when vety smoothly and now I can “backspace”, “delete” and even use the space bar. Thanks for the excellent instructions. I think I’ll toast myself.
Excellent instructions. Top row of keys (Y, U, I, O, P, etc) on our HP dv6000 stopped working. I found your instructions on the web and then ordered a keyboard (~$35) from Amazon. Keyboard surgery took me 20 – 25 minutes to complete. Computer works great and saved me from buying a new one!
Thanks and highly recommend these instructions.
- Repaired in California
Hey Kevin just wanted to say thanks a million for this tutorial not only did you help me get the job done but you also helped me impress some people I was hoping to make a great impression on. So thank you and I appreciate it. I tried leaving a longer comment but I think I maxed out your character limit : (
If you want the full testimony send me an e-mail.
Thanks so much
very useful presentation i just change my keyboard many thanks:)
Kevin:
Thanks for such great instructions. I have been looking for instructions to replace the keyboard on my Averatec 2300 series and could not find anything anywhere. Now with your instructions, I can see the similarity. I will let you know my progress. Thanks in advance.
Thanks
Hi, thanks for this, took me like 20 minutes to do it and it was easy as pie. One question though, have you ever run into the problem of the power button shield not going back in place perfectly? The right side snapped in fine but the left side won’t snap back in. The keyboard/laptop works fine no problem, its just an eyesore to have that unevenness on the left side.
Dave
David,
I’d suggest taking it back off and realigning it again. Make sure there aren’t any cables or anything bunched up and in the way, and try to push the back corners closest to the hinge into place first. It’s sort of tricky to get back on.
Dave,
I did have the same problem as well, all I really did was make sure you push a little harder on the edge that is closer to the monitor that swoops down. Took a little bit but it all snapped in nicely, I would also make sure its snapped good in the center as well.
Another satisfied reader….
$17 and 5 minutes of work, I no longer have to copy .’s to websurf. Many thanks for the superb write up Kevin.
Excellent instructions Kevin!
Thanks…very helpful :-)
Kjetil
Great Service!!!
-Ajoy
Awesome work dude…
Great pics! You rock..
Im sure I coulda figured it out, but glad I didnt have to!
Thanks man.Great instructions and pics were clear and precise. You’ve saved me $35 bucks.
Thanks! I just had to replace my HP Pavilion’s keyboard and this really helped!
One thing I would point out, the two screws near the corners (top of the photo) don’t need to be removed. I couldn’t get one of them out so I left them in and I could get the shield and keyboard out fine.
Ah okay, good to know Aaron, thanks!
WOW!
I mean, I would have figured it out… but it’s good to see someone who knows what to do and wrote about it. I’ll give it a try.
Any idea how to find the part number for my dv7? I live in Barbados BTW, not the US.
I don’t have an HP part number (what exact model do you have?) but if you search any local online stores for HP dv7 keyboards, you should find one. Post back your model and I’ll try to locate that part number though.
Easy grease. Thanks Kevin.
Peter
hi,i just want to say thankyou,thankyou,thankyou.
you are a absolute legend.
your pics and description are perfect.
could not have done it without you.
you bloody champion.
Useful, thanks!
Kevin-
You saved my laptop. I was trying to pry the laptop apart by myself after removing all screws – I am convinced I was about five minutes away from completely wrecking it. Then I stumbled onto your instructions which worked perfectly with one exception. The Alex comments about the connector are close but not what I observed. The white connector is flanked by two little black things. Those black things should be slid toward the lid which enables you to remove the keyboard cable without having to yank. Then make sure those little black things are slid toward the screen when inserting the cable for the new keyboard. Then, once it’s inserted, those black things get slid the opposite way (away from the screen) to properly seat the cable.
That’s it – works perfectly. FYI – that was on a pavilion dv6000. vivotechnology.net carries these keyboards and they are inexpensive and I received mine the next day.
Thank you again Kevin – you rock.
-Steve
I use this laptop 4 work , can’t get 2 letters to work on it. letter B4 G and letter B4 z… now, husband states I have to replace the whole board but it’s just the 2 letters, can’t I just replace the membranes or does it have to be the entire board?
Thank you, this was very helpful.
Hi kevin!
Allwent well with the switch hpwever the new keyboard has certain keys not working. Would this be instalation related or haddware related?
Sorry for the late responses.
Michelle, the easiest method would certainly be to replace the entire board. I don’t even know that it’s possible to buy individual keys.
Anthony, more than likely hardware related. I’m not an electrician by any stretch, but you may be able to use a multimeter to test the keys individually? Alternatively, try unplugging and reseating the ribbon cable connection. If you happen to have another computer you can test it in, that could be an option as well.
Best Wishes,
Kevin
Great Instructions!!! Very easy to follow. It went perfect the first time around. Took about 10-15 min being very careful. Thank You
very helpful info
colleague threw coke all over my keyboard and had to replace it.
thanks for the help mate !!
Thanks for taking the time to make this. I just changed my keyboard. My laptop was very similar, the only difference being the screws were in slightly different spots. Cost me $25.00 for the new keyboard.
Just saved our school £350 with this info.
Would have cost £350 to replace the keyboard via HP, now we can just buy a keyboard and swap it :)
Thanks!
Great !!
You did a great job by teaching the technique to open a laptop. Will it help me to open my HP56x, I have to see. Lots of regards. HariOm Raizada, New Delhi, India
Great post thank you so much for doing this tutorial, it helped me to not break my laptop while try to fix it. I needed to tighten the screws to my screen because it was wobbling and was able to access them after I took the keyboard out. Thanks again, good work!
Thanks you genius,i spiled beer over mine now enter key and arrows dont work,you wouldnt know what is the best place to buy a replacment keyboard?
Thanks, Very useful information. Many people are saving lots of money because of your this information. Thanks a ton.
Thanks Sanjeev, I’m glad I can help. This post got a LOT more attention than I had expected!
And Frank, honestly I’ve only ever bought one, and it was from ebay. As far as a particular seller, I have no personal recommendations.
thank U bro!
this is an excellent tutorial.
Kevin-
I’d imagine that the reason you get so much traffic is that the dv6000 is set to self-destruct one part at a time beginning the day after the warranty expires (grr). From one who has lost two and a half keyboards to kids so far, this time I got smart and ordered a silicone skin for the keyboard. Got it on eBay for less than $4 with free shipping from Hong Kong. Only problem is, no instructions- any ideas?
Carrie
On second review, it appears that the silicone skin just rests on top of the keyboard. Huh. we’ll see how it goes. Thanks again for the instructions, I’ve missed r and t, and most recently h and v…
Carrie
Carrie,
Ouch, yeah it does seems sometimes that these things self-destruct at the end of warranty, doesn’t it? Interesting about the silicone skin, I’m not sure exactly what it is you’re talking about, but hopefully it stays on tightly, if it’s just resting atop the keyboard.
Best of luck to you!
-Kevin
Thanks for putting this all on-line. My cat trashed the keyboard on my dv9700. The screws are somewhat different – I took out 6 silver screws and 3 black ones, then three screws inside, on the top of the keyboard.
For the cable “zif” connector, I took 2 small flat bladed screw drivers and pushed the small black tabs on the sides back towards the screen. Then the cable fits right in, after folding it. Push the black tabs back towards the front and the cable is snugged in.
I wonder if anyone makes a replacement keyboard that is more durable…
Thanks again!
Thanks Kevin! Your amazing post helped my buddy and me fix a keypad problem that I had. The instructions and the photographs were detailed and highly informative. Just wanted to let you know that the hard work you have put in has saved the day for someone.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the posting above…I tried to fit my new keyboard into my HP Pavilion dv6835 and it seemed to work the first time..But the delete, right & left cursor, prtsc buttons didnt work. I opened it again and tried connecting the cable again but this time, the qwer keys didnt work…i tried connecting them when the pc was turned on, to see if i could check the connectivity while fixing it. Now none of the keys work except the caps lock button.
Could you please advise what I should do..? Did i damage the cable while inserting it to the pin? Should I buy another replacement keyboard?
Please advise.
Thanks.
This is probably the most useful and accurate tutorial I have ever seen. I am a bed-bound individual that was cringing at the thought of living without my laptop for 2-4 days while a repair person charged me a bundle to replace my keyboard. I found your site and went straight to eBay. $24 later and 15 minutes (I’m slow) and I’m typing this to you on my new keyboard with all lettering intact. Thank you so very much.
So, now I’m off to play World of Warcraft. Look out, Horde, my “Fire” key works again.
Preston
THANKS SO MUCH! I did it all by myself.(With the help of this site) Again thank you so much!
Kevin -
Thank you for your GREAT tutorial! Your instructions were clear, direct, and easy to follow. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. (Ever think about technical writing as a side job?)
A shoutout to Alex for his tip about the connector lever, too!
$20, 20 minutes, and this grey-haired old lady is back online, thanks to you.
Thank you! Your directions were fantastic! I have the HP zv6000 which only requires the removal of 5 screws, other than that it’s just the same. Thank you for giving me the courage to give it a try myself! I found my replacement at: http://www.laptoppartsexpert.com- they were fabulous! I purchased my new keyboard for a mere $18 (plus $4.90 shipping). It is a brand new keyboard. Thanks again!!
yu da bomb thanx
Need to replace the power button cable on the dv6000 hp laptop. I can not get the ZIF connection that is under the keyboard to release. It is very fragile and I really don’t want to break it. I have released the ZIF that is connected to the power button under the power button cover. Please advise.
Many thanks in advance.
Diana
RAD! Thank you!! Made my day/week/Month!!
:)
Wow, this seems like a never-ending thread!
The keyboard on my HP dv6000 went out days after the warranty expired (major beeping at start-up). HP agreed to fix it. The replacement keyboard has a problem with the space key. It has to be hit hard in the middle or it doesn’t work and words run together.
Might there be anything I can do to fix/seat the space key so it works?
If not, I have another dv6000 with a cracked screen, so I could take the keyboard from that and use your technique.
Thanks.
Change it yourself and be done with it. Follow this guide and you will be done in minutes. I’m a 59 year old idiot laying here in bed on a ventilator and I did it in about 10 minutes with no problems at all. Good luck!
Thank you, Preston, glad you were able to replace yours! Eric, I’ve sent an email to you as well, but I agree simply replacing the keyboard would be easier, but if you’ve got time to mess around with it, you’ve got nothing to lose by trying to fix it! :)
kev, the instructions make it look easy. i have a dv6-1000 entertainment laptop and just got the new keyboard. itll be nice to not have to copy and paste my o’s anymore…..wish me luck, here goes nothing…
Dear Kevin,
First of all, an excellent tutorial…. it has helped me and many other evidently…
But i still had one query…how hard shud i prees the keyboard ribbon back into the connector?
shud i press hard or just slide it in gently and then lock the black clip?
Actually very rcently i had this problem where a few keys on the keyboard stopped working, all together… every day a new key wud go off!!…
when i tried your instructions, the keys not working intially started working again but some other keys stopped working…after repeating the procedure for about 10 times…the entire keyboard has now stopped working :P…i probably went too hard on the keyboard ribbon… I have already placed an order for a new keyboard. but i just neeed to know one single thing that i have reffered above.
Also, if you know the reasons for my keyboard acting strange, kindky let me know..
thanks in advance…i wud really appreciate your inputs..)
Regards
Amit
Thank you for the guide.
Though the computer is not excactly the same I managed to use it for changing the keyboard on my HP 530 laptop eventhough I thought I had tried removing every single screw before using the guide..
Thanks! I know I wouldn’t not been able to get this done without your pictures and instructions! I have a larger keyboard on the HP Pavilion 9000 Widescreen. Although I didn’t have to remove the RAM cover it didn’t hurt anything!
I was stuck on step 5 till I re-read the update.
Your are great!
Thank you so much!
This was a very well done tutorial and especially the part regarding the insertion of the ribbon. It went in easily by pushing up on the little black plastic lever at the top of the white box. I just replaced the keyboard on an Hp dv6500 and it took less than 10 minutes. Again, thank you for taking the time to help many of us out and I am sure many others in the future.
Tom
Thank you so much for posting this article.
It solved my problem!!
Thank you very very much!!!!!!!! It was very easy to follow the steps you wrote!!!
Thanks Kev! You saved our lives with your step by step instructions. We loved the photos as well. You helped us more than any IT department would. I would definetely recommend your site to a friend.
thanks for your help.your intruction were right on the money
Thanks mate, easy to follow directions best on the net getting the ribbon wire in was a slight chore but once in all fitted perfectly
Thank you for your help
Kind regards Peter
This was perfect for me! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. I followed your instructions and they worked great!
Thanks so much! You saved me $390. I ordered a Chinese keyboard for under $30 and with your excellent tutorial I fixed it myself and I have ZERO computer know-how.
Great tips. I know the photographs are a pain to work through, but they really give one the warm and fuzzy feeling throughout the process. Thanks.
Thanks a lot Kevin. This was exactly what I was looking for. The instructions couldn’t get any better (of course, a youtube video would have made it easier to find).
I got this at Sam’s Club as a clearance item for $150. It was a display, so people had a chance to screw with it, so it was missing 10 keys. HP wouldn’t stand behind it (very unusual for them) and wanted to sell me a new keyboard module for $56. I found it on eBay for $9.95. With the deal from Sam’s, the vendor on eBay and your clear instruction, I have a hell of a computer for even twice the price. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hi, Kevin,
My 2 year old picked off 25% of the keys from my HP Pavilion dv9208nr notebook. I ordered the replacement from HQRP for $19.99 (with shipping it was about $27.00). I used your guide to remove and install since the models were visually very similar, and it works fine! Thank you very much!!
Sincerely,
Judy
Philadelphia, PA
Kevin,
I am forever thankful for this post. I am a complete tech newbie and took a risk by purchasing a keyboard on ebay and trying to install it with these directions you posted. Needless to say I am typing to you right now with my new keyboard. It was easy and I did it all in about 20 min thanks to your pictures and directions. Yes inserting the new cable into the slot was a pain because I took a while to locate the black lever that was underneath the white box, but other than that, my installation went without a hitch. I recommend this to any and everyone. Saved me hundreds that would have been lost if I sent it in to HP. Thanks again and keep it up!
Nick
Thanks for description..Very Helpful.. Great Job!!!!
Thanks for the guide, it helped me with a HP nx7400.
Cheers!
Thanks so much for this, your pictures helped with putting the cable in because I thought the cable wasn’t going in all the way, but after zooming in on my iPhone I noticed it was fine, very helpful. I used this for a dv6265us, same keyboard, just a little annoying locking the LCD back into place to screw it in afterwards.
Than you!
Ciao, after one cup of thea, my laptop was death…
Thank you to save my laptop and my money (250 euro for hp assistance….and 20 euro for buy the italian keyboard on ebay)!!
Grazie grazie grazie!
ciao kevin, God bless you!
I’m so glad to have found this tutorial! I have a dv6500 and also sent off for the keyboard after mine got destroyed. And as soon as I get up my nerve I’ll begin replacing the keyboard with this excellent thread open, of course.
Thanks for taking the time, Kevin.
Just changed my keyboard(DV7) using your instructions worked a treat glad you mentioned the cable retaining levers i had two one on the keyboard and one connected to the top shield bit fiddly but you saved me money cheers
Gracias desde Perú!! Con tu ayuda fue más facil de lo que pensé!! Ahorré mucho dinero!!
Thousand of thanks for the time you spent to illustrate your process of changing a keyboard. I took me exactly 4 minutes to do the job.
Best regards,
Craig
Thanks so much for the detailed directions..I fixed it myself in 20 mins, and it was inexpensive. Great!!!
Kevin,
It looks like it has been a couple of years since you made your tutorial on the keyboard replacement. I too would like to first of all thank you for the trouble you went to and secondly tell you the way you put it together is professional all the way. My niece came to visit with her 5 week old and I watched her pull out her HP DV6000 along with a full blown m/s keyboard + the A/C charger. She told me HP wanted $175 to replace the keyboard. I ordered a new one from “screenaid” on E-bay for a total of $13.79 on a monday and had it in my mailbox on Thurday. I searched You-tube for installation video for quite a while without any luck. I was about to try and find a similar model but Googled it and found yours. My lucky day, not to mention Katie’s as well. 10 minutes tops. This is your calling Kevin! Could not have been any more on target. Now we are waiting for the new battery and she will be back in business.
Oh, and by the way I told Katie when I removed the old k/board it looked like the remnants of baby formula and a double latte had dried up in there. Thanks again Dano
Many thanks for your excellent advice and extremely useful photos! Everything went well until I tried to get the keyboard cable reconnected to the white connector. This is in the area of your note:
——————
First, carefully insert the new cable into the slot. Be careful not to damage it, the cables are fragile.
Update: “The connector slot has a lever the pins are connected to the white box and the black lever at the bottom of the white box can be pulled towards the screen. This will loosen the keyboard cable. If you press that black lever back it will fix the cable.” Thanks, alex for the tip!
———————–
I tried many times, and each time after assembly the keyboard worked except for a ‘band’ of keys; ty-gh-bn, for instance. Next time it was qw-as-zx. Turned out it was that pesky black ‘lever’, or compression strip.
I finally tried securing the cable, FIRST
previous note, continued:
I used scotch tape to make sure the cable didn’t slip out, then with the scotch tape holding the cable in place I concentrated on getting the black compression ‘lever’ snapped in. Worked like a charm.
Again, thanks so much for your efforts
Don Caley
I found two black compression “things” on each side of the white box that the cable connected to. I too had a hard time keeping both of those slid out in the “up” position, while simultaneously inserting the cable completely, but by folding the cable similarly to the old cable I was able to keep it close enough to the box to push it in and then secure it by pushing in the two black slidey “things” on each side. Thanks everyone and especially Kevin!
I desperately need that black clip (zif connector) does ANYONE know for sure how to get one, based on past experience? Please help!!!
Will the clip come off/on the connector if you had one or is it somehow attached perm. and require MB replacement? I’m looking all over for just a clip for you. Good luck.
Preston
Kevin, Thanks for the great post and pictures. I was able to help a friend replace his keyboard today. Could not have done it without you.
It may be the 160 Comment, it might have helped lot many people more.
Thanks a lot Kev for a great Post.
This post is the gift that keeps on giving. My laptop and I are eternally grateful.