Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

And then you want to have the following things:

The repair or maintenance manual from manufacturer or downloaded

from the Internet support page of maker

One or more small flat-blade screwdrivers

One or more small Phillips-blade screwdrivers

One or more nonconductive plastic picks to lift parts

An antistatic strip or grounding plate

A set of labeled storage containers for parts

A notebook and pencil to note your progress

Table 10-1 shows the dos and don’ts for removing and replacing a keyboard.

Table 10-1 Replacing a Keyboard — Dos and Don’ts

Do Don’t

Do be cautious when removing a Don’t touch the connectors or pins on any

cable. Pull on its connector, not on cable; the natural oils on your fingers can

the cable itself. Putting strain on the interfere with electrical conductance.

cable could pull wires out of their

attachment points.

Do note the orientation of any cable Don’t crimp or twist any ribbon cables, which

as you remove it from its connection can result in a short.

point; there should be matching

arrows or triangles. If none are

obvious, make a small arrow mark

on the connector and its matching

attachment point to help with

reinstallation.

Do hold any component by its plas- Don’t bend pins or twist cables out of their

tic or nonconductive edges. Touch- holders; look for release catches on the sides

ing metal parts, including connec- of connectors.

tors, could send a static charge into

the electronics or add oil from your

fingers that adds resistance to the

electrical connection.

Here’s a sample of the process for the removal and replacement of a key-
board on just one machine, a Dell Inspiron laptop. You can get a sense of the
work involved in Figure 10-1.

Chapter 10: Tripping the Keyboard Fantastic 171