# my Dell laptop has a fried keyboard... what now?



## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

So I have a dell inspirion 1520. i got it in 2007. laptop works great, but i had a choking incident with some coffee one morning and my laptop got the brunt of it. I am darn sure I have fried the keyboard... its been through all drying processes (weeks now) and after being reconnected it just isnt working anymore. 

Aside from getting a USB keyboard and plugging it in (would that even work?) is there a way to fix this problem? Im not against the external keyboard option either, i mean the laptop has given me 4 great years and its still going strong... I dont mind limping it through a few more.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

You will be lucky to get it working with an external keyboard. You may have fried the main board 

I know an HP keyboard was $75 5 years ago plus labour !

iPad 2 for Christmas.


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

Ok... Well the laptop turns on.... So this is where I am wondering how the computer could be toast?? I have a lot of photos on there


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## misdem (Jul 30, 2011)

best to find a computer savvy friend! 

the pictures should be recoverable. just ask your friend to take out the laptop hard drive and connect it to another computer to recover and backup the photos.


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

Ok ill take it to my cousin in kelowna when I head down there in december


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Katienaha, I replaced my Dell Inspiron 1420's keyboard myself. It was easy. 

As long as it's just the keyboard that's broken and not the computer, you should be able to fix it.

Several keys on my keyboard stopped working over time. Dell mailed me a new keyboard. I just popped the cover off the keyboard on the laptop, disconnected the connection, connected the new one (very easy, pretty much plug and play), snapped the cover back into place. It did not take more than ten minutes and most of that was just spent reading online instructions over and over to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. 

Why not contact Dell? I'm not sure what they charge for the keyboard. My computer is 4 years old but it's under warranty.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

i replaced the keyboard on my dell laptop like morainy says it is verry easy .


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

If the new key board doesn't work I would guess the main board is fried, The next thing to do is get a really big drill put a hole in one corner attach a chain and now you have a new boat anchor :lol:. Seriously though it sucks when they die, but now a days it's not worth spending too much trying to repair a computer. Christmas is coming!!!


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Coffee in a laptop and just the keyboard ? IMHO, not worth spending $75 and take a chance that it is something else. I took my boss' laptop to the shop. It all thought it is "most likely" the keyboard. Ordered the keyboard, replaced the keyboard ..... nop, not the keyboard. God thing I've been dealing with the guy for years and he took the keyboard back and charged only $50 for labour.


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

I would back up the hard drive, or at least get the important stuff backed up before you do anything else, just to be on the safe side. That is if you are able to


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

take out the key board it is above the main board on dells chec it out see if there is any dark spots , there are placs that u can get generic k boards from i got a new batery and power cord for my insperon . they are factory replacements and work just fine. imo dell sucks they use the cheapest parts and charge u for a brand name computer , get an msi or asus if your going to replace it . there big name companies and they have good warrenties and they last a long time


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