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In this guide I will remove and replace defective keyboard in a Gateway M-Series notebook. In my case the notebook model is: M-6846 but this guide will work for all other Gateway M-Series notebooks. If my guide works for you, please mention the notebook model number in comments below.
STEP 1.
Turn off the notebook, remove the battery.
Remove one keyboard securing screw on the bottom.
STEP 2.
Carefully lift up one side of the speaker cover with a small flat head screwdriver.
STEP 3.
Continue removing the speaker cover with your fingers.
Be careful, there will be a cable connecting the LED board and motherboard under the cover.
STEP 4.
Remove two screws securing the keyboard.
STEP 5.
Lift up the keyboard and remove it from the laptop base.
STEP 6.
Now you can access the keyboard cable connector on the motherboard.
You’ll have to unlock the connector before disconnecting the cable and removing the keyboard.
In order to unlock the keyboard connector carefully move the locking clip about 2 millimeters to the direction shown by two arrows.
On the picture below you can see connector in the unlocked state.
STEP 7.
Now you can pull the cable from the connector and remove the keyboard.
Replace keyboard with a new one.
You can find a new keyboard for your Gateway M-Series notebook using the keyboard part number from the sticker.
In my case the part number is: AESA6U00020. Search for a new keyboard here.
In the previous guide I explain how to replace the broken screen in the same Gateway M-Series notebook.
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October 30th, 2009 at 2:39 am
after replacing my keyboard, non of the keys is working. help lpiz.
October 30th, 2009 at 7:07 am
kiki,
Most likely the keyboard cable is not plugged correctly into the connector on the motherboard.
Unlock the connector and reseat the cable. Make sure it’s seated properly.
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:57 pm
If you remove your laptop’s keyboard can you use a usb keyboard instead?
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Cenk Uygur,
Yes, you should be able to use an external USB keyboard when the internal keyboard is disconnected from the motherboard.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Thanks for the prompt reply. I would like to use my laptop with a usb keyboard while I wait for my replacement keyboard to arrive. Is it safe to use the laptop with motherboard exposed?
November 4th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Cenk Uygur,
It depends. If you are careful you can. I do it all the time when I have to test laptops.
Just don’t touch anything.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
i know this is about the keyboard, but my screen broke, i replaced it. the backlight no longer works. so i have it connected to my tv. what buttons do i press to change it from lcd display to the tv display? something like fn + f5? it is an acer extensa. if you have no idea i understand completely.. but im lost. thanks much!
November 7th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
oh and uhm. i cant see the screen. haha. thank you captain obvious i know. but yeah.. thanks
November 7th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Nick,
I think it’s Fn+F5 for Acer laptops. Press on the Fn key and at the same time press on the F5 key. You might need to press on the F5 a few times until it switches from the laptop to TV.
Also, make sure the TV is set correctly and ready for the signal from your laptop.
By the way, I have another post for Gateway M-series for replacing the LCD screen. Check it out: http://www.insidemylaptop.com/replace-broken-lcd-screen-gateway-m-series-laptop/
December 7th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Gateway M-68xx notebook – has the screw labeled “K” mentioned in Step 1 *AND* a screw under the battery (mine is marked “M2.5×3″) which secures the keyboard/speaker cover.
This is not mentioned here:
http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/8512949.pdf
and I about snapped the thing off before I thought to flip it over and look to see “what the heck is holding this thing on?”
Also, instead of screws, there are only pegs holding the keyboard in place underneath the cover…
December 21st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
I have a gateway m 6846 laptop and my keyboard keys are not working properly. They don’t correspond to the key that I press. Is there a way to rest the keys or is it much worst and I have to replace the hole keyboard with a new one?
December 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Matt,
Do you have this problem with some particular keys or all of them do not work properly?
January 1st, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I have a m6846 and my keyboard keys are ok, it’s the left key on my touch pad that has stopped working. Pressing on it does nothing other than make a clicking sound. Do you know of a reference for how to troubleshoot and correct that problem? Thank you.
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Andi,
I cannot tell what’s going on without disassembling the laptop. It’s necessary to remove the top cover and take a look at the button and left key.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:13 am
Thank you. It appears that the left mouse button when pressed engages another button underneath that is broken. It is part of the motherboard and I am told I would have to replace the motherboard to fix it.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Andi,
This is correct. There are small switches underneath plastic mouse buttons. When you press on the left or right button, you actually engage switches underneath.
These buttons-switches are soldered directly to the motherboard. If one of the switches fails, you’ll have to replace it with a new one or replace the entire motherboard.
It’s possible that there is nothing wrong with the left but the plastic button-cover is broken. It’s necessary to disassemble the laptop and take a look at the left button from the bottom side.
January 17th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
My M-Series (M-6888U) has a differnt speaker cover. It has one additional screw holding the cover in place. It is located in the lower left area of the battery compartment with M2.5×3 (screw size) embossed in the plastic. This must be removed to release the speaker cover.
Another difference is my keyboard was only held in place by the one bottom screw. The screws shown in step 5 did not exist. This is probably due to the speaker cover being different in design (has an additional volume button & indicator lights).
Thanks so much for all your instructions. This was my first attempt fixing a laptop (Coke is not the best drink for laptops
.