I'm about to save you 50 bucks

... if you own a HP Pavilion zv5000 notebook, that is.

Yesterday I had the thrilling experience of accidentally popping one of the keys off my keyboard. Not thrilling, I can tell you. It was the comma key too! A very important key. I was in trouble!

So I thought I'd tell you all how to fix it, seeing as I could find no internet articles on the subject, and I gather that you too are not about to replace your keyboard for the sake of one little key.

- NOTE - : No guarantee is implied by me giving you this information! You follow my instructions at your own risk, because I am NOT, and will never be, a computer technician.

Here goes: Turn your computer off and unplug it. You'll notice that the mechanism that holds your keys up is a two-way square hinge thingy. You should be able to lift this up by gently sticking your nail underneath one side and *gently* lifting it up. Now, you need to find something in your house that is small and thin enough to prop up this hinge without breaking it and without preventing the key from attaching to the hinge. I used the round end of a bobby pin.

Gently lift the hinge thingy and put the bobby pin under the side closest to the monitor. Have a look at the underneath of your key: Assuming it's not broken, at the bottom of the key there will be a place into which you can slide the lower end of the hinge (this end has two little prongs sticking out on either side). Gently slide the key on from the bottom towards the top of your keyboard, making sure you catch the hinge within the little slot on your key.

Now you're ready to gently press the top of the key down at the bobby-pin end, so that the little peg things at the top attach to the top part of the hinge. Press one corner down at a time until you hear a click. The key should now be attached! Remove your bobby pin and voila!

Tip: Remember, you can gently press the surrounding keys down so that the bobby pin does not stop you from pushing the key onto the hinge. And sorry I've got no photos, I fixed it before I could take one. If you've got any questions, feel free to comment!

And for those of you reading this who have not yet popped a key off your keyboard, this post is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. Add to favourites until needed, or computer sold.