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I have a 2007 macbook pro and two keys are not working on the built in keyboard.

I tried cleaning the keys by removing the keys and the plastic under it but that didn't help.

After removing the keys, tried to depress the plastic blob underneath to make it work but that didn't work either.

What options do I have? Am planning to take it to the local apple store to see what can be done if all else fails

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4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

Your two options are roughly;

  1. You can still take it into the Apple Store, and they can repair it. Obviously, for a cost. Your question notes that you appear to need a whole new keyboard tray, as it's not just a key dead at the surface-level. I don't know how much this would cost, you could perhaps call ahead to save you a trip and essentially just get an expected quote.

  2. Fix it yourself. I love iFixIt for this purpose, start at their MacBook Pro parts page, pick your MacBook Pro's size/model, and check the price for the "upper case" part. I can't imagine that specific key death could be anything other than the keyboard tray and particular circuit boards attached to it.

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On average, the keyboard is about $100 USD: powerbookmedic.com/Keyboards--Keys-p-1-c-440.html Repair is not all that hard (depending on how proficient one is with their hands). – cksum Sep 27 '11 at 21:12
1  
Don't assume that it's the topcase and it's logic circuits. In my experience there's also a high chance that the actual keyboard itself is at fault and can be replaced more cheaply. But you'd really need both parts to be able to diagnose which is at fault. Take it to Apple or an AASP. – macaco Sep 28 '11 at 7:52
up vote 0 down vote

If you take it to the Apple Store as VxJasonxV mentioned, they normally charge a flat fee to repair it off-site, regardless of what's wrong with it. They'll repair anything that's broken for that one off charge. I think it was something around 280 (plus tax) for a Macbook, Pro may be a bit more. So if the keyboard is the only thing broken, I would definitely go the DIY route.

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If you feel confident with screwdriver you can just buy keyboard from ebay. There are plenty of these keyboards. And install it using this guide from ifixit.

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up vote 0 down vote

I have had the same problem especially if it is cold (MacBook Pro (2010)). Usually I can solve it by pressing Alt/Opt and the key you want to work (don't ask how I came up with that solution). It might not work for you but that is what I do.

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