Laptop Problem.

JeremyS244 · March 26, 2020

Long time ago I took apart my laptop and lost all the screws. The laptop still works however 2 of the USB slots do not work as well as the keyboard not working at all.

Would the lack of screws result in this?

could it be the tabs (don’t know the scientific name) inside the laptop that connect the keyboard to the motherboard?

Any answers would be very much appreciated!

The laptop is an Acer Aspire E15 N3540

thanks in advance!

jjbeebe · March 27, 2020

The short answer is yes when it comes to possible damage. loose connections and breaking ribbon cables/connectors etc.. all can happen depending on the laptop and how much it is messed with.

JeremyS244 · March 27, 2020

Thanks very much for the reply!

Glad to know that’s the problem!

Applefreak · March 27, 2020

I am not familiar with old Acer laptops but usually the keyboard is connected with an orange flexcable (flat ribbon cable). I've had USB and Ethernet ports fail over time due to usage (breaking solder joints on the PCB) as well as resistors and fuses that went to pc heaven. If you have a little Louis Rossman inside of you, there might be a challenge waiting.

No, but seriously, I do not think missing screws would do something to a plastic shell, meaning it is not conductive. However if one of the screws is still inside the laptop, it might have come in contact with some connector on the board. Sometimes the ribbon cable of the keyboard has a connector on the end that will plug into a small connector on the motherboard that has tiny pins, maybe check if they are all there and if the cable is loose.

One thing to note is that sometimes the cooling unit also pushes down on the cpu, if that is loose you will have bad contact with a lot of things, not explaining the keyboard and usb issues though as you board has a south bridge for the USB ports and the keyboard has it's own connector. I am probably not the right person to ask, maybe post some pictures of the board and someone here can help you diagnose something.