e5530 Bezel

Where can I get a a new keyboard bezel for a e5530 with the top two mouse buttons as pictured here?

I replaced my keyboard with mouse with the trackpoint, but I don't have the top two buttons. It's quite a reach down to the bottom two buttons.

 

BTT - anyone?

 

BTT -- can anyone assist?

 

I'm still looking -- can anyone assist?

 

Unless it has changed since the E5520, the only way to add the two addition mouse buttons below the space bar is by replacing the “Palmrest Touchpad Assembly”. It’s a somewhat complicated project, depending on your level of comfort taking your system apart and (more importantly) put it back together so that it works! =)

But as a bit of encouragement, five years ago I was a nervous wreck just upgrading the RAM on my laptop. But now I’m cautiously comfortable with some of the most complex repairs and upgrades. I’ve installed several new displays, motherboards and even replaced the entire ‘base’ on my Latitude E6400. Amazingly, it survived a 10-foot drop onto a concrete floor and took the full impact on the right front edge before landing flat on it’s lid. It cracked the bottom base and a chunk about the size of my thumbnail broke off leaving a hole on the front edge just below the right palmrest. The palmrest was bowing up because of the damage below it and the lid was scratched form the final landing. The top edge of the display/lid was intact but the clear coat finish cracked and eventually most of it came off. But the latch held, the hard drive instantly came to life and when it booted, I was relieved to see that the display was also fine. I managed to fix the right palm rest and used it with the small hole in front for a while. But eventually I found the needed parts for very cheap and decided to do a major cosmetic restoration.

So far, I haven’t screwed anything up that I couldn’t fix or undo.

Anyway, there is a company called Parts People that specialize exclusively in new and refurbished parts for Dell laptops. They’re not the cheapest source, but they are the most knowledgeable and exceptionally helpful! They also have a 90-day warranty on anything they sell and a 30-day return policy. When I need more than one item, it’s also nice to be able to buy them all from one source and only pay one shipping fee. So I don’t mind paying an extra $10 or $20 for the peace of mind and great service. Obviously, you can buy from anyone you choose. But these guys can help you determine exactly what part (parts) you need and, personally, I wouldn’t ask for their time and advice and not buy from them.

In any case- PARTS PEOPLE website

Here is the part that I think you need, but they only seem to have it in stock with the fingerprint reader. If nothing else, this one would work if you can deal with a non-functional fingerprint reader on the right palmrest. Dualpoint Palmrest for E5530
e
OR they might be able to find one without the fingerprint reader for you. If they aren't able to supply the part, they have always been kind enough to give me the Dell Part Number so I can search for it elsewhere. Their website also has some great DIY videos to show you how to install a variety of parts.

I love using the TrackStick (Dell’s brand name for the pointing stick). Most people call them TrackPoint, the name of the the original and most well-known pointing stick from IBM/Lenovo. It’s kind of like calling all brands or cola as “Coke” which is something we all do here in the South. Toshiba is the only other brand, to my knowledge, that still offers a pointing stick on a large scale. Their Tecra business models have one and they call it AccuPoint. There are also numerous nicknames including eraser head and nipple mouse, not to mention some pretty vulgar ones that would violate this site’s TOS if I posted them. =)

But there’s a quick history/trivia lesson for you and hopefully some of my info will help!