Chosen Solution
The lid of my laptop no longer latches. There are two posts on the lid which snap into recessed holes on the body. It seems there might be springs which grab the posts, but have lost their “springiness”. The posts no longer latch into place when I close the lid.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do in this circumstance; it’s a problem that most aging 6930’s see, and HP has since made design changes to improve the latching mechanism. You could try replacing the base cover with a newer one, as that assembly should be included, or try bending the spring-pushed latching bar to have a better grip. Both require a considerable amount of work, tearing the machine down to it’s core, and aren’t guaranteed to resolve the problem. The new LCDs have thinner clips that latch easier, and the internal latch bar is metal instead of plastic. I, sadly, had to replace the base cover on about 2000 machines in 2009-2010. Good luck!
I tried bending the pins forward a small amount,it got one pin to catch when shut. But I was holding my breath as I am a tool maker and know “bending” that small pin is risky and a short way to fix it. But unless you are mechanically inclined and tech savvy, I would just get a stick on Velcro strip and place a piece on each end Safer and I also noticed the screen or lid had a slight warp in it. So if yours also is warped(lol couldn’t help it) I would go with my Velcro fix.
Having read this thread I replaced the base and yes it did involve a considerable amount of work. Once completed I had the same problem. I therefore turned my attention to the pins. With the screen bezel removed I found I could bend each pin slightly towards the base, this I did and I placed a spacer behind each pin block. I then reassembled and “Hey Presto” one working catch.
The left lid latch didn’t work on my (12 yr old) new-to-me HP 8760W. It’s apparently been an old workhorse/battleax, I can see it’s been opened numerous times before, but at least the case and ribbons/connectors damage is minimal. Guessing the tech was fairly competent. Reason I was inside was for CPU and video card upgrades and cleaning, and evaluation of internal condition. While in there I inspected and repaired the mount for the latch where the threaded insert had broken out of the base cover. When done I had the latch release slider mechanism working and aligned to my satisfaction, but the lid still didn’t latch on the left side, I decided to table that issue for the time. After reading this thread today I considered it and decided that perhaps bending the pin was worth a try, so I did a little and it kind of caught, but would still slip out. Then I looked closely and decided maybe a little twist and a little more bend in the pin might help… and PRESTO! It actually latches now!!! Thanks for this old thread and all who participated!!!
