broken mouse buttons on a thinkpad T23

[westonts]

I've seen some posts around the internet about one or the other button working and switching the left click to the right button and things like this, but in this case both (or all three, in that the back button has never done anything for me) are broken. Guessing it's the hardware? What is this part called? How to I go about replacing it?

[rkawakami]

The TrackPoint (mouse) buttons are part of the keyboard assembly. Sometimes stuff gets underneath the keycaps and prevents the rubber domes from being compressed like they should. You could try lifting them off and seeing if there's an obstruction. I generally use a small screwdriver to pry up the front edge of the button; the middle (longer) one is tougher to do.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then the usual thing to do is replace the entire keyboard. It's easy to take it off and they are fairly cheap.