HP17BII will not power on

[KD8TZC]

I have an HP 17BII that I used to get myself through my MBA, so it has some sentimental value to me. I hadn't used it for a while, and I tried to power it up and it would not start. I thought the batteries were dead so I replaced them with fresh ones and I heard a beep and it came to life. Later, when I went to power it off, nothing... it was as if it did not recognize the command. I tried just hitting the CLR key which shares the same key (minus the yellow shift key) and it would not clear. I was able to power it off by removing the batteries, but now when I put them back in it will not power on.

Sounds like the unit is having a problem with that key. Is there something I can try to fix it?