Here's a picture from a keyboard I removed awhile ago that had the 8611 boot error. It was recently asked if it is possible
to just replace the Trackpoint, but as you will see, it's not that
easy. I have already removed the G, H, V and B keys (and the red rubber knob) from the keyboard by gently prying them up.
They are held on by tiny clamps and pins so there's a good chance that one or the other will break, rendering that key (and
keyboard) useless. There were four tiny philips screws that held the Trackpoint to the board as indicated by the four
red circles.
This is the back side of the keyboard showing that the Trackpoint is held in place by a bracket to which the four screws
are attached. (Note sure what the significance of the "X" and "O" on there is. This was a working Trackpoint for a number
of months.)
After the screws are removed you can just lift the bracket off, but it looks the same doesn't it? This is actually the frame
that is attached to the Trackpoint. I have also removed the black tape to the right exposing the ribbon cable that connects
the Trackpoint to the keyboard. I could find no obvious way of removing that cable, short of tearing the entire keyboard
apart.
This next part took some doing. The Trackpoint is attached to the keyboard by a rectangular piece of double-sided sticky
foam. It was impossible to separate the foam from the metal of the frame or the keyboard and I ended up ripping the foam
apart. Given that the ribbon cable is still connected and that it appears like the only way to get to the other end of
it is to remove the entire keyboard from the bezel, it's just doesn't seem worth it to spend the time (and the possibility
of doing more damage to the keyboard) for this type of repair.