16 replies to this topic

[iGuest]

issue with function key Laptop Keyboard Problem

my letters that have function keys will not type the letters unless the function key is pressed how do I fix that?

-question by marie holland

[iGuest]

laptop function key not working!Laptop Keyboard Problem

The [Fn] key on my inspiron 6000 laptop  has stopped working I rarely use it but it is handy for quick access to certain functions   the combinations are working OK so maybe I have locked this or something anybody able to help me   Thank You Mary

-question by Mary Butler

 

[iGuest]

function [Fn] key problemLaptop Keyboard Problem

Hi! All

every time I have to use any function key, I have to simultaneously press Fn key and desired function key..

for example:

for refreshing a page I have to press "Fn+F5"

which becomes way too annoying while playing some games...

 

so is there any way I can use the desired function key without pressing the Fn key

Thakns

Narak Putra

[k_nitin_r]

Hi!

I had an old Compaq Presario 2132EA laptop with keys that went dead and no amount of cleaning, prodding, or shaking would get the 'B' key working again. Eventually, the problem extended to the spacebar too. The laptop was about 6 years old so it did live its lifetime. I would have got an external USB keyboard, but I thought it wasn't worth it - I used it as a terminal server and would connect to it from a newer laptop to run some stuff on it. Eventually, the power connector on the motherboard went loose so it would occasionally turn itself off. It would also, at times, overheat and the fail-safe would kick in and shut it off. The laptop has since been retired, but it may rise again if it sees any practical use in an electronics project somewhere.

I have another laptop, the IBM Thinkpad T60 that had rice fall into it and, as you know, rice has a tendency to become as solid as a rock when it dries up. When you drop cookie crumbles into a computer, the crumbles do eventually break up, but the rice stays as-is. I haven't been able to shake it out, but whenever I do pack up my laptop and carry it around, the rice does move around so the 'dead keys' tend to shift too. When the problem first started off, the 'E' key wouldn't work. Then, it shifted to under the '9' key. I managed to get out the larger pieces that prevent keys from working entirely, but I think there are still tiny bits that sometimes make keys harder to push or require more than one keystroke to press although it is quite rare now... either the rice managed to get lodged in some corner where it won't mess with the normal operation of the keyboard or there's bacteria in there that disintegrated it. In either case, I'm glad it's working well again. Those folks at IBM sure did design some solid stuff while they owned the Thinkpad line and Lenovo continues to do so in the T-series of Thinkpads.

I did come across some strange keyboard problems in Dell laptops that were under 2 years old. Perhaps Dell computers had quality issues around 2000-2001 because it would be odd if five different computers used by five different people would have keyboard problems within two years of purchase. The problems always seemed to be around the Delete key, and back them Windows 2000 made it necessary to press Control, Alt, and DELETE to log into Windows. The problem was solved by 'borrowing' (read: stealing!) an external USB keyboard that belonged to one of the desktops whenever the computers had to be booted up. As soon as Windows would log them in, the keyboard would go around till all of the Dell laptops had been started up, and then the keyboard would be returned to its rightful owner, a Dell Slimline desktop PC (ironic, isn't it! Apparently, the owners of the Dell laptops failed to see the irony in the situation).

For most keyboard problems, laptops just have one pricey solution - go back to the service center and get your keyboard replaced. Since the keyboards are proprietary, they are sold at a premium and the service center insists on charging a heavy fee as the service charge too. Shuttle PC, apparently, wants to change that by coming up with a line of laptops that are built from standardized parts so they would use the exact same or interchangeable components between laptop models. How do they hope to accomplish that? Go figure! With desktop keyboards, you might as well just toss away they keyboard away and get a new one. There are so many economically priced desktop computer keyboards from China that you can afford to get a new keyboard every few months and can open up your closet to find half a dozen keyboards at the end of the year. Man, those manufacturing companies in China seem to have got a magical thing going on there!

[Iniyila]

My previous laptop which was a DELL Vostro 1500 was having problem in its keyboard from the first date, the keyboard was not fully working, i mean sometimes the "V" alphabet was not working and i had to hammer it for typing a V and this was really annoying, the keyboard itself was not completely right in its place and it was somehow loose and this was the reason i tried to change the keyboard of my laptop, i went to warranty and they gave me some choices, one was using another Vostro 1500 keyboard to see if my problem will solve or not but they also suggested me to change it with another keyboard form unknown brand but they said it will work for me 10 years and it will have 3 years warranty so i went for it, the keyboard was really nice and really fast, i never forget the experience it was the greatest keyboard i ever had, all keys were in black and when you touch them you hear nothing, no noise from keys so even in pure silence no one was able to hear me typing something. also it was very durable that i was supposing to break it in one or two year but it worked till the past year when i sold the laptop to my friend and he said that the keyboard is awesome too, i said this because i know many new laptops are having really bad keyboard so try to see if you can find any alternative keyboard for your notbook and sometimes you really find some interesting ones.

Now my current notebook is DELL XPS L501 and the keyboard is silver, now the notebook comes with interesting specifications and it is really good in performance but the keyboard is just annoying. it makes a lot of noise when you want to type something and this really goes on my nerves sometimes when i want to type in night and its just 3AM and everything is silent. it is not very sensitive and this is not a good thing because you have to hammer the keys for getting a response and in playing online game it just get you killed by enemies just everytime you want to run. another problem is that it gets dirty very soon, i need to clean it every day and this because of its color, in my previous black keyboard i was cleaning it every two or three months but now i have to clean the keyboard everyday. so i was thinking to get another keyboard for this notebook too so i went to warranty and said them that i want to change the keyboard but they only gave me one choice and it is the default keyboard so i can't again enjoy my life using a very well built keyboard. now i'm just wasting my time with this annoying keyboard and it is really bad feeling to type with a bad keyboard after working with a nice keyboard for 3 years. however it seems that with this laptop getting older and older the sound that the keyboard makes goes lower and the sensitivity becomes more, i don't know to be happy or sad because i don't know these are signs of getting destroyed or getting better anyway for know it seems to getting better.

Now about changing keyboard or a key itself you need to read the users manual, at least in all laptops i had in the manuals there where a detailed step by step tutorial about how changing part like keyboard or H.D.D or Ram, so i suggest you to read the manual to see if you find any details about changing keyboard in it. if you haven't found any details i suggest you to get your notebook to warranty or an expert because keyboards of notebooks are having very sensitive wires which can be damaged if you don't care while installing them, so if it is the first time you want to change a keyboard and you don't have a manual for doing that then it is better to be careful because you can loose the money you have paid for keyboard very easily .

[k_nitin_r]

Changing the keyboard of the computer is a common activity at the server centers and the technicians have a service manual on how to change it. You may be able to find the service manual online; I believe Dell provides the service manuals on its website.

@Iniyila

I'm not really sure of why the service center offered you a keyboard of an unknown brand for the Dell Vostro 1500 because Dell authorized service centers are paid by Dell for the replacement of parts under warranty so they always fit the genuine Dell parts. When you went in for the Dell XPS L501, the service center staff did what they were supposed to - they offered you a genuine Dell keyboard replacement.

If you are looking for good laptop keyboards, take a look at Lenovo Thinkpads. They are well-known for their keyboards and trackpoints. It may not win you any awards for its looks, but that's where AlienWare and its likes make their mark.

I haven't had to clean a keyboard everyday - all I do is clean up the screen whenever it gets dusty. Occasionally, I hold the keyboard upside-down (along with the rest of the laptop, of course) but that still doesn't get everything out of there - I know there's enough to feed an ant colony but as long as it does not affect the functionality of the keyboard, it should be pkay. Using an external USB keyboard ought to help if the functionality of the keyboard is being affected by objects obstructing the motion of the keys on the keyboard.