Keyboard problem

About a month or two ago, I started having problems on my keyboard with my number 4 and 5. They have been fine up until now, but recently, I have to hit the key 2 or 3 times before the number will appear. There is an on screen keyboard that works (it changes color when the cursor is over the 4 and 5; it also types those numbers when I click on the onscreen keyboard)--found in the Ease of Access folder in the start menu.

I tried uninstalling the keyboard driver and rebooting, but that iddn't change things. A few weeks ago I shot some compressed air under the 4 and 5 keys, hoping that this would fix it, but that didn't do anything.

The last few days, the windows key also is displaying this same annoying behavior. Sometimes, but not always, I have to hit it 3 or 4 times before it will open up and give me the start menu.

Anything else I can do?

 

My son had a keyboard problem similar to yours on his HP laptop a year or so ago. I don't think the pauses in input were for specific keys as is your issue. I googled and found some correlation of this problem to battery issues. His battery was very old. So I removed the battery, plugged the power cord in, booted the laptop and the problem was gone. He is still using the laptop without the battery. A new battery was pretty expensive so he decided to just leave the battery out and he uses the laptop as a desktop.

Doesn't cost anything so it's worth a try.

 

Is this the notebook listed in your My System specs?

Assuming this is a notebook, try connecting a PC keyboard and see what happens. If you have the same problem with an external keyboard, then replacing the notebook keyboard will not likely help. If the external keyboard works, you can replace the notebook keyboard, but it can be a bit of a challenge and may best be left to a pro. That said, if you don't use the computer as a mobile device, then living with a full size keyboard is pretty easy.

 

yes, the laptop is the same as the one listed in my system specs.

I plugged in a usb keyboard and all the keys are working fine, especially all the problem keys.

Replacing the keyboard should be no more difficult than re-connecting the current laptop keyboard after tearing it down. At this poitn I'm more worried about the expense of it, as I'm not sure that there are after-market keyboards, like they make aftermarket mice and usb keyboards.

 

Amazon has one for $30. Not bad.

 

Found another one for $19.

I'm ok with buying a new keyboard, but are there any other troubleshooting steps I can take to make sure that it is the keyboard? I'd rather not buy a new one unless I'm pretty sure.

 

One more thing. Is it possible that the problem(s) with the keyboard are simply due to the ribbon that connects the keyboard to the computer, being loosened from the port it rests in? Or is it a matter of, if the ribbon is plugged in, it is in, and all the keys will work, and if it isn't properly connected, none of them will?

 

A keyboard tester would be more than a new keyboard.

 

A loose cable can affect a number of keys, but not all the keys, depending on how loose the loose connection is. But plugging it back in securely would resolve that problem.

But a loose cable connection typically does not result with the same keys being affected for months because notebooks are mobile devices so the connector is likely to move about as the notebook is transported, changing which contacts are made or broken.

 

So its very unlikely to be a loose cable. Fair enough. I was pretty sure that I inserted it in tightly when I tore it down recently.

Anyways, unless someone comes up with other troubleshooting steps that I can take in the next day or two, I'll just order a replacement on amazon. They're cheaper than I thought they were. I was thinking that if they were too expensive, I'd just replace this laptop.... Unfortunately I can't let myself get away with that over a $25 part.

 

If the replacement ends up working, then have a shot at punching it (the old one). Vigorously and repeatedly.

Who knows?

 

I think my time would be better spent tracking down whoever encouraged me to buy a Toshiba, and then vigorously and repeatedly punching them.

 

Be sure to end the quest early, if the route leads to yourself [emoji33][emoji28]

 

I don't think it would, quite honestly. I would never have thought to buy one unless an expert on another forum first was talking about how reliable the Toshibas that he had bought, were. Then, there was a report that came out in 2009 or so, from an insurance company rating laptops for their reliability based on what percentage of a given company's insured laptops were requiring repairs. Toshiba did rather well in that study, although of course I'm not sure how representative that sample was....

Anyways, no major regrets, I've gotten my money's worth from it. Its just that I would have bought another one if I had to do it over again.

 

I have had great service from my Toshiba and will not hesitate to buy another, or recommend Toshiba notebooks to anyone looking to buy a new notebook.

So punching the old keyboard - that's okay. But the computer itself? It still works - no need to take it out on it.

I note that keyboards are pretty complex mechanical devices that literally get banged on all day long. Until Man can create perfection 100% of the time, there will always be samples that fail prematurely - even from the best makers.

 

The rub lies in the words "sample" and "average "

A reliable brand will have a greater proportion of cherries but you can still buy a lemon.

Model X may be more reliable than Model Y even though they are both the same brand.

Do you search for Claritin or loratadine?

Do you believe a positive review is just another purchased component?

 

Agreed, but the remaining of your comments don't illustrate that.

True. But a popular, reliable brand may have more failures too - simply because they sold more units. Corsair's problems were blown a bit out of proportion because of that. If you sell 1 million units and have a 1% failure rate, that's 10,000 failures and 10,000 unhappy customers. If you sell 100,000 units and have a 3% failure rate, that's only 3,000 unhappy customers.

My point all along.

Not applicable.

I don't understand.

 

Bill, my point was that the validity of a report on reliability depends on conditions of use, and on whether the sample of units tested during manufacturing or reported on after sale is truly representative of the average of all units. For example, insured laptops in office environments might see different use than those in households with teenaged gamers.

Claritin is the brand name, loratidine is the active ingredient. For example, if you believe Western Digital hard drives are superior to Seagate in terms of reliability, you would be better off looking for the WD ingredient inside the laptop rather than the brand name on the case.

The best known brand names garner lots of reviews, often positive. Reviewers may be gifted with an early, specially selected model (a sample of one) to evaluate. There are problems which only manifest themselves over time.

I like your Corsair example. Early failures may generate a large volume of negative thread comments which come up on search forever, even after the problem has been fixed. The better the brand reputation, the more outrage is expressed at any perceived lack of perfection.

 

Of course. That's just common sense. And that is where the greater number of samples results in greater accuracy. That is not "the rub ".

Loratidine is the generic name for the same thing.

It is like Kleenix and tissue. Same thing.

Okay. So? Again, this is common sense. And the pro reviewers know they may have a specially tweaked "sample ". This is part of the whole premise for Consumer Reports - where they send shoppers to Wal-mart and Kroger to buy samples off the shelf.

But for your example, it just illustrates you should not put total faith in one review.