Resolved Laptop Keyboard, right side not working

Hello,

Can anyone offer a suggestion or point me in the right direction to fix the mother-inlaws laptop.

It's a HP Compaq 6720s running Vista SP2 with an Intel Celeron M CPU 1.73Ghz and 1GB of RAM.

For the last month or so she has been using a USB keyboard because the right side of the laptop keyboard has keys that don't work for example enter, delete back space the direction arrows O, P to name a few.
To start with I checked underneath them but didn't see any problems, so I bought a new keyboard, I have installed this today and the same problem is present.

She has also been using a USB mouse. This is mostly because my son plays games on it. (I have noticed touchpad left click button seems to be slow at log on screen)

Is it possible that the touchpad could be faulty and causing bad signals with the keys?
Or a setting that needs to be altered to stop the current lack of function?

Thanks docdoom

 

I have tried uninstalling the keyboard and the pointer device from device manager and letting them reinstall on Bootup. This didn't fix the problem. The system is running slow upon start up and during tasks, this may or may not be related to the problem.

I am in the middle of doing a clean up of the system. Vista would also run better with 2GB of RAM but this is how the laptop was bundled. HP

 

If clean reformat does not fix it, by restoring to default settings, then it is faulty. Reset bios, might reset motherboard settings. Awkward that it would partially work oppose to being fully unusable.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I have thought about the clean install,

I have also thought about running XP Pro instead of Vista on it as it has only 1Gb of RAM. Doing a fresh install is something I would like to avoid if possible because of the time it take to update. (I have sp 1 & 2 for both OS's)

I have tested the new keyboard in DOS it still has the same problam which proves it to be a hardware fault, ran some AV programs and malware programs, doing a registry cleaner, will then run a system speed up both by Uniblue. (to allow time for other replys)

After talking to a friend he reckons that the ZIF that come from the mobo to the connector used by the keyboard cable may be damaged and need replaced which would involve soldering.

thanks for your suggestion once again.

 

Have you checked with HP to see if there is a BIOS upgrade?
Quite often updates by the manufacturer are developed to overcome/rectify problems. Just my thoughts. Cheers Neil.

 

It is most likely the keyboard buffer - a motherboard problem. Sticking with the external keyboard is probably the best bet.

Unless the BIOS is corrupt, I don't see this being a BIOS problem. And if corrupt, I think you would have more serious problems.

I would avoid a reformat. That is ALWAYS a last ditch effort as it puts you months, if not years behind in security updates. And with notebooks, being so darn proprietary, you MUST ensure you have all the necessary drivers on hand before starting.

XP is a 10 year operating system designed to support 25 year-old DOS era hardware. Look forward, not back.

I would NEVER use a registry cleaner, and especially a "optimizer" to fix a broken Windows. I think you are asking for dead computer.

 

Thanks for the advice bill,

Here is where I am at now, I tried to view the BIOS settings using F10 but there was a password that I didn't know so after some research found that Compac is usually a backdoor password, it didn't work.

The I found out about resetting the password using this method;

"If it is the BIOS password (not the power-on password) then try the following procedure. It worked for us on a selection of HP laptops including 2510p, 6910p and 8510w models.

1) Turn off computer
2) Disconnect AC adapter
3) Remove battery pack, and remove the laptops keyboard
4) Disconnect RTC (Real Time Clock) battery (located underneath the keyboard, the red/white wire) ((this was red/black on mine))
5) Leave off for fifteen minutes
6) Reconnect the RTC battery and reassemble the laptop
7) Reconnect AC adapter (DO NOT REINSERT THE MAIN LAPTOP BATTERY AT THIS TIME!)
8) Turn on the computer and enter the BIOS by pressing F10
9) Set the new BIOS password and save all settings.
10) Turn off the laptop and reinsert the battery. "

After doing this most of the right side keys now seem to work.

Confirmed not working are: left and right arrow keys and delete the pg up, pg down and end are keys I don't use but will test them later.

Also I have noticed that when I tried to use both vista and XP install disks they are not picking up the C: as being a hard disk drive.
The OS still loads and operates?

Thanks for your advice and help.

 

It might still be worth a visit to HP to check BIOS updates for your Laptop. Neil.

 

I agree with retiredlearner - though in spite of his name, I doubt highly he has stopped learning!

Not sure what you mean by the C drive is not being picked up. Are you able to boot to the install disks?

 

There is only one inter HDD and one DVD drive. The C: is the drive that currently has Vista installed as its operating system.

There are two hidden partitions on it to do with HP no doubt, I solved the problem of it 'not being found'? when I tried a fresh install.

I removed the HDD from the laptop and reconnected it, after switching laptop back on it installed the drive.

I will try the BIOS (retiredlearner) updatefrom the HP site, I also grabbed all the other drivers while there incase I need them.

When I follwed the steps to reset the password after pressing F10 the blue box prompts to set password, so I type in what I wanted, then it asks again then I enter it again to confirm, it then asks a 3rd time after doing so a star appears (thought this was it saved), When trying to enter BIOS with new password it doesn't work, its like it hasn't saved.

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for the help will keep yous posted.

 

I've only glanced at this thread but I do have doubts that it is a BIOS issue (guys the USB keyboard works), it's either a keypad/ZIF/motherboard problem. Stop looking at firmware and seriously look at hardware.

My suggestion is if it is only irritable stick with USB keyboard, otherwise take the laptop into a store for servicing.

 

Sorry for delay I've been over run with stuff just now going to be a dad again on 28th next month. Will check it out this weekend and post back, but it look like it will be a case of stick with usb keyboard.

Weird how the BIOS will not let me save the changed password for it?
Thanks for all the help guys!

Consider the main issue solved.

docdoom.

 

Thanks for letting us know and congrats on your awaiting rugrat, my sister had a wee baby girl yesterday morning (01:30), must be something in the air

 

Or the water lol

forgot to mark as solved, fixed now