Some keys not working properly on laptop. Keyboard is not the problem.

[Arcadio]

I've got this HP G60 laptop to fix. The a,z,q, tab, and caps lock keys don't work properly. Every time one of those keys is pressed, random characters appear on the screen. For example, if I press the "a" key, some of the characters that appear are ";l", "kkssf", "f", etc. Sometimes even the "Save As" window appears just by pressing one of those keys.

I already replaced the keyboard, but that didn't solve the problem. I asked the owner if she spilled something on the laptop, and she said no.

The same problem appears even under a Live OS, and under BIOS, so it's not an OS problem...

What could it be? The motherboard?

 

[JosephLeo]

It's likely that something has indeed spilled onto the laptop and has caused a short in the circuitry of the keyboard. Open up the laptop, remove the keyboard and check for water damage. If there is water damage- inform the client and replace the keyboard.

Also, inspect the motherboard as well just in case.



Edit: Stupid me, I've completely skimmed over the part where you said you've already replaced the keyboard.
Okay, another problem could be that some liquid had dried and left maybe some residue on the area where the keyboard ribbon cable is connected.

If there is then it's possible to wash it out and only if you're extremely careful. I also would suggest you tell your client about what you're doing and the risks involved in doing this and that a motherboard replacement may be required.

 

[mraikes]

Just FYI, a small amount of cherry flavored Crystal Lite will cause identical symptoms on an HP G72. I worked on one with this same problem just two weeks ago. But at least the owner admitted it to me. Had she not, I'd have really pulled my hair out.

Like you, replacing the keyboard didn't solve the problem. Nor did extended sessions with a magnifying glass trying to find any MB damage whatsoever. It looked perfect, but just wouldn't function correctly.

Eventually I convinced myself that the keyboard shorting must have damaged the MB or connector in some way even though I couldn't see anything. The customer didn't want to pay for a new motherboard and instead opted to plug in a wireless keyboard and mouse (which worked perfectly) and go on with her life.

So I don't really have a good suggestion for you, other than to be suspicious of the "nothing spilled" defense. And I'll be very interested to hear what solution you come to.

 

[atlanticjim]

Is there a keyboard mapping option in the bios? Perhaps that was changed to a non-english keyboard mapping?

Otherwise I agree that it is a mobo problem, especially after a keyboard replacement . (Don't you just hate spending money on a part and doing the repair that you are SURE will solve the problem only to have it fail?)

 

[joydivision]

OK now things get interesting, it seems the problem is only happening in Open Office. I have reinstalled OO and it has not made any difference.

What happens is on a line of text for no reason you can't make a new space, if you press space bar nothing happens. If you press enter it will make a new line and will let you type for a few more lines then all the sudden space does nothing again. It doesn't matter if you reload the document it gets stuck at the same point.

 

[Arcadio]

OK now things get interesting, it seems the problem is only happening in Open Office. I have reinstalled OO and it has not made any difference.

What happens is on a line of text for no reason you can't make a new space, if you press space bar nothing happens. If you press enter it will make a new line and will let you type for a few more lines then all the sudden space does nothing again. It doesn't matter if you reload the document it gets stuck at the same point.

I think you're in the wrong thread...

 

[xzbackup]

Just FYI, a small amount of cherry flavored Crystal Lite will cause identical symptoms on an HP G72. I worked on one with this same problem just two weeks ago. But at least the owner admitted it to me. Had she not, I'd have really pulled my hair out.

Like you, replacing the keyboard didn't solve the problem. Nor did extended sessions with a magnifying glass trying to find any MB damage whatsoever. It looked perfect, but just wouldn't function correctly.

Eventually I convinced myself that the keyboard shorting must have damaged the MB or connector in some way even though I couldn't see anything. The customer didn't want to pay for a new motherboard and instead opted to plug in a wireless keyboard and mouse (which worked perfectly) and go on with her life.

So I don't really have a good suggestion for you, other than to be suspicious of the "nothing spilled" defense. And I'll be very interested to hear what solution you come to.

I have found it very rare that customers admit when they have damaged their own computer/laptop themselves. I am not sure why people have so much pride in themselves they cant seem to direct the technician to the right direction of the problem. Instead they would rather us figure out that the machine has been dropped multiple times or that, yes, they in fact DID spill something into it.

And furthermore, I opened a beer over my MacBook once. The beer was agitated and emitted its golden foam onto my MacBook, mainly over the keyboard and touchpad area.

So I then turned my MacBook off, removed the battery, and tried my best to dry it up. I came back to it the next day, and it worked just fine.

Call me lucky ... but I didnt lose any hardware on the macbook!