Big Laptop Problems...


Alex.

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Aug 24, 2005
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Hi, I'm in a big spot of trouble right now. My laptop has problems booting into Windows and reading the keyboard properly. It started all of a sudden after a fairly perfect running record. I know it has a faulty RAM that causes it to crash after a while of use, but it always booted up Windows, and never had any keyboard problems. The keyboard problems exist even in the BIOS settings, where the down arrow is read as constantly pressed, and only about half the keys work.

Can all these problems stem from the RAM having went totally bananas? Is it worth buying a new stick of 128/256Mb ram, or is the whole thing as good as dead?

Oh, and no hopes of warranty, this thing was made sometime in 2000, and bought 2nd hand (at best).
 
Sounds like it could be a number of faults, But without actually seeing the machine, This is just a guess.

Keyboard ribbon/cable could have developed a crack/split in it, by possibly becoming brittle through age.

Motherboard could be on it`s way out.

For the ram, You could run Memtest and see what results you get.

Are you sure the down arrow key is not phyically stuck down, Try teasing it up with your finger nail or pulling the key off (if possible, Without breaking it) and have a little prod of the membrane with your finger.

Trooper
 
Sigh, I'll have a go at disassembling the thing tomorrow morning, and rearrange the keyboard :(

This is such a kick in the pants :(
 
Have you hoovered out the vents yet? I find a some of the laptops we repair just need a damned good clean out. Here's one of the worst cases I have seen:
Dust.jpg

This laptop never recovered 100%, there was too much heat damage in the end.

Regarding the keyboard, laptop keyboards are generally throw away jobs, the membrane sometimes perishes and there's nothing you can do about that. Although trooper may be very correct about the cable between the keyboard and the motherboard, you never know, it my just need re-seating as sometimes it works itself out of the socket slightly.
 
After about 15 tries, I got it to boot Windows. More keys than last night seem to work, which I hope is a sign of betterment.

What's worrying is that if the key problems are caused by a membrane/cable fault, how could this affect booting? This is either really weird, or coincidental.
 
Alex. said:
After about 15 tries, I got it to boot Windows. More keys than last night seem to work, which I hope is a sign of betterment.

What's worrying is that if the key problems are caused by a membrane/cable fault, how could this affect booting? This is either really weird, or coincidental.
I would imagine that the booting and keyboard are two separate faults and are not connected "so to speak".
 
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One person "fixed" their laptop's keyboard by removing it altogether, sticking a miniature USB keyboard in its place, and soldering the cable to the USB header. I believe it was Ben Heckendorn, not sure.
 
Blah said:
One person "fixed" their laptop's keyboard by removing it altogether, sticking a miniature USB keyboard in its place, and soldering the cable to the USB header. I believe it was Ben Heckendorn, not sure.
To be honest, a replacement keyboard would cost the same or less than a mini USB keyboard, so why do it? Usually laptop keyboards are about £8 to £25. They are just about the cheapest replacement parts for a laptop. 2nd cheapest is the inverter, which will cure the common dark screen fault.
 
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Lurkio said:
Blah said:
One person "fixed" their laptop's keyboard by removing it altogether, sticking a miniature USB keyboard in its place, and soldering the cable to the USB header. I believe it was Ben Heckendorn, not sure.
http://tomthegeek.blogspot.com/2007/01/ult...yboard-fix.html

Oh my god it was a Dell, no wonder he did it that way. Dell replacements cost a fortune (If you can get them) and their customer service is like rocking horse poo.
 
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Alright, it seems there's a sure-fire way to boot Windows: adjusting the screen's backlight with Fn+F1/Fn+F2 after the starting HP-invent screen. Crazy, but it seems to work every time.

I tested the keyboard with this program, and found that the only keys that don't work are the arrows and the right-click key. I'll have a go at cleaning its insides tonight.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in opinions and ideas, very much appreciated :)
 
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