Laptop keyboard not working

Today i ran Check Disk on my laptop and now nothing on the keyboard works. Nothing registers when any key is pressed. Rebooted a few times w/no change. Any ideas

Its a Dell Inspron 1520, running XP Home.

Using the on screen keybord in the interim w/external mouse.

Thanks ATS

reply to post by bg_socalif


What was the reason for running check disk? Can you log into Windows or does it get stuck?

might want to try updating your drivers...

or simply by getting a new laptop since were about to be on windows 8 and xp is about 10 years old now. have you tried contacting dell customer support?

reply to post by XelNaga


dont hate on xp lol I have vista so xp looks pretty reliable to me.

But yeah op, he is right, look in your device manager (how to check drivers in xp) and also see if your keyboard is plugged in properly (if you didnt touch it recently then ignore that). EDIT: its al laptop not a pc so nvm

Originally posted by XelNaga
might want to try updating your drivers...

or simply by getting a new laptop since were about to be on windows 8 and xp is about 10 years old now. have you tried contacting dell customer support?

This.

Apparently Microsoft are gonna be scrapping XP altogether or summat, no?

Not sure where I got this info from, & whether it's correct..But does that mean from a certain date, computers running XP OS will not work anymore???

Can't be true, right..?

might want to try this- shut down, then unplug the power cord, then take out the battery for a minute or so

Shortly after putting my message on the forum, I was reminded by a friend that while the "unplug for at least 1 minute" thing solves many problems with a PC, a laptop has a battery, so unplugging the power cord does nada to interrupt the power. So I revisited my friend, unplugged the power cord, removed the battery for 2-3 minutes, replaced it, plugged the power cord back in and booted the computer. Voila! The keyboard now works.

source

ill keep looking since i figure it must infuriating using the on screen keyboard. Try that for now.

- edit: i've read again that cutting all the power including the battery resets the motherboard. Other than that not much else. let us know when ou figure it out

reply to post by SmoKeyHaZe


yeah I heard they wont provide any security updates anymore. basically forces all the old companies that do just fine with xp to upgrade their systems/licenses.

Like the other guys said, check the drivers first. Or it could be something like the ribbon cable was jarred loose. If you're savvy with a screwdriver, I'd say open it up and have a look around.
Removing/Replacing the Keyboard

First up.

You need to access the bios.

Does the keyboard work before windows loads?

If no...then do the following....or skip to B if it does work.

A
Can you hook up a external keyboard?

Being an old dell....there may even be a PS2 port for it.

Note- some of the older dells can use either keyboard or mouse in their ps2 ports if there is only one available.

Once you have the keyboard up and running, boot the laptop and run the bios program......Usually you press the F12 , F2 or the DEL key during the system start up.

Once in the BIOS , reset to defaults and save.

Boot the laptop without the external keyboard and see if it works.

B
If the keyboard works during boot-up but not in windows....then it is a driver problem with windows.

This will require a visit to the dell site for a keyboard driver.............NOTE - I DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS LIKELY as keyboard drivers are pretty standard and the laptop keyboard should work fine with generic drivers.

C
Hardware fault....fried chip or the keyboard ribbon(the wires that attach the keyboard to the laptop motherboard)
have come loose.

You could try pulling it apart (AFTER CHECKING FOR SOFTWARE ISSUES FIRST) and checking the keyboard ribbon is connected. I would consider this a last resort.

Remember.....If you are pulling the laptop apart......After the power is off and the battery is removed....IT IS STILL ON.

Laptops have a small on-board battery to keep time/date. Even when everything is off....the computer is still on and running this clock circuit......Keep this in mind if you have to pull it apart.....i.e. Don't let anything metal touch the circuit boards.

Good Luck

OA

Originally posted by XelNaga
since were about to be on windows 8

LMAO... Speak for yourself, if you've not tried the OS yet, and if you do not have a touch screen laptop/pc then.. sure.. you're going to love using a mouse to 'gesture' APPS to run, which you cannot close unless you fiddle around finding Task Manager to manually kill them, and forced to actually run a Desktop APP.

I very much doubt more than 40% of people will use W8 without a lot.. LOT.. of resistance. And we're not just talking XP-Vista changes.. we're talking XP-Android tablet style OS changes. For a DESKTOP OS.

Me thinks we'll see Windows 9 used before Windows 8 as W8 .. WAIT .. is actually the new vista.

or windows 2000..

or windows NT.

Have you tested the keyboard in the BIOS? When your laptop first boots, press the "F2" key to enter the BIOS setup. If the keyboard does not work in the BIOS, it is hardware related. All you can do is crack open the laptop and check if the keyboard ribbon cable got jarred loose.

If the cable is secure and the keyboard no worky in the BIOS, then it's a smoked component on the motherboard. The alternatives are surgical electronic diagnostic and repair (ugly), external USB mini-keyboard, or new laptop.

Good luck!

Originally posted by SmoKeyHaZe

Originally posted by XelNaga
might want to try updating your drivers...

or simply by getting a new laptop since were about to be on windows 8 and xp is about 10 years old now. have you tried contacting dell customer support?

This.

Apparently Microsoft are gonna be scrapping XP altogether or summat, no?

Not sure where I got this info from, & whether it's correct..But does that mean from a certain date, computers running XP OS will not work anymore???

Can't be true, right..?

Nope, not true at all.

Support is ending for some versions of Windows


Support for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) ended on July 12, 2011.

Support for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) ended on July 13, 2010.*


If you're running one of these versions after support ends, you won't get security updates for Windows.

It just means you won't be able to connect to the Windows Update servers and get updates if you are currently running XP.

Nothing at all about it stopping working.

Originally posted by SmoKeyHaZe

Originally posted by XelNaga
might want to try updating your drivers...

or simply by getting a new laptop since were about to be on windows 8 and xp is about 10 years old now. have you tried contacting dell customer support?

This.

Apparently Microsoft are gonna be scrapping XP altogether or summat, no?

Not sure where I got this info from, & whether it's correct..But does that mean from a certain date, computers running XP OS will not work anymore???

Can't be true, right..?

Microsoft are not scrapping XP but there will be a time in the future where they stop supporting it by releasing new updates for it and running MCP exams etc. I heard the date for stopping support was 2014 but this may change.

I took my Microsoft Certified Professional exam for XP support last November so its not dead and buried just yet

reply to post by el1jah

- edit: i've read again that cutting all the power including the battery resets the motherboard.

Unfortunately, not on a dell.

The bios is stored on a programmable chip that retains it's memory even if the clock circuit battery fails.

You can physically reset a dell but it requires shorting out two (tiny) pins on the bios chipset and then starting the laptop for five seconds(whilst open and semi-disassembled, with the power connected.

reply to post by XelNaga


Laptop keyboards are hard wired into the motherboard and do not have drivers.

Originally posted by OptimusSubprime
reply to post by XelNaga

 

Laptop keyboards are hard wired into the motherboard and do not have drivers.

They still need a driver. Generic drivers should work, but there still has to be a driver.