Re: Laptop kb problem

In article <5bj2p8F2sp1laU2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Resident Drunk <askmeforit@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gunther Gloop wrote:
"Resident Drunk" <askmeforit@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5bivjdF2th6ifU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It has been so good that I have been loathed to upgrade it but around
an hour ago a strange thing started happening. The keys do not work as
they should, for instance pressing q or a is fine but w types '[iouw'
and does a menu key press. Similar for many of the other keys.
<snippity>>
How about attaching an external keyboard? At least it'll tell you
something more if it works ok. Probably.
<snip s'more>
External kb works fine and I do have one of those mini ones but I don't
want to have to carry one around with me (because if I am hunched over
reading here or b3ta nobody can see).

This sounds pretty conclusively like a hardware problem. You've got a
short or a broken contact somewhere that causes the keyboard decoder to
think that multiple keypresses are occurring, which is why you get all the
fun garbage characters for one keystroke. That the external keyboard
functions correctly pretty well rules out software or OS problems. A
replacement part is easy to install, if difficult to find a source for.

-KKC, who misses his old IBM Selectric-styled PC keyboard.

--
-- ...Durante la batalla, espias rebeldes lograron robar - kendrick
los planos secretos del arma mas extrema del Imperio, - @io.com
la ESTRELLA DE LA MUERTE, una estacion espacial blindada -
con suficiente potencia para destruir un planeta entero. -
.

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