Laptop Keyboard Problems

Laptop keyboards are more delicate than the desktop ones and that's the reason wear and tear in keys of a laptop are higher. Normally, we replace the laptop keyboard when we face certain issues. We do not realize that a lot of these laptop keyboard problems can be solved and even prevented by regular cleaning of the keyboard. Problems like some keys not functioning on your keyboard, or having to press keys hard to get an output, can easily be taken care of at home. Here are some of the common keyboard problems of a laptop and ways to solve them.

Laptop Keyboard Keys not Working

At times, certain keys of your laptop stop functioning. If you press those keys softly nothing appears on the screen, and you have to press them hard to make them work. These problems may occur, if, you tend to spill something on your keyboard, dust settling on the inner surface of the keys, excessive use of some keys while playing games, or due to lack of lubrication. Therefore there's a need to maintain your keyboard by cleaning and lubricating it periodically. The following steps would help you prevent laptop keyboard problems:

1. You first need to carefully remove each key from the laptop keyboard. Use a small screwdriver, cautiously pry each key, make them loose and remove the rubber piece along with the keys. Place the keys and the rubber pieces, in separate containers.
2. After removing all the keys, you need to clean the interiors of the keyboard. Take a cotton swab or ear buds and dip them slightly in water. Don't wet them too much, as excess water would damage the keyboard. Clean the keyboard properly using these damp cotton swabs, especially the spaces in between keys.
3. Once you have finished cleaning the keyboard, start cleaning keys and the rubber pieces in the container. Using foam rubber and light fluid, clean each key separately and remove any sticky substances in them. Apply any household cleaner on the keys and leave them for about 10 minutes. Wash all the keys thoroughly with warm water and allow them to completely dry.
4. The small rubber pieces also need to be rinsed properly in warm water after spraying them with a household cleaner. Use a paper napkin to completely dry the rubber components.
5. For lubricating the keys, arrange all the keys top-down on a plain surface. Apply mild lubricant from all sides on all the keys and allow it to dry. Make sure that you do not apply a lot of lubricant, a light coat would be enough.
6. Apply mild lubricant on the keyboard in the same way as you did for lubricating the keys and allow them to dry.
7. Once you finish cleaning and lubricating the parts, the only thing left is to reassemble the laptop keyboard. Start with placing all the rubber pieces in their respective places on the keyboard. Next, fix and place the keys in carefully, securing the wire. Press each key firmly down to fix them properly, and you are done.

The whole process does not take more than a couple of hours. Cleaning and lubricating the keyboard once a year, helps prevent several laptop keyboard problems.

Laptop Keyboard Types Wrong Characters

If your laptop keyboard types wrong characters, it is rather a software issue than an hardware one. This can happen if you accidentally press certain keys on your keyboard, which enable a certain kind of function. Try the following steps in case your laptop keyboard displays wrong characters:

1. Go to the control panel option
2. Click → 'Regional and Language Services' → 'Languages' → 'Details' → 'Key Settings'
3. Select the option 'Switch Between Input Languages' and click on 'Change Key Sequence'
4. Ensure that all the check boxes are unchecked in this window and do the same for 'Switch to...(Keyboard Type)'
5. Click → 'Ok' → 'Ok' → 'Apply' → 'Ok'. This should solve your problem.

Laptop Keyboard Typing Numbers Instead of Letters

If you type a letter but numbers are displayed instead, there may be a problem with the software. There are chances that you may have activated a digital lock unknowingly. Pressing The 'Function' key along with the 'Num lock' key (Fn + Num lock) or pressing the 'Function' Key along with the 'Shift' and 'Num Lock' key (Fn +Shift + Num lock) should solve the problem.

In case you are not comfortable with the idea of opening and performing certain operations on your laptop by yourself, you can always take the laptop to a company registered service center.