laptop kb goes dead randomly

[familyman01]

Laptop keyboard will go completely dead during mid use, or just at any old time it feels like. This does not happen when any certain program is accessed or anything of that nature, just random.

This is a new issue for this Inspiron laptop, however, it may coincide with a teardown I was forced to do because there is no HDD bay and I needed to replace the HDD which first starts with removing the keyboard. When I assembled the laptop it's been awesome opossum for months even though I did notice the keyboard has been flimsy and um... mushy? ever since. I know that the data cable is solid in place and all four retaining clip things are popped in place.

The basic troubleshooting I have found on the net is the basic, reboot and cross your fingers and that has worked but is annoying as the issue persists. Now the second step to troubleshooting is to remove the PS/2 oem keyboard drivers in device manager and reboot as so the laptop re installs the stock drivers fresh. However, the issue still happens even after these steps.

I can't really believe it's because I removed and reinstalled the physical keyboard because it worked properly for months afterward. Any ideas?

 

[strollin]

If you think it has something to do with your removal and reinstall of the keyboard, I would try removing it and reinstalling it to make sure everything is seated well.

Have you tried an external keyboard? Does that exhibit the same problem?

One other thing you could try if you suspect the keyboard itself is the problem would be to check Ebay for a replacement keyboard. They aren't very expensive and you already know how to install it.

 

[familyman01]

I use an external when playing WoW, but I don't think I've used it long enough for that to happen (even if it would happen to an external), but I will use one all day today and see if it happens, but sometimes it takes minutes, sometimes it takes days to happen. Here's my question when attempting the external kb, I have three revisions of USB ports on this laptop, 2.0, 3.0 and the new esata with built in 3.0 port. Are these all on the same controller or would it make a difference at all which USB port I use to test the external?

Also, due to the flimsyness of the built-in kb, I really don't want to push my luck and break it during a re install. And I doubt it needs replacing either because it still functions between fails. If it were hardware issue, wouldn't the built in kb just not work at all?

Anyway, first thing is first, I'm grabbing my ASUS USB kb and try to use it until something happens. I will reply if something happens, or after a day or two if nothing happens.

 

[familyman01]

well here's an odd update. laptop kb went dead WITH the trackpad and trackpad buttons, the external continued to work. I rebooted, and I am currently using the on board kb right now. Still can't believe it's hardware because well, I'm using it. reboots should only fix software issues right?

I used to be a desktop builder and a desktop only guy, I should have stayed that way. Super easy troubleshooting with a desktop because you only have two options, kb work or not? solved. But not on this thing.

 

[carnageX]

IMO I'd try running a Linux LiveCD and see if it randomly happens in the LiveCD environment. If it does...then it's definitely some sort of hardware issue. If it doesn't do it in the LiveCD environment...then it's something Windows/software related.

 

[familyman01]

To some this would be overkill, but what if I just reinstalled a fresh windows 7? I mean, since the teardown it's worked for months without issue and I can do a fresh install in a few hours. Or, I'm just getting old, I tried Linux like, way back in the day and I couldn't navigate a thing, also a reason I always downgrade to 7 from 8. Wouldn't I have to hunt down all sorts of Linux drivers, most obvious the kb ad trackpad controller, not to mention wifi etc... or does LiveCD have the base set of drivers pre loaded?

Now, i'm getting ahead of myself here but... the kb can easily be replaced, but the trackpad, not so much, I didn't notice when I had it dissasembled but it looks like part of the chassis. I already put so much money into this thing, good grief...

 

[carnageX]

To some this would be overkill, but what if I just reinstalled a fresh windows 7? I mean, since the teardown it's worked for months without issue and I can do a fresh install in a few hours. Or, I'm just getting old, I tried Linux like, way back in the day and I couldn't navigate a thing, also a reason I always downgrade to 7 from 8. Wouldn't I have to hunt down all sorts of Linux drivers, most obvious the kb ad trackpad controller, not to mention wifi etc... or does LiveCD have the base set of drivers pre loaded?

LiveCD's have most common drivers already installed, just like Windows has basic drivers that comes with it.

You could reinstall WIndows, but that's why I suggested the Linux LiveCD - makes it so you can test out of it's a software or hardware issue easily without wiping/reinstalling.

As for trouble navigating...go with either Ubuntu or Mint - either one are good and easy to use, especially for basic testing and such.

Now, i'm getting ahead of myself here but... the kb can easily be replaced, but the trackpad, not so much, I didn't notice when I had it dissasembled but it looks like part of the chassis. I already put so much money into this thing, good grief...

Usually with replacing the touchpad, you have to replace the whole wrist-rest (top portion of shell) of the laptop - usually cheaper/easier that way as well, compared to finding just the touchpad.

 

[1etherer]

To some this would be overkill, but what if I just reinstalled a fresh windows 7? I mean, since the teardown it's worked for months without issue and I can do a fresh install in a few hours. Or, I'm just getting old, I tried Linux like, way back in the day and I couldn't navigate a thing, also a reason I always downgrade to 7 from 8. Wouldn't I have to hunt down all sorts of Linux drivers, most obvious the kb ad trackpad controller, not to mention wifi etc... or does LiveCD have the base set of drivers pre loaded?

Now, i'm getting ahead of myself here but... the kb can easily be replaced, but the trackpad, not so much, I didn't notice when I had it dissasembled but it looks like part of the chassis. I already put so much money into this thing, good grief...

I'd suggest you reseat the KB first, it can start working with a reboot if the cable is slighty loose or there is a hardware failure occurring. I'm hoping you didnt seat the cables correctly , as this will be a quick fix

 

[familyman01]

Two things I noticed when reseating the kb. I have noticed that a few of the number keys above the kb (not the numpad) were harder to press than other keys. Well, I had major difficulty getting the kb off the laptop, with four simple clips, you'd think it would be easy, well the first time around I must have seperated the two layers of the kb, and even though i'm using the on board kb now, I made it worse, the clips were extra hard to pop (push in) and i kept prying the top layer of the kb not knowing how deep the flat head screwdriver really was (proper sized, not using brute force), it seemed deep enough to get the full kb, but no, i kept prying and now the top portion of the kb is almost all separated across the entire top.

Second thing, I noticed the trackpad is plugged in separately (a different port) than the kb which still leads me to believe it's still software not hardware. If it were hardware, the kb and trackpad would fail at different times or the trackpad wouldn't fail at all.

Now, even though it's currently working, I would like to replace the kb anyway, and when that arrives, I will do a fresh install of win7, eliminating all possibilities. Why do I want to change the kb when it still works you may ask, not just the fact that I physically warped the kb, I can actually live with that but this leads me to my next question....

Does anyone have suggestion of an aftermarket drop in kb? When doing more research on the topic outside of tech-forums someone had stated that backlit keyboards are available but didn't say where. I assume Dell is super proprietary and i know from my fair share of laptops, all keyboards are not the same dimensions, mount the same etc...

What would I need to look for, like specs, when searching for a drop in backlit keyboard?

By the way, I did burn an Ubuntu LiveCD DVD but now I know I'm going to do a windows install in the future I'm not even going to try because it would be moot point.

EDIT: Google has fooled me, lol. The n5110 is usually lumped together with the R15 series of Dell laptops, only the R15 special edition has even the option of a backlit kb, and that model doesn't even have a numpad like my n5110. As far as I can tell, there exist no third party keyboards either. However, you guys are right, 15 bucks for a name brand OEM replacement is cheap and will stop my headaches.

AND... after the reseating of the kb in the first place, nothing bad has happened so far, it's just my OCD that kills me on the whole "very slightly but barely noticeable warped" issue. Time will tell. If it fails again, I'll do a win7 install because I can't wait the days it can sometimes take to fail and I'd hate not having access to my games and programs etc... under Ubuntu for that amount of time.

 

[1etherer]

So a reseat worked? If you have sticky keys this can affect your in working.. I'd suggest you clean them or replace.