Substitue for an [Fn] key?

[Mini-Me]

Hi there.
:)

I have an old Compaq Armada 1500c laptop with a crook internal keyboard.
Some of the keys work, others don't.

While I have solved this problem just fine in the past with an external keyboard, I can't alter the brightness or contrast of the LCD, because I need the laptop's [Fn] key, which is not on any of the external keyboards I have.

So, I'm just wondering if there is a "Hot-key" type key combination for the [Fn] key...

I am hunting now for an on-line manual for this laptop, but have not found it yet, and as it is often quicker just to ask here...
:cool:

[azzey]

I'm assuming the [Fn] key doesn't work on the Laptop's keyboard. Have you looked at replacement keyboards (try eBay?). Oh, also, I have an old IBM keyboard that has an [Fn] key in the top right corner in addition to the F1-F12 keys. It normally doesn't do anything in Windows, but perhaps it would work with the laptop.

According to some sites, it's the keyboard itself that sends out a different signal whether the key is depressed, so it's kind of like the shift key. Can't really think of a way to explain it...

[Starman*]

If nobody has better idea, one way to do it is to remap the keyboard. There are utilities around that do this. Pick a key you never use and make it the Fn key. Here's one link (http://www.annoyances.org/exec/software/keyremap), never tried it but it's a start

Starman*

[Paul Komski]

Which OS are you using please? Starman*'s link is for Win95.

[Mini-Me]

Hokey pokey guys - Azzey: could get another keyboard, but would not be worth it - I bought the whole laptop for US$25 because of the keyboard fault, and would probably cost that much to buy and import a replacement, but thanks anyway for the idea! :) OS is Win98SE. Generally speaking, self-contained keyboards do indeed send out the data for the key-presses themselves - even today with modern keyboards, this has not changed. However, with a laptop, generally the keyboard and the keyboard encoder are seperated(the encoder is intergrated into the laptop motherboard, and the keyboard matrix connects to it via a ribbon-cable), so the keyboard itself on a laptop, is just the key-matrix, without the data-encoder chip, so in a nutshell you are right, and you are wrong!
:p

Starman* - I will download that - thanks.
:)

Paul - see above!
:cool:

I suppose I could pull the keyboard to bits - might only be a dirty contact, but I don't want to get to involved with doing something like that, if there is an easier way!!!
:D

[Starman*]

There are loads of remappers, Google "remap keyboard". I chose that one because it was MS. Did not check the vintage.

Starman*

[Paul Komski]

If one is using an NT-based OS and has .NET framework installed one can grab a microsoft utility that allows one to create a customised keyboard layout. Sorry but no good for Win98.

See an earlier post of mine regarding this at http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showpost.php?p=216153&postcount=2