problematic keys

[max2006]

i have a hp omnibook xe3 and i hav a weird problem with it... out of the blue sometimes when i press specific keys (f1-f12, esc, g, h,...) nothing happens... it can happen for an hour or it can go on for days... shutting down or restarting doesnt seem to help... and then at a magic moment it restores itself and i can type normally till the next time it goes mad... any1 knows whats going on??? :mad:

[chrisling]

Try to change another keyboard and test. If it's still acting so, use another type of keyboard. Example, if you are using PS/2 keyboard, try change to use USB keyboard.

[mjc]

Umm...it's a notebook, right?

So it is likely your only testing option is going to be a USB keyboard.

My question is...is it still under warranty?

[pangea33]

Try to change another keyboard and test. If it's still acting so, use another type of keyboard. Example, if you are using PS/2 keyboard, try change to use USB keyboard.i have a hp omnibook xe3While your suggestion has some merit for testing chrisling, it might not be the best since this is a notebook.

Are there drivers available from HP by any chance? Here's a link about how that computer's put together:
http://www.uofr.net/~greg/hardware/hp_pavilion_n5430_disassembly.html

[max2006]

Umm...it's a notebook, right?

So it is likely your only testing option is going to be a USB keyboard.

My question is...is it still under warranty?

no its not under warranty... and if the keyboard is the problem then why are there times where it will fix itself and i can type normally for days??? wouldnt it be a one time thing??? not being able to type i mean....


Are there drivers available from HP by any chance?

the laptop has the same drivers it did when i bought it (actually my father did)... didnt format it...

[Sylvander]

Does this ever happen in Safe Mode?
Try running in Safe mode for as long as you can to see whether it ever happens there or not.
If it never does, then it's a Windows [which version?] software problem.

You could also try booting a Knoppix Linux Live CD (http://www.knoppix.org/) to see whether the problem exists in that environment or not.
If all's well in a different OS environment, then it isn't a hardware problem.

Perhaps the keyboard is sharing a resource with some other device, and when that other device becomes busy the keyboard goes without. :(
Or perhaps the "Configuration Manager" is disabling the keyboard to avoid dangerous conflicts.
Windows components are constantly monitoring the hardware and making needed adjustments, so it isn't static, but dynamic.

[max2006]

Does this ever happen in Safe Mode?
Try running in Safe mode for as long as you can to see whether it ever happens there or not.
If it never does, then it's a Windows [which version?] software problem.

You could also try booting a Knoppix Linux Live CD (http://www.knoppix.org/) to see whether the problem exists in that environment or not.
If all's well in a different OS environment, then it isn't a hardware problem.

Perhaps the keyboard is sharing a resource with some other device, and when that other device becomes busy the keyboard goes without. :(
Or perhaps the "Configuration Manager" is disabling the keyboard to avoid dangerous conflicts.
Windows components are constantly monitoring the hardware and making needed adjustments, so it isn't static, but dynamic.

tried with knoppix... didnt work either... guess its a hardware problem... ok now what are my options? :p

[Sylvander]

So this happens only intermittently.
And when it does happen, does it affect all keys or only some of the keys?
Then after some period of time of about anywhere from an hour to a few days, full functionality returns.
And you can see no reason for the return.
Nothing you have done, like shutting down and/or restarting has had any effect.
And this is happening also in Knoppix.

In which case I don't see how it can have anything to do with the OS environment; most unlikely that Windows and Knoppix would have a concidentally identical software problem.

So it's either hardware or BIOS related.
Are there any BIOS configuration settings that affect this keyboard functionality?
These settings shouldn't be changing when the PC has booted, but if your CMOS battery was faulty perhaps there could be strange effects with configuration settings coming and going.

[mjc]

I'm guessing that it is a hardware problem and that the problem is a bad solder connection or a loose ribbon cable or connection.

The intermittent nature seems to suggest heat playing a role...which it does in bad solder joints.

The loose ribbon cable would depend on vibration to make it work or not. (which can also be heat related as fan speed can make the vibration greater)

[max2006]

then next time ill want it 2 work then ill try shaking it first:p what u said about heat could be true... cause when i closed the laptop for 1-2 days it worked ok when i turned it on again and it happened again after some time where it got hot... so gotta keep it cool for it 2 work:p

[mjc]

I've seen bad solder joints actually rip the traces right off the circuit board, one end was soldered well the other wasn't...and the stress tore the trace and it soldered end lifted. Something like that will break the connection. It doesn't take much heat to cause a bad solder joint to start acting up.

[max2006]

I've seen bad solder joints actually rip the traces right off the circuit board, one end was soldered well the other wasn't...and the stress tore the trace and it soldered end lifted. Something like that will break the connection. It doesn't take much heat to cause a bad solder joint to start acting up.

ur theory was true... its the heat thats causing the problem... i tried turning it off... let it cool off and everything works fine... until it starts heating up again:p thx for the help:) at least now ive identified the problem :)