The noise of my keyboard Soothes my ears, The silence means I’m not functioning.
Broken keyboards can be a common problem for laptop owners that desktop owners don’t usually face. If you have a desktop, you can easily replace a broken keyboard by purchasing a new one for as little as $10. But if you have a laptop, you don’t have that luxury. Buying an external keyboard for a laptop is only a temporary fix. Over the long-run, you don’t want to lug around an external keyboard every time you have to take your laptop somewhere. So, how can a broken laptop keyboard be repaired? Stick around and we’ll explain how laptop keyboard repairs are done , INCLUDING what causes of keyboard failure , individual keys are repaired, and/or a faulty keyboard is replaced.
Keyboard software problems
What? Keyboards can have software problems? Yes, yes they can. If your laptop keyboard doesn’t work at all, there may be nothing wrong with the keyboard itself. Instead, your laptop may not be working because of a software problem. The first thing we do to determine whether there is a software problem is to boot your laptop from a flash drive containing Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a popular version of Linux, which is a rival operating system to Windows. If your keyboard is not working because of a problem in Windows, we’ll know this is the cause because the keyboard will work fine when Ubuntu is loaded. If the keyboard types correctly through Ubuntu but not through Windows, the next step is to determine why it is not working in Windows. The most common cause is a faulty keyboard driver.
Cleaning the keyboard
If updating the drivers doesn’t fix the problem, it means there is something physically wrong with the keyboard. In other words, it means that you have a hardware problem. The most common cause of a keyboard hardware problem is dust, dirt, and grime stuck between the keys. If this is the cause, it can be fixed it by blowing compressed air into the space between the keys. This forces out the offending grime and allows the keys to move freely. Once this is done, a keyboard that previously would not type certain letters or numbers will often start working as if it is brand new. Like magic, right?
Replacing the entire keyboard
If we try to replace the keys and find that the mechanism behind the keys has been broken or if the keyboard doesn’t work at all, it’s time to replace the entire keyboard, typically taking these steps:
- Unscrew the keyboard bezel (the frame that holds the keyboard in place)
- Gently pull the keyboard bezel away from the laptop, exposing the screws that hold in the keyboard
- Unscrew the keyboard itself, lift it above the laptop casing, and flip it over. This reveals the ribbon cable that connects the keyboard to the laptop’s motherboard
- Disconnect the ribbon cable from the motherboard
Once the old, faulty keyboard is removed, the new one can be installed by following the previous steps in reverse.
- Plug the new keyboard’s ribbon cable into the motherboard
- Screw in the screws that hold the keyboard in the laptop
- Put the laptop bezel back on and screw it in
If everything was done correctly, we should be able to boot up your laptop and have a functioning keyboard with all of the keys working.
Trying to repair a laptop keyboard on your own can be challenging and time-consuming. You don’t have to repair your laptop keyboard on your own. We have stores in Aurora and Chicago. If you don’t live anywhere near these cities, you can mail your laptop to us and we’ll mail it back to you after we repair it. Call us now for more details!
