Solved! Dell Inspiron 6400 keyboard issue

[k80sg]

The ctrl key on both sides, first noticed when I started to have intermittent problems with shortcuts like ctrl+c, ctrl+x... doesn't always register and it doesn't help if I press the ctrl key harder because its purely luck to do anything that is associated with the ctrl key...Is this an indication that my hardware is dying?

Thanks.

 

[simon12]

I used to sell second hand laptops and a common problem was the keyboard connector being loose. Try taking the keyboard out and disconnecting then reconnecting it.

 

[asauka]

I would second Simon12 on this. Although I would lean more towards the keyboard just being old and you might require a replacement. After all the Inspiron 6400 is a rather old model now, but a decent one at that.

Luckily enough the Inspiron 6400 is a great laptop for taking apart so it should be an easy task. Keyboards won't cost too much to replace either.

Good luck!