Question Fn keys all locked when they weren't before.

[ShinkuNY]

I have an ASUS laptop with Windows 8, upgraded to 8.1 (if you need specifics on what kind of ASUS it is, you'd have to help direct me where to find that info). By default when I'd say hit the F10 key, it'd mute my volume, while F11 would lower it and F12 would raise it. F5 lowered my brightness and F6 increased it, etc..

If I wanted to actually refresh a browser page with F5, I'd have to hold Fn and press F5. I liked it this way, because I hardly use my F keys.

But now, suddenly, it's all reversed. I have to hold Fn to get my brightness/volume/etc. to change. It's REALLY annoying. I haven't internally messed with my computer's settings/registry in any way, so this HAS to have been something accidentally pressed on my keyboard (If not me, I do have pets that can and would do that).

But nothing I press works. I've tried Fn + Esc. I've tried Fn + num lk. I've tried Fn + Ctrl. I've tried Fn + Ctrl + num lk. I've tried holding Fn for 10 seconds. I've tried Fn + Caps Lock. You name it.

I'm at my wit's end. I have no idea how to restore it back to the way it was when I got it and up until like an hour ago. I don't wanna go messing with my registry or have to do any kind of internal tinkering, because this wasn't caused by anything internal to begin with. Logically if it was this easy to accidentally cause, it must be just as simple to fix, but I can't for the life of me think of how...

Unless there's some kind of keyboard settings I can access on the laptop, but I've also looked for that as well, unless I need to search by very specific terms.

Whether they work or not, any suggestions are welcome and appreciated (other than suggesting something I said I already tried, which would be a known waste of time).

Thanks in advance!

 

[helpstar]

Could be working with this ASUS tool
https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1038312/

or in the BIOS, depending on your ASUS model (label of the model can be found at the bottom of the laptop)

View: https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM4l99lVL6w


or try the windows mobility center of windows 8.1
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-use-of-the-windows-mobility-center-in-windows-8-1/
if there are no ASUS options, reinstall the ATK / ACPI driver from the ASUS driver support homepage


other suggestions:
https/www.howtogeek.com/235351/how-to-choose-whether-your-function-keys-are-f1-f12-keys-or-special-keys/

 

[ShinkuNY]

The closest I've found is that I need to go to C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\ATK Package\ATK Hotkey/Hcontrol.exe and hit Enter to open it. I've read elsewhere that the ATK package IS the hotkey controller.

However, when I navigate to that and hit Enter, or when I just double click on the HControl application or right-click and select Run (even Run as Administrator), I get a prompt asking if I want HControl to make changes to my computer. I click "Yes", the window disappears, and then... nothing happens.

I simply can't get HControl to open up. I dunno if I'm doing something wrong. Still there's gotta be a keyboard combination to turn off the hotkeys, since it was a keyboard combination that turned it on.

If I could get HControl to open up, that'd be awesome. I tried forcing the task to start in task manager, but I don't know exactly what it would be called in task manager, so I can't type the correct name.

Anyway, before coming to the realization about the ATK Package on my laptop, I had tried that first link, but the ASUS Hotkeys download that it leads me to is only for Windows 10, which I don't have.

Edit: I entered the path to HControl into Task Manager and it recognized it, but it still won't run it. Task manager shows it running as a background program, but I can't do anything with it

Edit 2: I booted up into my laptops BIOS, but there was absolutely no option even remotely related to the hotkeys...

 

[helpstar]

hcontrol is a process/driver so that the FN keys will work at all. You can´t configure the FN keys with hcontrol.

Did you try the mobility center of windows?

Which exact ASUS model do you have?
https://www.asus.com/support/Article/565/

 

[willyjr]

Guys no need to worry about it there's something present in some or might be in all of the laptops know as the function keys, Just try to find the folder and settle it out, Switch it on/off it's up to you.