Macbook Pro (2010?) keyboard problem!

[mrmike16]

This is about my sister's Macbook, I believe from 2010. It's had numerous problems in the past, such as the battery inflating and breaking the case (And Apple expects this, apparently).

The following issue confused the Apple tech that I asked about this to. I know for sure that the Tom's Hardware guys are smarter

Anyway, in April she tried to clean some of her keys with a toothpick, since over the years it got really dirty in there. She didn't turn it on for a week. Then, when she did turn it on, a bunch of the keys did not work. The affected keys were (from my memory): F, G, H, J, K, L, and ;. I then gave her an old Dell USB keyboard from the XP days to use for a while. Suddenly, when she connected it, the built-in keyboard worked again. It stopped again while she was in school and she borrowed a USB keyboard from the library.

After that, it had been on and off. Seems to be completely random. She had to change her password, since it involved those keys and she was unable to log in (Does Mac OS X not have something equivalent to Windows Key + U?).

I can't tell if this is a physical issue, or a software issue. I don't think the affected keys were the only ones she cleaned. Either way, replacing a Macbook keyboard seems impossible, and having Apple do it is, of course, an insane price since it is out of warranty. She would rather buy a new laptop or use my Dell than get a $200 keyboard replacement.

Any ideas on how to fix this? Would be much appreciated.

 

[mrmez]

Sounds like it's had a pretty hard life.

I'd say there is some physical damage causing intermittent faults. It's strange how somethings are electrically connected and others aren't.

First thing is to boot to recovery and re-install OSX. This won't delete or change anything, but should solve any software issues.

Changing the keyboard IS major surgery on a MBP. Even that's not guaranteed t fix it as it might be a damaged logic board etc.

 

[BadAsAl]

I have done many keyboard swaps and it is difficult for sure but not that hard if you have a good guide like on fixit.com.
You can test if the keyboard is going to fix the problem, but it requires you getting a replacement key board first.
Then you can disconnect the on-board keyboard (it is a ribbon cable) and put the ribbon cable of the replacement keyboard in it's place. I use tape to hold it in place while I start up the MacBook using the power button on the replacement keyboard and then test the keys. A bit awkward but beats stripping the MacBook down only to find it is not the keyboard. Most the time it is though... just be careful, especially with the connections to the logic board. Know how it is connected and how to undo the connection (again, ifixit.com is a good resource for guides and pics).

 

[mrmike16]

Thanks for your replies!
I did as Warp 9 had suggested- I did a recovery. It kept all of her things (Except it decided to hide the sticky notes she relies on) and upgraded itself to El Capitan for some reason.
Anyway, it is now half-fixed. The keys work more often now, and when it doesn't she can just press them harder and it will work, rather than the keys being totally dead and useless. So her laptop is now use-able. She can wait a little longer before buying a new (normal) laptop!

Replacing the keyboard on there is SO much harder than on a regular laptop. Apple really hates other people fixing their stuff! I won't bother with it- The keyboard itself is overpriced.