wammoman :
on my toshiba laptop (satellite pro s300m-s2403), the keyboard does not work at all but the touchpad forks fine. A Microsoft Natural Keyboard plugs in USB and works, but I'd rather have the onboard keyboard most of the time. How to fix? Any driver fix needed? An uninstall----re-install? Or do I have a hardware problem? What can I do to diagnose the problem I have?
If the keyboard does not work even before Windows boots up (can you access the UEFI or Bios?) I would guess it is the connector that connects the keyboard to the motherboard. There is a clip that holds the ribbon in place. There is a connector that is attached to the motherboard as well. The clip inserts into the connector but my experience with them indicates that they frequently break, even before anyone tries to open the laptop up. This happened an L55-A5226 that I sent under warranty to their repair facility for a faulty hard disk (IF YOU USE TOSHIBA HARD DRIVES - BACK UP YOUR DATA) and Toshiba, upon examining it, insisted it was "damage" and therefore not covered by warranty. They wanted $116 to fix it, though they were unable to put into words precisely what they would do to fix it. They sent pictures. The F6 key was also missing. It seems pretty obvious that if you can break the keyboard connector without removing the keyboard and not break the rest of the machine, that's a defect. The "damage" is a result of their defect. So the upshot is, it is an easy fix if you have the skill and patience to get under your keyboard. If not, take it to a local repair shop or call a repair guy because sending it to their warranty center will most likely just cost you $25 plus a lot more once they tell you that you damaged it. I will never buy a Toshiba after dealing with their "customer service" and "warranty" dept. They answered no questions either. Just said the same thing over and over and kept asking me to send them a credit card number so they could put $116 on my card. I asked them "How much to just replace the F6 key and not worry about the connector?"
I had already fixed it once using a matchbook cover to hold the ribbon in place. No response expect another plea for $116 two days later. Good Luck.
Update: Toshiba did not fix the problem under warranty and would not answer any questions related to the nature of the repair. The laptop was returned and they had not reattached the keyboard ribbon.
SOLUTION: I removed the keyboard and wedged the keyboard ribbon connector to the interface using a matchbook cover (index cards work as well - just cut to size). I used a piece of tape to limit movement of the ribbon once it was working. Using a retainer like an index card eliminates the dependency on the delicate "cups" that hold the plastic retainer clip in place. As such, this actually is a superior solution than replacing the broken connector, minimizing the possibility of a future problem due to the same type of break (if it broke once, it can break again). The keyboard now works perfectly, though I still have to find an F6 key to replace the missing one.
IF THE KEYBOARD WORKS BEFORE WINDOWS TAKES OVER, IT IS NOT A HARDWARE ISSUE. IF IT DOES NOT WORK WHILE BOOTING UP (IE F12 KEY DOES NOTHING - CAN NOT ACCESS UEFI) IT IS PROBABLY THE KEYBOARD CONNECTOR ON THIS MODEL.