Solved! Unstable camera / mic / certain keyboard keys

[Kiavich]

I, against my better judgment, let someone (who, going forward, will be referred to as chucklehead) work on my laptop. It was a simple screen replacement in an HP Pavilion 15 gaming laptop. Chucklehead proceeded to completely dismantle the entire computer, lose several screws, etc. Since then, the caps lock key, and the f1 key seldom work. I've confirmed that the key itself is "functional" at some level. If I use a virtual keyboard on windows 10, the capslock light will respond, however, it seems like the keys don't work for the majority of circumstances.

I've noticed, at random, on occasion, the caps lock and the f1 key will become responsive for a few minutes, before becoming unresponsive again.

Seemingly related, at random, the laptop's built in camera will stop working, or the microphones, or bluetooth will simply disconnect, and reconnect at random while doing certain activities. Is there any specific set of connections I can check for damage, so I can attempt a repair myself?

Thanks,

(By the way, since the horrific maiming of my computer, I am now reasonably well versed with working on the inside of the laptop myself. I've done basic things like upgraded my RAM, swapped from an HDD to an SDD, things like that. I don't think I'll shy away from dismantling certain components to check for damage.)

 

[AlHuneke]

Don't know about the keyboard key issue, but peripherals like the camera and mic are often connected with flex pc or sometimes ribbon cables. The connectors these interface to are delicate. In the case of flex pc, usually you have to unlock them with a tiny tab. If the flex is just pulled out forcefully, things can get hosed up. Ribbon may have a lock mechanism or may just pull apart. I would carefully check all these connections. If they were mishandled, the damage may already be done. You may be able to spot physical damage, but if so, can it be fixed?

 

[Kiavich]

Don't know about the keyboard key issue, but peripherals like the camera and mic are often connected with flex pc or sometimes ribbon cables. The connectors these interface to are delicate. In the case of flex pc, usually you have to unlock them with a tiny tab. If the flex is just pulled out forcefully, things can get hosed up. Ribbon may have a lock mechanism or may just pull apart. I would carefully check all these connections. If they were mishandled, the damage may already be done. You may be able to spot physical damage, but if so, can it be fixed?

I'll certainly have to look through the PDF of the service manual and find replacement cables. I was hoping there was something else that might explain this behavior. I'll try replacing them when I can afford to do so. I'm a freelancer, and I use my laptop for my work, so I can't possibly afford to lose it. Thanks for the idea!

 

[AlHuneke]

That may not fix it. If Chucklehead damaged connectors on the motherboard, that's bad news...