Weird issue with laptop keys

YMB

Distinguished
Oct 26, 2006
2
0
18,510
For what ever reason my moms laptop started acting weird once she booted it up. at the windows log in screen when ever you try to type in anything each key seems to paste some combination of the same 4-6 characters(cant see what they are of course), other keys will turn on caps lock and some others behave like i hit the tab key. Never seen this happen before and i have no idea what could be wrong(laptop dying? though that seems unlikely. Virus? Or something incredibly simple...) or even what to research to fix it. She says it was working perfectly before this and it started once she booted it up the next day.

the laptop is a Samsung 300u1a/305u1a according to the manual. Will try to provide any other info you need.

Thoughts?
 


If a USB keyboard from another PC works properly, and if turning the laptop upside down and whacking the base with the flat of your hand doesn't eject all the toast crumbs, the keyboard is probably dead.

If the OS is Windows 7, you can get to the Accessibliity options including on-screen keyboard from the login screen if that helps. At least you cold get to the Control Panel that way.

 

toopoorfornew

Honorable
Apr 29, 2012
2
0
10,510
Could be as simple as the keyboard's connection coming loose. This is not too difficult to try your self. You would have to discover how to access the screws that hold the keyboard to the laptop, unscrew them, then examine the connecter which should be under the keyboard. First you have to figure how to get the top cover off. Someitmes this connector will start to slip loose but still remain in contact causing some keys not to register or causing the wrong letters to enter.