www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Mrs. Inky's laptop has developed a problem that's got me completely stumped. The right hand shift key has stopped working altogether (might have been like that for a while, and so not related to the new problem), and the left hand shift key works fine with the numbers and the top line of the keyboard (qwertyuiop), works with all of the second row except the "a" (sdfghjkl), and works with only the "z" and the two <>'s on the bottom row (not xcvbnm).

When we pull up the on screen keyboard and press the left shift key both of the shift buttons on the on screen keyboard light up (so I reckon the key itself is working fine), but when the right shift key is press they do not (so maybe there is a problem with that key).

Any ideas?

Sounds like a faulty keyboard. If you press either shift, both should light up - its not key sensitive

What laptop? Keyboards are pretty cheap and very easy to fit.

Bg

It's a Toshiba Satellite C660.

Agree that it looks like the right shift key has a problem, because that doesn't work at all. But I don't understand how a hardware problem would cause the left shift key to work with some keys but not others. Like I say, the left shift always causes both shifts on the on screen keyboard to be highlighted, but when the "a" or one of the bottom row keys is pressed then no character at all is generated - not even a lower case one.

Oh, and a separate USB keyboard works perfectly when plugged in.

I think you're right mate, just chucking a new keyboard at it might be the way to go - although I might just whip the existing one out and reseat the connector first.

Give it a blast, but I don't think it'll help.......happy to be wrong!

BG

Reseating the connector made no difference at all (but at least I didn't make it any worse!), so I've ordered one from the link you posted Billy.

Will let you know how I get on with the new one.

New keyboard arrived yesterday, fitted it in about 15 minutes and all is working again.



Slightly funny set of symptoms for a faulty keyboard though.

Mega, top job! The laptop lives to type another day!