The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Keyboard refuses to work sometimes

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011.

  1. mrigankp

    mrigankp Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hi all. I have owned an Alienware M15x since July last year. It's going perfect regarding gaming etc. I have faced a new problem recently. My laptop keyboard refuses to work sometimes.

    Initially, only a few keys were not functioning. Just 15 mins back, the whole keyboard started acting funny. None of keys were responding. This problem doesn't go away till I restart the laptop.

    While I am at it, I am also facing slow booting than other i7 laptops. My friend has got an i5 and it loads quicker. I have tried msconfig and unchecked all unnecessary apps. It is also plugged in. So, I guess the obvious reasons are eliminated. Any suggestions?

    Thanks in advance for your helpful replies. Cheers!
     
    mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011
    #1
  2. svl7

    svl7 T|I

    Reputations:
    4,719
    Messages:
    3,758
    Likes Received:
    134
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Which BIOS do you have?

    A system which is slowing down or lagging usually indicates virus and malware infection.
     
    svl7, Jun 4, 2011
    #2
  3. mrigankp

    mrigankp Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    BIOS version is A09
     
    mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011
    #3
  4. mrigankp

    mrigankp Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Also, I have Spybot Search & Destroy to destroy adware. And I run virus scans regularly.
     
    mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011
    #4
  5. svl7

    svl7 T|I

    Reputations:
    4,719
    Messages:
    3,758
    Likes Received:
    134
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Unfortunately this doesn't guarantee a clean system. Did you ever disassemble your machine?
     
    svl7, Jun 4, 2011
    #5
  6. mrigankp

    mrigankp Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    No, I haven't disassembled it yet. But, I have noticed that I haven't encountered this problem before installing BIOS A09.
     
    mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011
    #6
  7. svl7

    svl7 T|I

    Reputations:
    4,719
    Messages:
    3,758
    Likes Received:
    134
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Have you tried going back to A08 yet?
     
    svl7, Jun 4, 2011
    #7
  8. mrigankp

    mrigankp Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    92
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Actually, I was thinking of doing that. But I thought maybe I was pressing some wrong key. Do u know what the Fn+F1 (suspend) button does? Am I pressing that instead of pressing the battery thing? 'Coz I use the battery function when the battery is 100% to select 'battery disabled.'
     
    mrigankp, Jun 4, 2011
    #8
  9. svl7

    svl7 T|I

    Reputations:
    4,719
    Messages:
    3,758
    Likes Received:
    134
    Trophy Points:
    131
    This will set your system to hibernation.
     
    svl7, Jun 4, 2011
    #9
  10. pepemosca

    pepemosca Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    153
    Messages:
    450
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    All the keys stop working... or just a few?
     
    pepemosca, Jun 5, 2011
    #10
  11. The Revelator

    The Revelator Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    5,395
    Messages:
    4,571
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Did you successfully upgrade to EC 1.18 when you flashed BIOS A09? (Check by pressing F2 at the boot screen - large Alienhead - and check the EC info on the opening screen.)

    Have you tried the old reliable power drain trick?

    * Turn off your M15x
    * Remove the battery
    * Disconnect the power cord
    * Press and hold the power button for 10-20 seconds
    * Replace the battery and connect the power cord
    * Start your M15x.

    My keyboard once got finicky, although the particular details now escape me. I uninstalled it through Device Manager and let the computer scan for new hardware, find the keyboard and install the standard Win7 driver, after which it returned to normal.
     
    The Revelator, Jun 5, 2011
    #11