Windows Key + FN Swap Operation Successful!

The most thing I hate about my MSI GT73VR Titan Pro is the fact that they have the bloody Window Key on the right and the FN Key on the left unlike any other laptop in the world! I think the design guy at MSI woke up one morning and was like..........hmm...ok....let's mess around with people's heads and swap the location of the keys!

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't for the life of me get used to the awkward key layout and stopped even using the Window Key altogether until a good member on these forums linked me to this video:



Now I have never been successful in removing or replacing keys before, I would always break them in the process but after watching the video, I carefully used the same method with a small screw driver and magic!!!!

Tip: Hold the top edge of the key with your finger firmly but not firm enough to pluck it out, then gently keep rubbing the flathead screw driver in the middle portion and go deep and keep wiggling the key with your left finger that you initially held the top edge of the key with until it comes off.





This is the flathead screw driver that I used:




I then went into BIOS and turned on the option to swap the FN/Window Key so they function as they should.

Be brave...be like Phoenix and pluck keys




WARNING: Do this at your own risk, one wrong motion and you could damage the hinge that holds the key. Be very careful

 

Maybe this is an option retailers can offer at the time of purchase so the customer doesn't have to risk potentially damaging the keyboard.

 

totally agree! No way any sane human being can get used to the ***** up layout of the Windows key on the right! no way!

 

I know you won't agree with me, but I know exactly why MSI did that layout.

It's for gamers.
As you know, disabling the windows key has been a huge thing that gamers needed for years, before mechanicalkeyboards allowed you to remap or disable it. Accidentally hitting the windows key when trying to press Alt or Z or another key, and having the desktop kick you out of the game, has cost people matches, even tournaments. I know and remember still when the windows key cost me 1st place in a live UT2003 tournament at Frys long ago. People had to originally make registry edits to disable that key.

As a gamer, I appreciate having the FN key on the left, that way I won't get kicked out of my game by pressing the key. On my Ducky mechanical keyboards, I just remap or disable the windows key.

 

Thanks for the explanation man. At least it makes sense now. I guess I don't like it because I rarely play games and use the Windows key a lot. For a gamer, this seems like the ideal placement then and they may appreciate MSI being the only manufacturer that does this as far as I'm aware.

 

I agree with you. However, the FN key keeps bothering me a lot. Whenever I press it in-game by accident it changes my screen profile to a different color, and I believe FN+A does it. This means that while it's changing the game freezes for 0.10 seconds and I'm already dead in a game. Is there any way to disable the FN key while in game?

 

I think Svet can modify EC firmware too since this was his original mod before MSI used the idea, and this includes disable any particular key of your choice.