caps lock and shift keys no longer working

hi there,

as you can tell by the lack of capital letters, my caps lock and shift keys are no longer working on my samsung 770z5e. i had to copy the at sign via mouse just to log onto here.

it was working fine yesterday, but i woke up this morning and they just no longer work. the only recent change i did, is that i am using a jensen usb wifi adapter as i kept on experiencing dropouts with the internal wifi, in this machine.

i want to avoid a system recovery at this stage as i have work deadlines. i may just have to buy an external keyboard for now and come back to the problem after the deadline, but that's an annoying option.

any ideas are welcome.

edit; i am running windows 8 not 8.1

 

Keyboard malfunctions are often caused by a bad connection between keyboard and mainboard. Removing and replacing the ribbon cable in the socket (which usually has a flip up / flip down latch mechanism) usually clears the problem by cleaning the contacts.

A possible temporary fix is to use keyboard remapping software to remap a rarely used key such as "`" to shift.

John

 

Thanks for the reply!

t bought an external keyboard and just got home to see your answer. I'm currently out of the UK (Ghana) they only had the US keyboard but other than that it works okay.
The temporary fix might be a good idea as the key below the esc - I've never used it once! However - the position is kinda awkward.

I definitely don't want to be faffing around in the insides just yet and will probably do that when I get back to the UK.

 

The external keyboard has confirmed that the problem is hardware, not software which is a step forward. Tropical conditions, such as very high humidity, can be more demanding on the hardware and cause a weakness to turn into a problem.

You've identified the key I had in mind for remapping. However, if the problem is with the connector then it's possible that more than the two keys you have identified may be out of action and that could include the key you (and I) never use.

John

 

Thanks. Funnily enough, the caps lock came back on, but it was STUCK on caps lock! I rebooted the machine and it went back to not working again. I've been using the laptop outside on the porch and the matte screen is absolutely a godsend in that bright sun.

That's interesting info about the high humidity vs the hardware. Maybe I should try and change the power options in order to force the fan, on as it gets really hot underneath.

 

The biggest humidity-related risk is taking a cold computer (or any other equipment) from a cold air-conditioned room outside into hot humid conditions then opening it before it has an opportunity to warm up. Moisture from the warm air can condense on the cold components. The problem is most noticeable when a camera lens fogs up. Condensate water should be pure and no problem for the electronics but could become more problematic when mixed in with some accumulated dirt.

Anyway, I am doing lots of hypothesising and may be off the mark. But I've done my time in the tropics and once had to replace a floppy disk drive after the head had got blocked up by mould that was growing on the floppy discs. And there have been times when I've stopped working on the computer when sweat started dripping onto the computer. salty water and electronics don't work together well.

John

 

Thanks John.

So do you think those keys on my keyboard will be fixable by just replacing the ribbon cable? I really don't want to go through the ordeal of finding and purchasing that elusive "keyboard housing unit top" for my 770z5e.

 

I don't think the ribbon cable is available as a separate part. The first think to try is opening the socket on the mainboard and moving the cable in and out a few times to try to clean the surfaces before putting it back and closing the latch on the socket.

If that doesn't fix the problem then you can choose between a replacement keyboard or the complete unit housing top. The drawback of the cheaper keyboard only approach is that you have separate the old keyboard from the unit housing top and the refix (glue?) the new one into place. However, I recall that a few people have succeeded in doing this. Make sure you select the right country keyboard (my links are to UK versions).

John

 

Okay thanks. I'll go for the complete unity housing top, as I have absolutely no idea how you would separate the keyboard from the unit housing top without resorting to using a hacksaw.

 

I expect it's necessary to drill / grind / cut away little bits of plastic to do the separation. I've not looked inside but assume that there are plastic stubs on the back of the housing which poke through the holes in the keyboard which is then fixed by a quick dab or soldering iron or similar onto the plastic to melt them.

I'm sure the unit housing top was a lot more than £100 not so long ago so I suspect that inventory is being cleared. The one I linked to is from Hong Kong but posted in the UK. They seem to have a system for bulk international shipping (and, I assume, paying tax) - I've bought both a phone and a camera this was without problems and it takes no more than a week from being despatched.

John

 

Although I'm now using an external keyboard, I noticed that the "ctrl" has also stopped working. The stupid thing about all this is that I reckon I could of had prevented it by remembering to balance my laptop on some books to let air flow beneath it, or buying a laptop cooler.

I can't believe I forgot to do that:/

 

Out of interest, can a 670z5e keyboard fit into a 770z5e?

 

Are you considering the complete keyboard / palmrest unit or just fitting a new basic keyboard part? The Series 6 had some reduced features compared to Series 7. Smaller battery comes to mind but I don't recall what else.

Compare the photos. Also are both keyboards backlit?

John

 

Yes - I'm considering the complete keyboard. The only minor differences between the Ativ 6 and series 7/Ativ 8, is that it has a smaller batter, and the screen lid tilts all the way back. The motherboard has the same/similar features (i7 3635/AMD 8770M) and the same amount of ports in the same location. The keyboard is also back lit.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Samsung-ATIV-Book-6-Touch-680Z5E-X01US-Notebook.103287.0.html

The black keyboard for a UK Ativ 8 seems hard to find, so I was thinking that the Ativ 6 keyboard could work (seeing as I have to buy a new one anyway) on my unit.

I really like the case of the Ativ 6, but it would be major work transferring the screen and motherboard from one unit to another.

 

The screen should be relatively easy to move over complete with hinges and the cable while a motherboard swap will be no worse than a keyboard swap - consider the upside-down keyboard / palmrest unit as a tray into which the rest of the computer is built.

John

 

Ahhh...

In regards to the screen, I meant taking out my current screen and inserting it into an Ativ 6 chasis. The actual hinge design between to the two chasis are very different due to the Ativ 6 ability to lay horizontally flat. I'll need to pay someone to insert the keyboard anyway as I don't think I would trust myself to do this.

 

That could be a problem. I don't know if Samsung used glue or plastic clips to fix the display bezel. Either way, care will be needed to avoid making too much mess.

John

 

Knowing Samsung, they probably sealed it in a way that wouldn't make it easy to upgrade by any means.