Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Laptop Keyboard Problem... Ctrl button "electrically stuck"

by faustas Apr 27, 2005 7:47AM PDT

Hello all:

I have a Toshiba Portege 3500 Tablet PC. Recently, the keyboard has been spilled with water. It was quickly dried and blow-dried.

But now there is a problem.
The Ctrl button (there is only one on this keyboard) seems to be "electrically stuck". By electrically stuck, I mean that the computer always thinks that the button is being pressed, when it is physically not.

I can still press the button down and it would bounce back up upon releasing. I tried unplugging and replugging the keyboard, but everyone time, the still computer thinks the button is being pushed.
Here are a couple examples:
When I open a plain text document, and press the "f" button, the "find" window would pop up.
If I only press alt+del, the task manager will pop up.

Does anyone know how I can fix this problem?
Uninstalling and reinstalling driver?
Is there a way to just disable a certain key in the keyboard?
Buying a new laptop keyboard would be the last resort because liquid spill is not protected in the warranty and it would cost upwards of ~$100 to replace the keyboard.

Thank you in advance

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Get the price, don't guess.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 27, 2005 8:15AM PDT

And consider it's much cheaper than having it repaired.

One idea. Unplug the internal keyboard and use an external?

Bob

- Collapse -
Repairing a keyboard vs replacing it
by faustas Apr 28, 2005 4:57AM PDT

So would it be more expensive to get it checked and make sure it's the keyboard itself that's the problem, and then get it fixed?

in the mean time, i am going to use a usb keyboard. But ultimately, i'd still like to have the portability of a true laptop (ie no extra cables and peripherals).

- Collapse -
Compared to taking it in, a new keyboard is cheap cheap.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 28, 2005 5:08AM PDT

Well under 100 bucks everytime I've done it. Sending it in is amazingly expensive.

Bob

Back to Peripherals forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info