SHIFT key failure

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Richard Bowers" <rcbowersjr@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:29adnev5jqAssgXdRVn-jw@comcast.com...
> Both SHIFT keys on my Gateway Solo 9100 have pretty much stopped working.
> Plug in an external keyboard and the SHIFT keys on the external keyboard
> work fine. Once in a blue moon I will get a capital letter out of the
> laptop keyboard. The problem started a couple of weeks ago, but it used to
> go away very quickly. Now it is almost permanent. Gateway tech support
> said to update the drivers. I did, and there was no change. Now they are
> going to send me two new SHIFT keys! What for? All the other keys are
> fine. Caps lock works, but if I shift while it is on, no lowercase letters
> appear. My OS is Windows 98. No new software, etc., to blame it on.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rick
>
>
Interesting. Does the Caps Lock key work? (Put things into ALL CAPS?) If
not then it might be the drivers/OS. I would try booting to DOS and see if
the shift keys start working. (If you have an old DOS disk around or a
Win98 boot disk). If it is not the OS then it would seem to be the keyboard
itself and its firmware. I still have no idea why they would send you shift
keys. (I assume your keys are present and depress.) It sounds like you
need a new keyboard installed.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Richard Bowers wrote:
> Both SHIFT keys on my Gateway Solo 9100 have pretty much stopped
> working. Plug in an external keyboard and the SHIFT keys on the
> external keyboard work fine. Once in a blue moon I will get a
> capital letter out of the laptop keyboard. The problem started a
> couple of weeks ago, but it used to go away very quickly. Now it is
> almost permanent. Gateway tech support said to update the drivers.
> I did, and there was no change. Now they are going to send me two
> new SHIFT keys! What for? All the other keys are fine. Caps lock
> works, but if I shift while it is on, no lowercase letters appear.
> My OS is Windows 98. No new software, etc., to blame it on.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rick

The 9100 keyboard tends to accumulate dust, crumbs, pizza crusts, etc,
which can interfere with the keys. Close the screen, turn it over, tap
it several times. With the case inverted, open the screen and see if a
bunch of detritus is on the screen. Get a can of computer dust cleaner
and further clean out the keyboard. This has corrected keyboard
malfunctions on my 9100xl.

You can remove the keyboard easily and determine if the keyboard cable
is firmly attached. There is a small hole on the strip above the
keyboard on the right side. (remove battery and AC adapter here!) Insert
a paperclip, push down while pressing the strip to the left and the
strip will detach. There are I think three or four screws that hold the
keyboard in place. Remove these. Lift the keyboard towards you VERY
GENTLY and you will see the VERY FRAGILE ribbon cable and where it
inserts into the mainboard. The cable is held in with a friction wedge.
Pull up on the very small tabs on either side of the plug, The wedge
lifts up and the cable can be removed, or you can gently push the cable
back in and then push the restraining wedge back down on each side to
tighten it.

Q

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Assuming that the problem is narrowed down to a hardware failure, what is
the cost estimate on a new keyboard? I would like some idea before I take
it somewhere.

Thanks in advance.

Rick


"Quaoar" <quaoar@tenthplanet.net> wrote in message
news:776dnRBL7evxEQXdRVn-tA@comcast.com...
> Richard Bowers wrote:
> > Both SHIFT keys on my Gateway Solo 9100 have pretty much stopped
> > working. Plug in an external keyboard and the SHIFT keys on the
> > external keyboard work fine. Once in a blue moon I will get a
> > capital letter out of the laptop keyboard. The problem started a
> > couple of weeks ago, but it used to go away very quickly. Now it is
> > almost permanent. Gateway tech support said to update the drivers.
> > I did, and there was no change. Now they are going to send me two
> > new SHIFT keys! What for? All the other keys are fine. Caps lock
> > works, but if I shift while it is on, no lowercase letters appear.
> > My OS is Windows 98. No new software, etc., to blame it on.
> >
> > Any ideas?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Rick
>
> The 9100 keyboard tends to accumulate dust, crumbs, pizza crusts, etc,
> which can interfere with the keys. Close the screen, turn it over, tap
> it several times. With the case inverted, open the screen and see if a
> bunch of detritus is on the screen. Get a can of computer dust cleaner
> and further clean out the keyboard. This has corrected keyboard
> malfunctions on my 9100xl.
>
> You can remove the keyboard easily and determine if the keyboard cable
> is firmly attached. There is a small hole on the strip above the
> keyboard on the right side. (remove battery and AC adapter here!) Insert
> a paperclip, push down while pressing the strip to the left and the
> strip will detach. There are I think three or four screws that hold the
> keyboard in place. Remove these. Lift the keyboard towards you VERY
> GENTLY and you will see the VERY FRAGILE ribbon cable and where it
> inserts into the mainboard. The cable is held in with a friction wedge.
> Pull up on the very small tabs on either side of the plug, The wedge
> lifts up and the cable can be removed, or you can gently push the cable
> back in and then push the restraining wedge back down on each side to
> tighten it.
>
> Q
>
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Richard Bowers wrote:
> Assuming that the problem is narrowed down to a hardware failure,
> what is the cost estimate on a new keyboard? I would like some idea
> before I take it somewhere.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Rick
>
>
> "Quaoar" <quaoar@tenthplanet.net> wrote in message
> news:776dnRBL7evxEQXdRVn-tA@comcast.com...
>> Richard Bowers wrote:
>>> Both SHIFT keys on my Gateway Solo 9100 have pretty much stopped
>>> working. Plug in an external keyboard and the SHIFT keys on the
>>> external keyboard work fine. Once in a blue moon I will get a
>>> capital letter out of the laptop keyboard. The problem started a
>>> couple of weeks ago, but it used to go away very quickly. Now it is
>>> almost permanent. Gateway tech support said to update the drivers.
>>> I did, and there was no change. Now they are going to send me two
>>> new SHIFT keys! What for? All the other keys are fine. Caps lock
>>> works, but if I shift while it is on, no lowercase letters appear.
>>> My OS is Windows 98. No new software, etc., to blame it on.
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Rick
>>
>> The 9100 keyboard tends to accumulate dust, crumbs, pizza crusts,
>> etc, which can interfere with the keys. Close the screen, turn it
>> over, tap it several times. With the case inverted, open the screen
>> and see if a bunch of detritus is on the screen. Get a can of
>> computer dust cleaner and further clean out the keyboard. This has
>> corrected keyboard malfunctions on my 9100xl.
>>
>> You can remove the keyboard easily and determine if the keyboard
>> cable is firmly attached. There is a small hole on the strip above
>> the keyboard on the right side. (remove battery and AC adapter
>> here!) Insert a paperclip, push down while pressing the strip to the
>> left and the strip will detach. There are I think three or four
>> screws that hold the keyboard in place. Remove these. Lift the
>> keyboard towards you VERY GENTLY and you will see the VERY FRAGILE
>> ribbon cable and where it inserts into the mainboard. The cable is
>> held in with a friction wedge. Pull up on the very small tabs on
>> either side of the plug, The wedge lifts up and the cable can be
>> removed, or you can gently push the cable back in and then push the
>> restraining wedge back down on each side to tighten it.
>>
>> Q

Try eBay. The 9100 series was one of Gateway's bigger laptop sellers
and some parts are readily available. www.mundocorp.com also - $69 for
a kb.

Q

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

> > Both SHIFT keys on my Gateway Solo 9100 have pretty much stopped
> > working. Plug in an external keyboard and the SHIFT keys on the

> lifts up and the cable can be removed, or you can gently push the cable
> back in and then push the restraining wedge back down on each side to
> tighten it.

.... but since it's (only?) the shift keys, it's more likely that the
membrane is dirty or damaged. Completely disassembling the keyboard
subassy and checking for dirt in the separator layer, and cleaning the
contact layers, might help.