Keyboard not fuctioning on laptop.

[chainsaw_masochist]

I am experiencing problems on a Dell 6700 laptop. This is running under XP Pro and upon switching on the desktop loads normally. Then, various dialog boxes appear from ScansoftOmnipage, Zonelarm, Windows Live Messenger and then a couple of boxes pertaining to the usual broadband connection process. The issue is that the laptop is refusing to respond to any input from the keyboard. Using the Alt, Ctrl, Delete keys I tried to invoke Windows Task Manager to close down the said applications, but to no avail. WTM loads but does not respond to any selectiion. The keyboard remains functionless. Any suggestions as to how to bring the keyboard back to life?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Deluks]

Borrow a usb keyboard and see if you can use that to get into control panel and diagnose.

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

Are you able to access the BIOS or the boot options menu.

Try hitting the F2, F10, F12 keys at the BIOS screen

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

Thanks for the response, guys. I will try to give a bit more info re the problem.

Firstly though, we are experiencing a few obstacles actually getting a connection to the web, hence the delay in getting back to you. The machine to which I refer belongs to my folks. Further to their decision to upgrade their ISP package – this entailed having the telephone provision supplied by the ISP, instead of BT – accessing the internet has been fraught with problems.

When the laptop was purchased (December 2006) I set up three user accounts. Only one of those is used, indeed, it is only through this user account that access to the web is made. One thing that I have tried is accessing the other two (usually redundant) accounts and there is absolutely no problem at all ie. there is no locking-up of keyboard.

Deluks: Sorry I don’t have access to a usb keyboard and have certainly not used one previously.

EOTB: Haven’t had to access the BIOS in the past so will clearly be a bit of a novice here. I will look in to doing this and get back to you as soon as I am able.

Do you think it likely that I may have to reload Windows?

 

[Doc Lenny]

If the Keyboard is working on other accounts then I would suggest there is nothing physically wrong with your keyboard.

If you can login as an administrator, then backup the files that are located under the profile (account) that you are having trouble with.

It would be worth running some anti spy/mal/adware programs incase your account is being locked-up by these programs running intensive processes.

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

Got it working now, thanks Lenny.

Rather crass, I know, but I didn’t try using the the touch pads which allowed me to close all the applications that I couldn’t otherwise get rid of. Upon making this vital discovery I ran some anti-virus/spyware, but no probs found. Everything was then functioning but the touchpad - I still cannot work out as to how this happened as I have certainly not experienced this previously. A simple check in start//Control Panel/Mouse/Touchpad showed that the touchpad box was unchecked. Checking this fixed everything. As for not realising that the keys were functioning, well…er, I sometimes wish I had a reset button on my brain.