On 16/04/06, James Knott
Kevanf1 wrote:
On 16/04/06, James Knott
wrote: James David Jacobs wrote:
I have a Dell Inspiron 2100 Laptop. A number of keys do not work, either in a terminal or in KDE. For example, neither Alt key nor the right arrow work. None of these keys generate scan codes in Showkey.
Any idea how to get these keys to work? It sounds like you may have a hardware failure. Can you plug in a regular keyboard, to see if those keys work?
Or, try the keyboard on another PC? Just in case it is the keyboard that is at fault. It may just need cleaning which is 'usually' an easy enough job with some cotton buds and some ethyl alcohol.
Since the keyboard is part of a laptop, it's a bit hard to move it to another computer. ;-)
Also, given that more than one key is bad, it's unlikely caused by dirt, unless something was spilled on it. Keyboards are built on a matrix, with each key at an intersection of a row and column. Often one row or column will fail, causing all the keys along it to stop working. When that happens, the repair generally involves replacing the keyboard.
DOH! DOH! and DOH! again :-) My apologies. Why I did not see the word laptop I cannot tell you, but I did miss it. Anyway, It may still be dirt under the contacts. Is this a new laptop or one that you have got from somebody else? Is there any chance the something has perhaps been spilled on it? -- ============================================== I am only human, please forgive me if I make a mistake it is not deliberate. ============================================== Xmas may be over but, PLEASE DON'T drink and drive you'll make it to the next one that way. Kevan Farmer Linux user #373362 Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR