Toshiba Satellite Keyboard has . . . stopped working

[patmosphere]

The number pad on my Toshiba Satellite keyboard has recently been giving me issues. All of the keys past the arrow keys simply just suck. They used to work just fine and now they are harder to press and take longer to return to default position, as if they're sticking. This problem came about out of nowhere and strange enough, it doesn't occur all the time, sometimes the keys still function as they should. Input appreciated. :]

When I just used SHIFT to input the bracket, it stuck, too. Is it spreading?!

[taswyn]

The obvious question would be whether or not something has maybe been spilled on it before, because that does sound about like what happens. When you say "sticking" you mean the keys are mechanically staying depressed, yes?

I've never tried cleaning a laptop keyboard, so maybe someone will have some advice for that. That might be enough to take care of they trouble keys. A (very) little sewing oil in the scissors might help too? I do know that you *can* buy replacement keyboards fairly cheap for many laptops... if you're not afraid of disassembling it to do the replacement (and be careful if it's still under warranty that doing so won't void it... of course if it is under warranty still you should be able to get the parts for free, and the work done if you have on site coverage) ^.^

[patmosphere]

Yes, they keys are staying mechanically depressed. And okay I didn't want to mention this but you brought it up. In the month of May so almost 6 months ago, there was Four Loko (represent) spilled. But up until now there have been no problems.

But contributions regarding a laptop with a spill and without a spill please!

[taswyn]

In the month of May so almost 6 months ago, there was Four Loko (represent) spilled. But up until now there have been no problems.

Sometimes (at least, I've had it happen) you can have a spill, especially with something sweet that doesn't cause any problems electronically, but eventually the residue from it starts to cause trouble mechanically (and even if something sticky like soda doesn't immediately gunk up switches/action, it can gather dust and such in a combined mess that does over time). Usually what I do is take everything apart and clean all of it (other than the controller of course, and being careful with anything that might rust or need to be oiled afterwards) and then make sure it's *completely* dry before reassembling.

I don't know if there's an easy way to (safely) clean a laptop keyboard well without taking it out of the laptop, I've only ever cleaned desktop keyboards before, hopefully someone else has some advice on that. You *could* try popping off all of the problem keys and cleaning the key caps in some soapy water, then taking a damp (not wet, even if the keyboard's base is sealed I wouldn't want to risk anything dripping into the laptop) cloth and wiping all of the surfaces the keys make contact with, and the plastic scissors.

If the sticking is caused by something that got under the rubber membrane, though, you'll need to take it entirely apart, I think. It might be just as easy to replace the entire thing, if you have a model that has cheap replacements (I know I've seen some for ~$10)

[Losttsol]

I work on laptops.  If it was one key I'd say ya, try and clean it out.  With multiple keys though, do yourself a favor.  Don't bother cleaning it.  You are bound to break a tab on one of the scissor switches if you start popping all the keys off.  Save yourself a ton of time and go on eBay to see if you can find a replacement first.  It should run you anywhere from $10-$30 depending on the model.  You can replace a laptop keyboard in a minute or two.  I'll even walk you through it if you need, because chances are I have replaced the keyboard on the model you have or one very similar.

[ricercar]

My 3 year old Satellite keyboard remains in great condition, but then I've had a keyboard condom on it since month 2. Sounds like a spill - get a new one from eBay.

[Lanx]

you either have
1. sticky residue from your previous spill finally acting out.
2. a cookie crumb stuck underneath a key or two.

if it's 1. well either remove and clean or get a new keyboard
if it's 2, i usually tell the person to mash down on the offending key hard and it should "crush" the crumb, unless it's something weird like a grain of rice then you have to just try to remove it.

It sounds like 2, i mean if you drink near your laptop, your bound to eat by it as well.

[itlnstln]

"Laptop" does not mean it's better there for pr0n.

[patmosphere]

So I can buy a replacement keyboard on eBay. As far as what to do from there I am completely clueless.

[lowpoly]

There are notebook keyboard replacement tuts all over the internet.

I just cleaned a notebook keyboard for a friend. She had spilled candle wax into it. Two years ago. This year during some hot summer days the wax melt (melted?) and started its travel through the membranes. Finally it found its way to the right places and keys started to fail. I removed about the 4 right columns of keycaps, could take apart the membranes in that area and scratch the wax off. This took a couple of hours. Got a nice bottle of Bermudez Aniversario for it. :-)

Removing the caps is difficult. I think I was lucky that nothing broke. Not all caps pop off into the same direction. It is usually possible to find out how to lift them before applying full force.

[PRISONER 24601]

I replace my laptop keyboards every year or so. Needless to say they get beaten on pretty heavily. I would contact Toshiba first, see if they have any genuine replacement parts. After that, check ebay for genuines and their cheap equivalents.

[patmosphere]

I'm not too excited about replacing my laptop's keyboard, I've never attempted anything of the sort. I'm sorry I just need some more input