# my enter key / back space and many others do not work at all



## middythegreat (Nov 7, 2011)

so here is my problem i work with a toshiba equium , 
i made the mistake of dusting off my keyboard/laptop 
with a dry dust cloth whilst my computer was on , 
it pressed so many buttons and a few screens came up 
....i then x'd them off thinking nothing of it but 
then when i came to type into my task bar or 
anywhere on my computer infact i couldnt use
"back space"or "enter" or "del" neither my arrow keys also my at
" @ " button located by shift also does not function .
i know for a fact it has nothing to do with damages 
like a few feeds have said because i dont even eat/drink 
around my laptop i have no pets , nothing , it was simply 
working perfectly untill i made the fatal descion in dusting
off my keys as its switched on ,also it has nothing to do
with build up under the keys because i have already cleaned it.
please help im truely 
baffled and in serious need of assistance


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello middythegreat and welcome to TSF,

Reboot your computer. Does the problem still exist?


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## middythegreat (Nov 7, 2011)

hey gavinzach thanks for your reply , unfortunately it didnt work , any other suggestions ? thanks again


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Connect a USB keyboard. Does the USB keyboard work properly?


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## middythegreat (Nov 7, 2011)

my usb keyboard is currently at home i don't have access to one until the 11Th of November so i therefor couldn't tell you if it worked or not , sorry to be inconvenient but do you have any other solutions or is that important to know , thanks one again


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

As of this moment I can only assume the keyboard or keyboard controller has failed. The reason I want you to connect a USB keyboard is help figure it out. 

If the USB keyboard functions properly, then the keyboard controller is fine and the issue is with the keyboard itself.

Try booting in safe mode. Boot the computer, immediately after the BIOS splashscreen, start tapping F8. This should open the advanced boot options menu. If it doesn't, try again. Once in the menu, choose safe mode. Test the keyboard in safe mode by opening notepad and testing every key. 

You could try downloading a Linux Live Distro, burning it to CD/DVD and booting the computer to it. The test is the same as safe mode... Open a text editor and test every key.


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## middythegreat (Nov 7, 2011)

THANKYOU! i will try that on the 11th and re-contact you to let you know how it went , will you be around for me to contact you? many thanks i greatly with my deepest respect appreciate your kindness for helping me out. thanks again , Middy


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

I check in at least once a day.


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## middythegreat (Nov 7, 2011)

so i tested the usb keyboard and it works fine all the buttons worked , so would that make my problem being my laptop keys ? i'm still baffled although the keyboard works , its so much nicer having a back space and a enter button but still kinda frustrating having to go back and forth from my laptop to my mouse pad. and it makes it slightly more difficult to work in confined spaces  . thanks for your time and help if you could explain the situation and why it doesn't work that would be great  thanks again


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

It looks like you will need to replace the laptop's keyboard.

The only thing I can suggest beside that is removing the keyboard, re-seating the cable in the ZIF connector. Be very careful with the ZIF connector, it is easy to break.

There are two types of ZIF connector... One slides to release the ribbon cable the other flips.

Hopefully this helps.

- HOW TO - Open Toshiba Equium Notebook and Replace Keyboard


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