Windows 10: Keyboard options -- some possibilities to consider

This isn't a question but more of an informational post, as I thought some people might find it helpful.

If you're a long term laptop/notebook owner, you've probably run into the situation where your keyboard begins to wear out. Maybe a key goes bad and you can't fix it. Or through frequent use the lettering may have worn away. Whatever the case, you need a replacement and it's usually possible to source a very good or near OEM quality keyboard replacement off of eBay (buying from the computer vendor brand directly usually means 2 to 3 times the cost).

In the past, I'd found my laptop/notebook keys were pretty robust. They'd be made out of a wear resistant material and just keep working and working. A more recent HP Pavilion laptop I got broke with that tradition. First off, I immediately noticed the keys had a matte finish. And that spells trouble, as any frequent key use will eventually smooth over that matte finish. Sure enough, it did. Not only do I have a big glossy segment on my space bar, but my most commonly hit keys have smooth spots on them (17 to be exact, with 8 more worn, and 1 completely without a letter label "C"). So I went about looking to get a new keyboard and of course, there are plenty of replacements around. For the most part, reputable sellers were offering the same keyboard for about $15 shipped.

But one thing I noticed is that some sellers were offering different color options. Instead of black, I could go for silver or dark gray. I expect some other models or brands could have white. Even better is that I noticed there were some with different finishes. Instead of matte, one was more like hard rubber, and another with a satin finish.

Even still, there was one really impressive thing I came to discover -- back lit keys. Some computer models were made with back lit keyboards, but also had less expensive variations without a back lit keyboard. It turns out that some makers were wise about the design and all they did was just omit the ribbon cable. The motherboard would still have a slot for it. What this means is that it's possible for you to take an existing laptop and purchase a back lit keyboard to upgrade it. Not bad at all. Of course, before doing this I'd recommend checking your service manual to be sure that it's possible with your particular model. In my case, I checked with HP and found out the motherboard for the two models with and without back lit keyboards is the same. So the LED cable socket is present and will function if utilized. Often you can find the back lit keyboard replacement for about $5 to $10 more than the non back lit version.

ADDENDUM:
Another thing you can do is buy a keyboard overlay. Many vendors are offering these at pretty low prices (e.g. $7 on Amazon). However, I've found that any with solid colors will show wear within a few months. Buying 2 per year starts to add up. What I've come to discover that these overlays are best as screen protectors. What? Yes, you overlay them on the keyboard before closing the lid, which prevents the keys from touching the screen and leaving behind oils and other "usage debris". This seems to be a more useful purpose and helps reduce the frequency of having to clean the laptop display surface.

:)

 

AMD FX OC'ers Club

That's what the auto setting will do since you're over the 1333 mark it jumps to the next step which isn't listed or officially supported I assume by that ram.

At this point though I would suggest dropping the multi one step or .5 so that we can get something stable and possibly take the heat issue out of the picture for now.

 

keyboard problems

Hi Ann,

There are some factors that we need to consider regarding your concern like you want to use a different keyboard layout or option to use a new computer. To properly diagnose this issue, we would like to know more about the issue by asking the following questions
below:

• Have you tried contacting your manufacturer to have an option to select a different keyboard?
• Have you tried plugging in a new keyboard?

If you consider using an On-Screen keyboard, you can follow the steps provided in this

article. This will give you easy steps enabling your On-Screen keyboard.

We look forward to your response to our queries.

 

Keyboard shortcut Alt key not working

Hi,



Before we proceed, I need more information to help you better.

• 
  Since when are you facing this issue?
  
• 
  Did you make any software or hardware changes on your computer prior to this issue?
  
  
  

I suggest you to follow the steps below and check if it helps.

Step 1: You may check if the ALT key is functioning correctly in on-screen keyboard. It will help us to verify if there is any issue with the keyboard.

Follow the steps below to open On-screen Keyboard.

• 
  Windows + Q, type OSK (on-screen keyboard)
  
• 
  And check if it works
  

Step 2: Run Hardware and device Troubleshooter.

Windows 10 has a built-in troubleshooter to check and fix issues with hardware and devices. I would suggest you to run this troubleshooter to check if the issue is with your devices. Refer these steps:

• 
  Press Windows key +X, select Control panel.
  
• 
  Change the view by option on the top right to Large icons.
  
• 
  Click on troubleshooting and click on the view all option on the left panel.
  
• 
  Run the Hardware and devices troubleshooter.
  

Keep us posted on this issue so that we can assist you better.