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Laptop input not working

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First off, my sincere appreciation to whomever takes the time to read this. My searching and tech support efforts have thus far been in vain. I have a Winbook A210. The laptop keyboard and touchpad do not give any response either in windows, or before any os loads, making it impossible to enter the bios. If I boot from a live os, like Puppy Linux, (which starts automatically) the keyboard (and sometimes mouse) will work flawlessly. That must mean that it is not a hardware problem. I do not know what to do. The usb keyboard and mouse both flash momentarily when plugged in, and then cease their life. Winbook tech support was less than helpful. I finally pulled the hard drive and ran the restore disks on it from my desktop computer. Windows boots up flawlessly, but I am unable to control it.

9 replies

by sgt_shultz

well, you didn't mentioned trying an external keyboard to get enought control to fix this. i would try that.
in the meantime, sounds like the keyboard/mouse works until windows loads. therefore it sounds like an interrupt conflict. did this use to work? what changed? get into BIOS at boot and disable all the usb, serial (such as modem) stuff you can for a test. see if you can get the thing to boot in safe mode. if that works perhaps a 3rd party keyboard or mouse software is wreaking havoc.

by nessun

I have exactly the same issue with a laptop and really thought it was hardware until you said that yours works with a linux live cd which I have not yet tried. Have you fixed this issue? Drop me an email at Nessun@gmail.com maybe we can assist one another with this.

by w2ktechman

Are you using the built on keyboard and touchpad, or an external?

You say that they do not work, but they do in Linux. You also mention them as USB.

Try the actual keyboard built onto the notebook to get into the BIOS.
Try the actual keyboard built on the computer to login to Windows
unplug the external ones, wait a minute and then plug them in again in different ports (or reverse the ports that they were in). wait a few minutes for the drivers to load. Does it work now?

If not, you may need to reinstall your USB drivers in Windows, which may be part of the Chipset drivers for your MB.

To me it sounds like your system does not recognise USB input devices, there may be a BIOS flash to fix this, or maybe not.

by nessun

This is the built in touchpad and keyboard not external. He stated his wont work on external, and my usb ports on mine died months back.

And yes this is VERY weird it will work in some versions of linux. I was just testing this as he had stated it. Also it will not work at the begining of nix at the boot screen for me but it will after it loads for a while.

And this is not a usb issue as its the internal parts not working. With him he said the lights flash on then off on his usb devices and the usb for me just does not work at all.

by w2ktechman

the keyboard becomes erratic or fails as well. Usually, replacing the internal keyboard will fix the problem. For many notebook models, the keyboard costs $20-$30 + shipping. Usually replacing a keyboard on a notebook is fairly easy.

But first, look for a BIOS update, as this may fix the problem.

Most notebooks have between 1 and 5 screws holding the keyboard in place. Normally, the screw holes are marked in some way (like an arrow, or a keyboard icon). For the systems that I usually work on 1-2 screws is most common. The screws are on the underside of the unit.

After removing those screws there may or may not be push tabs to hold the keyboard in place. If the keyboard doesnt start falling out when the notebook is tilted, then this is likely the case. Slide these tabs to release the keyboard.
Being carful not to apply force, tilt the notebook to see if the keyboard was released or not. If it starts falling out, then you are fine. Grab it and carefully move it a little to the side. There will be between 1 and 3 connectors plugged into it, that need to be released on the MB (carefully).

If the keyboard did not fall out a little, look again for a missed screw. If you have to, remove the battery and other covers to see if a screw is under them for the keyboard. If you are certain that no screw is holding it, but it will not release, try jiggling it from side to side a little bit. There may be frame piece holding it underneath.

For me, although I have done this dozens of times or more (probably more), it usually takes around 5 min. to replace a keyboard. Sometimes, if I am unfamiliar with the model system it may take a few more minutes though.

All in all, just be careful not to damage the motherboard or pull hard while it is plugged into the MB. Or else you may have a new problem on your hands.

If you are uncertain about replacing the keyboard, take it to a professional. If it cannot be afforded, look for any service manuals for your system, or help via the manufacturer for instructions on the replacement.

by nessun

I have replaced a few hundred keyboards it is not as hard as you are even making it out to be.

And if the touchpad operated fine when I had the keyboard unplugged I might be willing to try a new keyboard. But seeing as it doesn't the issue is not the keyboard.

As well there is no bios updates that I can find and doing one without a keyboard would be nearly impossible. Also if it was a keyboard failure I doubt it would work in linux but not windows.

by chungt

I had a similar problem with my laptop the keyboard and touch pad refused to respond after the OS started. restore, reinstall OS multiple virus scans etc did not help, i read somewhere that the problem might be due to the battery, sounds weird but i tried it, remove the battery and just run it with the AC power cord. it worked for me hope it does for you too

by chasegilliard

Thanks for the tip. I have read that the battery has caused problems with input and have tried this as an option to no avail.

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