Laptop keyboard won’t work after replacing video card

I have a Dell Inspiron 8500 laptop in which I had to replace the video card. Everything’s in normal working condition now except the keyboard – nothing happens when I type. The pointer works, but that’s controlled by a different cable than the keyboard itself.

I noticed today that the metal underside of the keyboard has burn marks from where the video card overheated – could the video card have fried some of the sensors in the keyboard when it overheated? All the cables are connected and none are damaged.

If anyone has any ideas about why the keyboard stopped working after I replaced the video card, please let me know! I am POSITIVE all the cables are connected properly and that they are NOT damaged.

Thanx!