DV8000 Series - Keyboard problems. Anyone else?

This worked for me to resolve the caps lock issue (from HP's support site)


Press and hold the function key fn while pressing the num lock key num lk.
This will deactivate the integrated keyboard/numeric keypad, and the keys will respond normally.


http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...cc=us&dlc=en&product=500449&rule=8860&lang=en

 

I've had my DV8000 for about a year now. I've never had any problems with the keyboard, but my fan has been giving me some. It is quite loud, and buzzes constantly. It used to only do it at times, then go constant. Sometimes it doesn't do it very much. I have sent my notebook in twice to have this fixed and both times it continued to make the sound. It's pretty lame Other than that though, I have had no problems with my notebook.

 

worst.laptop.ever. no I never had the keyboard problem, but the usb ports are flaky, it will see my phone has a hard drive but the com ports disappear if I disconnect it, then I have to reboot for the com ports to show up. for its size the audio is PATHETIC, my zv5160 will blast you out of the room, this one, people are always telling me to turn it up...some multi-media laptop.

 

Is the keyboard problem really that common? I am looking for a last generation 17" laptop and am only considering the ZD8000 or DV8000 series. I don't want another Toshiba. The only thing keeping me from buying a DV8000 is the know keyboard issue. Is there a reliable or sure fix for it? Should I just buy one at a good price and upgrade the bios and replace the keyboard? Are these two things a clear solution?

 

Does the F.53 Bios for DV8000z fix the keyboard issue?

 

i dont know votom....my keyboard never acted up. if you want to hear the movies you see on the beautiful screen I would suggest another laptop. well you can hear it if you have it on your lap and scrunch down to listen....not so good if you have it out for others view. I dont know why Hp never addressed this issue. i sent it in 3 times.....and just said fugg it.

 

Sort of off topic, but I have a zv6000 and I thought it was me. I do s/w dev and a lot of writing / docs /web authoring and this laptop has been a curse. CURSE! 18 months of FRUSTRATION of dropped strokes. I even hear the key hit bottom and nothing comes out, or caps lingers, so the word "THanks" occurs frequently.

I thank you all DEARLY for assuring me that it isn't me.

Carl

 

Has any action been taken by HP to fix this problem? I too have keyboard issues.

 

No, HP has done nothing. There is no fix other than using an external keyboard. If you are still under warranty you can try to get them to replace it with a different model.

 

This problem has been going on longer than the DV series has been around.

I purchased an HP Pavilion N5435 back in 2003 and it has had intermittent keyboard problems ever since. Keys near the center of the keyboard would fail to respond on occasion. I'm typing on it now and had to apply my "fix" this morning after bootup.

At the time it first started to occur I also checked the forums to see if it was a wide spread problem and if there was a proper solution...Nope!...Others DID have the problem but the consensus was that HP was denying that a problem even existed.

This was confirmed after I sent my unit to HP for repair and recieved it back almost immedietly with a note stating: "could not duplicate problem".

My "fix" is to grab the keyboard portion of the laptop and give it a twisting flexing motion. This would seem to suggest it is, or at least was, a MECHANICAL problem with this model and I don't believe a BIOS upgrade is the solution...it's more a stall tactic.
So far, I have not caused additional damage to the mobo/keyboard, but I DON'T recommend this as a solution. However, you may have to apply this technique yourself if you too end up with this distinctly HP problem.

 

my dv6000 keyboard is warped. there is a slight wave in the keyboard elevation; it is highest at the 'g' key and lowest at the right 'ctrl' key.

it is working fine, but it is annoying and just yesterday i noticed that there are light marks on the screen where the highest keys are apparently making contact when the notebook is closed.

i bringing it back to Best Buy today. hopefully they will exchange it for a new unit with a flat keyboard.

 

Haven't been around in a while,

But I have a suggestion or two for those seeking service..

I just had a HP/Compaq NX6325 serviced due to play in the display hinges- fix was to replace display assembly since HP does not stock /sell hinges seperately (AFAIK)

Here's the tip(s):

1: As I've suggested before write up a document, with attached pics of unit to prove condition of unit- Go hand in hand with doc/pics to local bank and have the document notarized, most banks will do this for free.

You might want to take pics with a CURRENT newspaper in background- Or say some breaking news on CNN to prove condition..

(WHY- because alot of people have sent their unit in for service- receiving it back damaged._ HP later saying the damage was pre-existing.)

2: Try to find a LOCAL HP authorized repair center.... and have the unit repaired LOCALLY so you can TALK DIRECTLY with the TECH.

I took my unit in, so tech could verify hinges indeed had play in them, he ordered part, it coming in overnight- and it was installed around noon, while I waited....

Beats having to "mail" a unit in.... and get it back not repaired /and or damaged...

.

 

Well.... a year went by, my warranty dissapeared with no response from HP Tech support and my dv8000 keyboard is locking up in ways I never thought possible. Not a springy and slow return as it did when I frist bought it and was told by HP's tech support to download a famous drive fix for the keyboard... no, now the keys just stay down and locked!

Of course I had to use a wireless keyboard and mouse to make it work, but that annoying GO BACK! of the cursor with that infernal beeping still shows up and it drives me crazy... pounding the keyboard keys seems to appease the beast. This has been the most expensive piece of equipment I have ever purchased, and also the worst!

I know I have to eat it, cuz I wouldn't wish this monster on my worst enemy. My kids stay away from it (a blessing in disguise) because they hate it.

The only good thing I can say about it is that the new sound driver did fix the ****ty tinny sound coming from those Altec Lansing speakers.

Is there any class action suit we can start with HP to at least get a decent laptop for our money????

 

I am new here, so please excuse me if there is another place I should post this, due to the model of computer I'm using... I have a DV5140us running XP MCE, with 2.0GHz AMD 64 processor and 2GB RAM. I have been experiencing some of the keyboard issues y'all have been discussing, and i thought for the purpose of helping identify the issue, I would add my 2¢ worth...

PHYSICALLY, there are no problems with my keyboard. No sticking keys, no touchy responses, no warping, no flexing, etc. However, I do get the keystroke irregularities. For my system, the single most prolific problem is the shift key, and 2nd most common is the missing strokes.

The Shift key likes to logically "stick," where it will register as still pressed, even though it is not. Usually I have to tap it at least twice to get it to "un-stick." Hence, it will continue to type capitals even after I have let go of the key. This also means that if I have the Caps Lock on, it will type as off, since the Shift key will invert the capitalizations from the setting of the Caps Lock key. This state sticking also happens periodically with the CTRL key, and a couple of times I have seen it happen with the Alt key. With the Shift key, it is usually the left side that is registering as still pressed, but that doesn't mean much since I mostly use the left Shfit key...

But more prevalent is the ignored Shift. I'm sure if you look through this message, there will be a few places where I typed the word "I" and had it come out as lower-case. Since a lot of capital letters get used, the shift key giving problems becomes the more obvious issue, and not the Ctrl or Alt keys...

The shift key not registering is just another symptom of the problem where keys in general will not register. This can be any key at all. And due to the length of time I've used this already, I can pretty certainly say that it's an issue with the communications between the keyboard unit and the system bus. The most obvious clues have been when i will be typing along at high-speed, and 3 letters in a row won't respond. That just means that the keyboard wasn't being listened-to by the system for that fraction of a second, and apparently it doesn't have a built-in buffer to capture the keys that weren't heard... It could also explain the sticking Shift key, if the keyboard is sending a command to the system (which doesn't see it) to tell it to turn the Shift key state to OFF.

In all, I lose about 1 keystroke out of every 30, and about 1 out of 6 Shift key presses.

Once in a while I will also get double-struck spacebar responses.

I have gotten to the point in typing to friends where I just ignore the fact that letters didn't get capitalized, or that words are missing letters. People can usually figure it out, and I'm just tired of backing up to fix them all; its time consuming as much as aggravating. This has become a big problem, though, when i am trying to type business e-mails or letters and words come out misspelled and with improper calculation. It makes me look like I do not exercise proper English... Not good when doing official correspondence!

So for me as well, I have found that an external keyboard never has these issues. Again, it is likely that the external keyboard has a buffer for capturing keystrokes and will re-transmit them to the system until they get recognized, whereas the built-in keyboard does not. this is just an educated guess, of course; it could also have to do with which bus is listening to the built-in keyboard, while the USB has no such issues.

And as for the other input device, the touchpad, it freaks out when there is a heavy load on the system. Sometimes it will be sluggish to respond, and at other times it relocates itself suddenly to other parts of the screen. I suspect this issue is more related to Microsoft's bloatware hogs causing interference with the touchpad driver, particularly since this happens the most during the use of the Media Center. Again, though, an external mouse doesn't experience these issues.

The only other annoyance I have experienced with this laptop is that the touchpad is located centered on the system, which ends up resting under your right thumb, and you will accidentally be "touching" the touchpad, and the cursor will relocate and the screen will scroll when you least expect it.

Other than the pervasive keyboard problem, the rest of the unit is very nice and enjoyable!

 

I haven't read through all the posts yet, but wanted to add my two cents. I bought my DV8000 in Apr 2006. very early on I noticed the keyboard would tweak in ways I never knew before. there were a lot of what I thought were bells and whistles on this computer an i thought that perhaps I would hit a key combo that turned the CAPS LOCK on. It was completely annoying as I do alot of IMing for work and i dind't want to be "yelling" back to folks so I would sit and wait it out and eventually the key board would cycle through and be back to normal.

since I don't use my laptop too much, when I did use it and noticed the space bar would not respond to the touch and a few other keys did not repspond I got annoyed...I'm not good about going back and re-reading my text before I sent it off. I soon learned this was most important if I didn't want to come across as a complete incompetent.

I finally broke down one day when I thought I had nothing else to do and called HP support. I got the India run around and I kid you not 70 minutes later I was finally hooked up with someone who could actually have a non-robot conversation with me. (When a techie gives you a phone number and pronounces the dashes, you know he's from another planet!). I reluctenly sent my computer in for a keyboard replacement.

Knowing all the problems I had with the keyboard since I bought the computer and knowing I only had about a month left on the warrenty when i sent it in back in march 2007, I specifically asked if the 'warrenty clock' for the keyboard repair was starting over at zero for another 12 months. I was told by the tech that yes, repairs made under the warrenty were covered for an additional 12 months.

About a week after I got the computer back, I noticed the CAPS LOCK problem again. Knowing I had a full 12 months again and not wanting to spend the time or energy to talk to someone in India, I let it go until this morning when I couldn't take it any longer!

I called and after 35 minutes robot like conversation I was told that They were sorry but the technician gave out wrong informaiton and my new keyboar repair was not covered under warrenty.

That led me to this site where I am hoping to find a bios update fix, a new driver or something that will address this annoying problem. I wish I had never bought this HP laptop, while I love the 17" screen and 10-key keypad, the India support is enough to drive you crazy and this thing is just too heavy to lug through an airport! i knew it weighed 8 pounds, but who knew EIGHT POUNDS WAS THAT HEAVY!?

 

I just found a quick fix that I will try the next time my keyboard get stuck in the CAPS LOCK/CSHIFT LOCK mode, I will hit the Function and NUM LOCK and that is supposed to free it up. Am going to have the bios updated as soon as i get my desktop back. as far as the keybpard replacement, I wouldn't wast your money, I had mine replaced and it dind't solve the probelm. I think it is a software, not hardware isue. As you can see from thi smessage, the keys don't always respond to the touch....and i'm not a particularyly fast typist!

 

I want to chime in that the problem exists on my "special edition" L2000, or Lance Armstrong model. I have of late been able to coerce keyboard to work but it is terribly frustrating trying to log in with a password not knowing the state of the keyboard. It is abhorrent that HP has not solved this issue. I advise a lot of people on PC problems, usually solving their problems and advising on purchases but I will NEVER EVER again let anyone I have access to purchase an HP Laptop again. Those of you who feel good that your keyboards are working I am happy for you. Have a happy time. Mine worked for a full year before succumbing to the problem. It is not specific to any particular HP model as far as I've been able to research. I have found that pressing shift scroll Key combination sometimes puts the thing back to a working state … but not always. The problem seems almost to behave as one would expect a virus to behave.

 

I think my HP L2005CO Keyboard is attempting to entertain me ... At my last boot up I was able to hit the Shift Pause Combination and get it to come out of Capitalization mode. Then I would count and a few seconds, and without touching anything at all - it would go back into Capitalization mode all on its own. I'd find out by typing again. Shift Pause would work for a few seconds and then BANG back to crazy caps mode. Great feature huh, especially if you have a complex password to log in to Win XP? Why with the XP feature of hiding the actual keystrokes the security on your PC is absolutely rock solid. No one can get in, not even you! Sometimes in the middle of typing at the user name login screen it would arbitrarily change to caps mode again right between keystrokes.

I'm a EE as a professional and use IT equipment for my job (testing hardware) routinely. I'm good at debugging a lot of problems but this is beginning to be too much. Could it be a bad ground in the keyboard? A conection problem (90% of problems) or Could it be bad keyboard/synaptics touchpad driver software? A bad keyboard? Some Virus in the system? Been reading this thread since 2006 and it's all the same problems. A reinstall of the newest synaptics driver on HP's site seemed to work for a while but then it stopped working. When I think about it I was never sure if I completly powered off when I thought it was working. I believe I only soft rebooted upwards of 5-6 times. Its possible that the keyboard got stuck in a good state all the while I was rebooting - fooling me into believing that the HP site synaptics driver I was using worked. In the end it really didn't

Today I'm back to Microsofts UPDATE site where I see they're offering a new synaptics touchpad driver dated 9/14/2007. I've Booted up twice from cold start with this driver and have been able to log into my system with the password in the right caps state and keyboard working. We'll see if this has fixed it and more importantly whether the FIX lasts for anything longer than today.

But really, 2 YEARS of posts and still people complaining ??? Wow HP, you make great Spectrum Analyzers (maybe another division) but why would keep loyal to a computer with at bad input device? That is about where the rubber meets the road guys, your customers finger tips - which by the way is also the place where they reach into their wallet.

Well, good luck to all...hope the keyboard gets fixed before everyone goes off to Sony or Lenovo or Dell which is easy to do once you become convinced that you've been abandoned by HP. This is not an 8000 or 5000 issue, mine was the L2000 series "Lance Armstrong" Live Strong model. You sure have to be to own this laptop

 

The bios upgrade DID actually work on my dv8000. Sometimes the keyboard lags a little bit, wont keep up, but the shift key locking in caps and other weird stuff doesn't happen anymore.

 

I have a Dell cpx laptop. Recently when i would type, letters 'i' and 'l' would duplicate. I researched google and found people with similar problems and what they tried to do to counteract their prolem including adding new keyboards and again having problems with new keyboards. I found a simple solution all for under $8 - a can of air spray sprayed under the offending key cleaned the key and got rid of the duplication. And, here i was planning on buying a new laptop! The tip was given me by a hardware engineer. Thank you Allen!!

 

My DV8000 has been great up until today. Letter caps works fine but now none of the symbols correspond to the key pressed for example here is the and appreviation ^ Here is the forwards slash &
Hyphons, plus signs, at etc are all wrong. I have the laptop on leasing and a full maintenance contract. Major problem is I use it for business and cannot be without it for any period of time.

Very dissappointed and according to HP online diagnosis my laptop is perfect. The love affair is now over and it looks like a divorce is on the cards unless HP can respond to what clearly is a major problem.

Gerry

 

Your keyboard problem may actually be just a loose keyboard cable...I had that same issue get my 15.4" nc8430 (when I still had it), and it was fixed in 10 minutes.

The problems in this thread were caused by something more troublesome, which you may actually not have.

 

Thanks Greg you may be right but I still have the hassle of taking it in to get it looked at. Sorry I just don-t expect very expensive products that have hardly left my desk top to have loose cables or anything else

Just put me down as being grumpy but I expect things to work for a reasonable time frame.

I-ll take it in when I get time and let you all know either way subject to hearing back from HP Support who I have mailed.

Gerry

 

RE: Possible loose keyboard cable as mentioned by Greg above...

Contacting HP, Arranging (PAYING ???) for Service

Gerry,

I'm assuming your HP is OOW... (Out of Warranty), this being 2008.. so you may have to pay for any service on the unit.

Even if the unit is in warranty- time is money on arranging / effecting service.

On the Keyboard cable... I don't have a dv8000 in front of me, but it should be a VERY simple procedure to R&R the keyboard. On most units the keyboard is held by 2 -3 screws from the bottom of the machine- and there should be some catches on the top (part of the keyboard)... Keyboard comes right out in about 1.5 minutes total time (if that).

I would advise you if you haven't already to go to HP.com and download the SERVICE MANUAL for your unit. It will tell you HOW to R&R the keyboard, etc.


.

 

Got a reply from HP support in less than 8 hours. Problem solved the keyboard setting had changed from ES Spanish to EN English hence the symbols where wrong. Take back all I said and the love affair with the dv8000 continues.

Thanks for the quick replies and help. Also a public thanks to HP support who were really quick and spotted the problem immediately.

Gerry

 

I just performed minor surgery on my laptop keyboard. It took all of 6 screws to remove it ... e.g. you don't have to be a mechanical engineer to do so. Also, you can find repair manuals online that detail how to do this. Two screws under the battery allows you to take off the top cover panel. After that - 4 screws to remove the keyboard and you're in.

I noticed a flimsy ribbon cable which connects the keyboard to the chassis. I pulled it out and re-seated it back into the slot after using a pencil eraser to GENTLY clean the contacts on the ribbon end itself. However, after doing this the keyboard STILL (Dammed!) remained in Capital Lock mode though not indicated by the keyboard lights. Turning on the Caps Lock key of course put the keyboard back in small caps mode (the problem state as those of us familar with the problem are all too aware)

So...frustrated... I reseated the ribbon cable a few times. Then with some aluminum tape I purchased from Home Depot I applied three thin strips (one on top of the other) onto the grounding strip on the back section of the keyboard itself. I applied the tape to two small areas on the back side of the keyboard that were obviously placed there to provide a ground plane to ground (electrically connect) the keyboard to the chassis during normal use. HP has used a cheap stick-on type holding mount to hold the raised ground ribbon cable mounted to the case to these keyboard strips. After a while I suspect that the sticky substance just loses its grip and I also suspect the ground plane of the keyboard becomes unattached and loose to the chassis. I Used of 3 pieces of aluminum tape for the sole purpose to extend the reach of the keyboard ground plane towards the chassis grounding ribbon. I now think they are connected though if I find they are not I'll add a few more strips of aluminum tape to extend the reach even further.

Now... after such action (whether from reseating the flimsy ribbon cable or the application of the grounding strips - who knows) the keyboard comes up normally and is not in the annoying stealth state CAPITAL Lock mode (eg. the problem). The keyboard now seems to be working as expected - 2 hours now. It is entirely possible that the problem was that the keyboard is not being properly grounded due to the mechanical mount failure (how long can tape be expected to hold in high heat condition?!!?).

I always noticed that the problem seemed to get worse as the laptop heated up. The random nature of the problem suggested either a tricky virus or some type of random mechanical noise/ground connection problem. I am hoping that this fix will work permanently. I've been fooled before by installation of a new driver. (It worked until it heated up!) It's ashame that HP won't take customer satisfaction seriously. When in doubt just ignore it right? Head in the ground ostrige. Oh well, wish you all luck. HP will not be my next PC ...

 

Update

Ok, tried the grounding technique using the aluminum tape. In reality, it did improve things somewhat. However, still, the problem consistently got worse as the laptop heated up. So, with no other alternatives I could see I ordered a new keyboard. But what I noticed was that the original keyboard had a plastic tape backing stuck across the whole back side. This prevented air flow between the keys of the keyboard and ended up trapping the heat of the laptop beneath the keyboard. The new keyboard, interestingly, did not have ANY plastic backing. If the problem is heat, or a bad keyboard, this should fix it. On the flip side, the lack of plastic backing exposes the keyboard bottom (all made of metal) to the casing. This should improve the grounding of the keyboard to the chassis. If grounding was the problem this should fix that. But...maybe not. I suspect that the aluminum tape I tried on the old keyboard helped the situation out the mostly by slightly raising the keyboard surface allowing more air circulation under the plastic to escape. The new keyboard should not have this problem as every key is now vented to the outside. Flip side of no plastic protection is that one should be careful not to spill coffee on this keyboard. Suspect that the plastic of the old one would have prevented liquids from penetrating the chassis with the original keyboard protecting the PC from spillage damage. BUT, if the original keyboard actually crippled the functionality by trapping heat and as we are all experiencing eventually disabling the keyboard I/O function I think that is a worse situation. Customer service wise and otherwise. Anyone who spills something on the keyboard will likely blame themselves and not HP. Heat -- causing I/O problems ... that's purely HP's fault. Well, I keep trying to fix this thing. I really want to get rid of this laptop but don't want to toss it in the scrap pile. Its not the best but I'd like for the keyboard to work if I pass it off to someone else to use. Hopefully the new keyboard will work. It booted up fine allowing me access with my password as expected ... Will report back later on the long term success of this. So far I've had no long term success with this repair project but am hopeful that this will work.

 

Ok, back after 3 days ... and it seems PROBLEM SOLVED <--Keyword search

It seems the new keyboard is working - no more problems with keys even when I leave it on for 12 hours straight. I do not believe that the ribbon connection of keyboard to chassis was the problem. Instead I believe that heat buildup at some juncture inside the laptop mattered to the keyboard controller and that is what was causing the wierd behavior. The fact that my new keyboard has more 'VENTS' at every key to allow the hot air to escape is probably what will keep the keyboard working. I suggest that anyone who has the wierd keyboard behavior documented in these threads seriously consider purchasing a new keyboard online and installing it. Either do it yourself or take the new keyboard into a shop and have them do it. HOWEVER!!!, Make sure the new keyboard does not have a plastic bottom which prevents airflow. If the new one has it, remove it. Better yet you could try removing the bottom plastic from your present keyboard and reinstalling it to see if that fixes the problem. It takes all of 6 screws to remove. After reinstall the keyboard should work if Heat Buildup was the problem. But don't spill any coffee on it. This has been the worst of problems to solve. Hope this helps someone. I Know How it feels to be abandoned with a 500-$2000 investment. Sheeesh...common HP? Whats up with that? Good Luck all.

 

If you remove the left shift key carefully with a knife and then there are 2 wires at bottom bent over towards the top.Put your fingers on both and pull up.It will solve the shiftkey being locked on but will be locked off now.However you can plug in a usb kb and it works fine.A pain but cheaper then getting a new one.

 

my biggest keyboard problem is i can't figure out how to use it. for example, i can't figure out how to lock out the mouse when typing word docs and such. beyond that i woudl love to learn how to use my "F" keys. can anyone offer help with this? thanks! ~Rhiannon

 

Well, after reading this forum, and identifying that I have the same problems. which recently have worsened( caps lock, shiftkey, space bar, letters which won't work, etc., and having seen that HP does not care ( I have purchased 5 computers from them in the past 6 years), I have no choice but to spread the word to everyone I know in the world by email, newspaper, you tube, myspace, telephone, message in bottle, and whatever else I can think of to " NEVER BUY AN HP COMPUTER- THEY DONT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS! " I am quite sure the company is doing well enough that they could have replaced a few measly laptops, buy hey, whatever! So if anyone out there has stock in HP, sell now- before my global email goes out! I think I may also travel around to Walmart, Costco, Bestbuy, and all the others to stand outside the door and warn people before they go in- or maybe I will just pass out flyers.

 

If you are out of warranty there isn't anything you can do except get an external keyboard. If you still are under warranty you can eventually get a replacement. I have post traumatic stress syndrome from dealing with HP and the motherboard fried on my replacement notebook after 6 months of use.