Ideapad U330 keyboard, touchpad not responding

My less than a year old Ideapad U330's keyboard suddenly stopped responding. I can't boot to Windows as I can't enter the password. Can't go to BIOS as the function keys don't respond. Tried booting from Ubuntu LiveCD, but could not select the language. Strangely, in one of my numerous attempts to enter the BIOS by pressing F2, I managed to get to the BIOS, but could not proceed any further as the keyboard did not respond again. Once or twice, by randomly pressing buttons the caplock light comes on, though it does not happen when the Caplock button is pressed. The touchpad also was unresponsive this morning, but I found that it was working in the evening. As this is my daughter's laptop and she does her homework on it, help is urgently needed. Any advice, suggestion, comment, help would be welcome. Thanks.

 

Just to add that my OS is Windows Vista Home Premium, updates installed up to date. The resident anti virus software is Avira Aniti Virus Personal, on auto update mode. Windows update, however, is done on notification, selecting manually. No Windows update was carried out in between the functioning and non-functioning time.

 

Kan u connect a USB keyboard to it?
Beep codes? Check against the manual?
Also, first see if reseating the memory will work. If 2 sticks, change slots, use only 1, move around all combos. Could have gotten misaligned or bad RAM due to heat from bottom.

 

Thanks BaldwinHillsTrojan for your prompt response. Haven't thought about the external keyboard. Will borrow one tomorrow. No beeps. Manual does not say anything about unresponsive keyboard/touchpad. Reseated memory after switching them. The laptop now emits a continuous, repetitive beep all the time and does not boot. Any suggestions? Am I in for bigger trouble?

 

BTW, the touch pad started playing truant again

 

Sounds like a dying keyboard to me. If it's less than a year old it should still have the Lenovo warranty. I would call Lenovo and sent it in for them to check out the keyboard and touchpad.

Backup files using an external mouse and keyboard, then contact levono and sent it in!

 

Thanks sprinj76. I am sorry I was away and could not follow the thread. Meanwhile I tried an external USB keyboard and mouse; both worked fine. Unable to solve the problem, I opened up the laptop in the hope of finding a loose cable somewhere. Found nothing suspicious but disconnected and reconnected the connectors (did not do it from the motherboard ends though). Finally did One Key Recovery and brought the laptop to factory condition. The keyboard and touchpad still don't work. Surprisingly, while booting to windows, the keyboard accepts the F2 command and goes to BIOS but pressing F5 or F6 gets me the screen for loading default values as if I pressed F9. The caplock when pressed lights up the caplock indicator. The touchpad is even funnier. I can take the cursor anywhere but cannot execute the "enter" command, however hard I press it! Now that I have gone back to the factory settings, I get "Windows Help and Support" window popping up whatever I click on. Attempts to close/minimise it proves futile and it pops right back. Only when the other window (the one I clicked on in the first place and intended to open) is closed, the H&S window can be closed in one attempt. If it is a software issue, why bringing the machine to factory condition does not help? If it is a hardware issue, are both my keyboard and touchpad toast or the motherboard? I bought this item from ebay (though brand new) and got it delievered to Greece where I live. I am not sure whether Lenovo would honor the warranty unless it is an international one, which, I believe, it is not. Could you help?

 

Dear sprinj76, I just noticed that you have an identical model of Ideapad that I am having trouble with! BTW, if you think that the keyboard is dying, why the touchpad behaves the way it does? Is that going too? Or perhaps, it is the motherboard?