Keyboard issues

Hey guys,

I'm having a strange issue with my keyboard, for some random reason it assumes I'm pressing tab and keeps tabbing away, while I didn't even touch it... I noticed it first when I used the laptop plugged to an external keyboard and the lid closed with the laptop plugged over by hdmi. Opening the lid would at start fix it, but then, it started happening with the usb keyboard unplugged and today it happened as the laptop was booting up, giving me a really nice scare because it didn't even start HDD and was stopped in the bios screen.

I imagine this is a keyboard issue, what do you guys think it might be? I read about in the net and there seems to be a virus that presses keys but seeing it happened in the boot up it seems to me that's not the case here...

 

Has the computer always done this to you? If its something that just started maybe you can do a system restore to a week ago or whenever it started. If you think a virus could be the cause run a malware scanner like malwarebytes and an antivirus.

 

You could try reseating the keyboard if it has always done it.

 

It didn't always do this, but this started more than a month ago I think, it's getting worse though... I don't think it is virus, if it was how could it affect the computer before the OS was booted...

 

Try cleaning your keyboard? If you spilled anything it can cause buttons to trigger when not pressed. You forget, these are not mechanical keyboards, they use a flat film with certain areas not sure how it works, some sort of capacitance.

Maybe it's something else, but that would be my first guess.

 

As you mentioned, it doesn't sound like a virus. A loose cable would usually affect more keys, like left side keys, or right side. Something spilled usually affects more keys.

I would look closely at the tab key, and under it, do not lift it off. See if there is any mechanical damage. Then try pressing it like a hundred times. That may loosen it if slightly bent. Does it feel different than the other keys?

You can try reseating the cable, I assume it is a flat ribbon cable with a ZIF. This means you need to popup the plastic edges on each side of the cable, then the cable slides in and out with zero force. Make when inserted it is level, i.e. not one side higher then the other.

Worse case the key is damaged and unfixable. You then could just pop off the key cap and see ifthat fixes it. It may not. Then you may just need a new keyboard. You might want to price one before messing too much with it.

 

Faulty key matrix or bad circuit, I imagine. You can try reseating the cable as suggested, but just be careful, as any accidental damage could kill your warranty.