My laptop keyboard was shocked by static electricity. Since then the keys I type are not the characters being displayed.
Do you think that a laptop cannot be easily damaged by static electricity? Think again! I received this interesting comment from one of the readers and decided to republish it. Here it is.
I just wanted to relay my current experience; maybe it’ll help someone else. I was using my laptop (Compaq Presario 2000) on the sofa 2 weeks ago and as I set it down my finger grazed the keyboard and I heard a static zap of electricity, about in the center of the keys. I left it for about 5 minutes and when I came back and tried to use it the keys I typed were not the characters being displayed. I rebooted thinking it some kind of software temporary corruption. On reboot I get a loud continuous beep, stuck key indicator right? Not good! Closely examine all keys, no stuck keys found. PC continues to load to Windows password screen, but I can see dots flooding the box like a key is being held down.
Reboot and try to press a variety of keys to at least make it to the desktop.
What I end up with is if I hold down the “d” key I can get the beep to stop and at least sign on and make it to the desktop. Then open Notepad to see what the keys are doing. If I then release the “d” key the “l” character starts printing continuously across the screen until I tap the “d” key a couple of times and then hold it down. If I attempt to print a “d” character then the letter continuously printing just changes to an “i” or some other random letter. Occasionally it’ll print three letters at a time like “jka”.
I purchased a used keyboard praying that somehow the static had fried a contact or something that was causing this behavior. Replaced it and there was no change in it at all.
At this point the only conclusion can be that the static went beyond the keyboard and fried the keyboard controller chip on the motherboard. So I have ordered the motherboard and I will re-post when it’s in to let you know how things turned out.
I plan to be VERY careful about static in the future and recommend that everyone else be careful too!
February 22nd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Update: I replaced the motherboard and sure enough all the stuck key problems and weird characters are gone! So laptop users beware, static passed through the keyboard could fry your keyboard controller chip, it happened to me!
April 7th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thanks for the advice and recommendation. So what do you think would cause the static charge to be excessive. I mean is there anyway one could reduce it. lately it has been happening to me a lot. I use the laptop at home almost all the time, and in the past couple of months, it just zaps me everytime i touch it, never happened on the keyboard though, mainly when i hold it from the sides, i think the USB interface zaps me as well as the heat sink, which i don’t touvh of course but happens when my hand gets close to the heat vents. This happens like 2-3 times/day, i have noticed it does happen may be once a day when i touch any metal object, the fridge or the hand rail in the balcony, but the laptop is what causes it most. Could something be wong with the laptop? could it be the carpeting at home? I have had this carpet and the same slippers that i use at home for over 6 months, way before i started noticing the excessive charges.
May 4th, 2010 at 3:55 am
Hi
Just to add to this, I have a HP Pavilion tablet PC and when the tablet screen started playing up (then pen was writing about 2 inches away from the pen tip), the advice from HP was that static build up can affect the laptop and to discharge it. Problem solved! Interesting that even the manufacturers know that their products can build enough static to impact functionality, don’t see that in the user guide. I’ve fixed a couple of other cranky laptops now by the same method, so its definitely something that can happen despite being earthed.
November 25th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Frustrated with my HP Pavillion dv2000 for not booting for the miLLIONTh time, I ran my palm over the keyboard – pressing NO keys – and the damned thing came to life. I’ve removed the battery, by the way. And it booted. It’s only on AC; evidently there must be a store of static electricity in the thing? Any one with a clue, be happy to hear from you.