The keyboard does not work, what should I do? Why the keyboard on the computer does not work: possible reasons and their elimination.

A computer keyboard is one of the main information input devices. At the same time, if problems arise in its operation, users immediately wonder why the keyboard on the computer does not work. As a rule, in order for the keyboard to start working, it is enough to connect it to the system unit into a special PS/2 connector or into a USB port. But it often happens that after connection, the keyboard buttons do not respond to pressing and the lights do not light up. Therefore, let's figure out what to do if the keyboard stops working and how to solve the problem yourself.

We all know that in order to connect a keyboard to a computer, you just need to plug the plug into a special connector. In this case, the device will automatically be detected in the system and the appropriate drivers will be installed. The user only needs to wait a little. But there are times when, after turning on the computer, the keyboard shows no signs of life. There may be two reasons why the keyboard on a computer does not work.

1. Mechanical damage to the device.

• Cable damage. Check the integrity of the keyboard cable, it may be damaged;
• PS/2 plug is broken. Very often in my practice I encountered situations where the pins in the keyboard plug were bent or broken off. To check this, pull out the purple plug and inspect its inside. If you see bent contacts, try to carefully straighten them and connect them back to the system unit;
• Problem with PS/2 connector on . It is also quite common for the connector used to connect the keyboard and mouse to fail. The solution is to install a keyboard with a USB interface;

Important! Be sure to perform all steps for connecting a keyboard with a PS/2 interface when the computer is turned off. This will allow you to avoid damage to the keyboard or port on the motherboard.

• The keyboard board or microcontroller is faulty. In this case, replacing the keyboard with a new one will help, since repairs will not be practical.

1. Software problem. Software failures when installing and connecting a keyboard are quite rare and are not always associated with operating system problems. Perhaps a failure occurred in the BIOS and the keyboard was disabled by software.

These are the main reasons why the keyboard on a computer does not work. Let's now take a closer look at how to solve problems with different types of keyboards.

Why doesn't my PS/2 keyboard work?

As I already described above, there are many reasons why the keyboard on a computer connected via the PS/2 interface does not work. If no mechanical damage is observed, then it is possible that the problem is software. Let's follow these steps to get your keyboard working again.

As a rule, in the event of a software failure, the ps/2 keyboard refuses to work if the i8042prt.sys and kbdclass.sys drivers are installed incorrectly.

Why doesn't the USB keyboard work on my computer?

Keyboards with a USB interface have long begun to replace keyboards with a PS/2 interface. USB keyboards are not so capricious and can work with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports. Therefore, it makes no difference which port you connect the keyboard to. It often happens that USB keyboard support is disabled in the BIOS. We definitely check this by following these steps:

After restarting the computer, the problem of why the keyboard on the computer does not work should be resolved. Some users have problems accessing the BIOS on a USB keyboard. If this problem also occurs to you, then you should find a keyboard with a PS/2 connector, go into the BIOS from it and make the settings. After that, restart the computer and connect the USB keyboard.

Brief summary.

As you can see, today we figured out the reasons why the keyboard on the computer does not work, and also found ways to troubleshoot the problem. I always advise you to check the most basic things yourself. Since it often happens that the problem, for example, is that the user accidentally pulled out the keyboard plug with his foot, the wire was damaged, or the connector was broken. In such cases, you yourself will be able to diagnose the problems and easily find solutions. If the described methods did not help you bring your keyboard back to life, then I recommend replacing it with a new one. Fortunately, their prices are affordable and will be affordable for any user.

Don't panic if the keyboard on your laptop doesn't work. What to do in such a case? In many situations, getting rid of this problem can be quite simple. In this case, the brand of the device used does not matter. The reason that caused this breakdown can be completely different: the most basic or quite serious.

Reason 1: the microcircuit burned out

If the ports are in working condition, we can hope for a positive outcome. The most common cause may also be the cable that connects the motherboard to the keyboard. In such a situation, in order to open access to the socket, it will be necessary to disassemble the laptop. The keyboard is secured using latches, which should be slightly pryed using a plastic card, and then the required module should be removed.

Appearance:

• connector for connection;
• plume.

Reason 2: inattention

His appearance:

Reason 3: viruses and driver failure

What to do when the driver does not want to install or return to working condition? Sometimes it is not possible to remove it in the usual way. In order to get the result, you can try to turn on the keyboard on the device using safe mode.

For these purposes, it is necessary to reboot by periodically pressing F8. Using it, you can call up a menu for selecting additional boot methods. In it you need to select the usual “safe mode”. When the OS starts, you should follow the steps described below.

You need to try to remove the problematic utility or click on “Roll Back”. The last action can bring results in a situation where a driver update was previously carried out, which affected the performance of this device. After this, the previously valid software version must be restored.

Steps to remove:

Open “My Computer” and then click on “Properties”.

Right-click on the keyboard and open the “properties” item.

Reason 4: features of some models + prevention

Users who prefer to eat while working should be sure to clean the keyboard from crumbs. To do this, you can use a can with compressed air inside. Thanks to the high pressure, small particles of food that get into the cracks and grooves will be quickly removed. It should be remembered that under no circumstances should you use a damp cloth or screwdriver to get rid of them.

In addition, a combination of keys such as Fn + NumLock, which brings the number pad into operation, can also help. The installation of additional drivers taken from unknown sources can also be considered as a cause of failure. You should be careful when installing software utilities such as MKey, which provide button reassignment. In some situations, the system may perceive them as a threat and exit the working state.

In any case, if these problems arise, you should not despair and immediately buy a new laptop. If necessary, you can find a way out of this situation by connecting a stationary keyboard via the USB connector.

It often happens that you are preparing to do some important work, and then bam - the keyboard on your computer does not work. What to do in this case? How to cope with this disaster? It will not be difficult to understand this and find solutions. This article will discuss a question that often arises among novice home PC users or experienced professionals. Yes, it's all about the keyboard - it sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't, but the work needs to be done. There can be many reasons for such problems, and most of them can be solved by the user himself, without leaving his workplace. The issue of purchasing a new device can be postponed until the resource of your existing “capricious” friend is completely exhausted. Apart from attention and the ability to perform actions correctly, no special skills are required from the user in the process of solving the problem. For any model of any computer keyboard manufacturer, the reasons for failure to operate and ways to efficiently eliminate them in a short time will be given.

Possible reasons for device failure

Using the method of the legendary Sherlock Holmes - the method of “deduction” - you can determine what is broken or what is preventing the keyboard from doing its job. Factors of such problems can be called:

• human, that is, the breakdown is caused by the actions of the user himself;
• iron, or in other words, equipment failure;
• software - violation of settings and necessary programs and their complexes.

You can understand why the keyboard on your computer does not work and what to do in this case by studying and going through the possible reasons. Based on the identified factors, the reasons for malfunctions in the operation of the device may be the following situations:

1. If the user himself, through his actions or inaction, has caused problems with the keyboard:

• The integrity of the device’s connection ports has been compromised, or its cable has been broken (squashed);
• moisture getting inside the input device due to an overfilled cup of tea, coffee or direct rain from the street;
• excessive contamination of the internal parts of the keyboard with dust, animal hair, food crumbs and other debris.

2. If the problem is in the equipment itself:

• the keyboard was not initially working;
• the electronic component of the keyboard or its individual elements have failed and require the intervention of specialists from service centers;
• a short circuit or power surge caused by both problems with other elements of the hardware part of the computer (power supply, motherboard) and failures in the centralized electrical network.

3. The main reasons for software malfunctions in the keyboard can be called:

• failure of device drivers;
• the main settings of the motherboard (BIOS) have been lost;
• disabled for some reason in the operating system itself.

All of the above reasons and options for their solutions are discussed in more detail below.

The cable or port is damaged

How can I find out if this is the reason why the keyboard on my computer does not work, what should I do if confirmation of this particular problem is found? This question can be answered after certain simple diagnostics have been carried out. To do this, the user needs to do the following.

1. To check cable integrity:

• Look at the indication on the keyboard itself and try to turn on/off the “Caps Lock” and “Nam Lock” buttons. If the LEDs light up, then most likely the problem is not in the cable.
• If the LEDs do not light up, connect the keyboard to another free port (USB or PS/2, depending on the type of device). The LEDs lit up - the cause has been found. The problem is a damaged port.

2. How to check the functionality of the keyboard connection port:

• Take any other device with the same type of connection and try to connect it to this port - if it works, then the problem is not in the port, but in the keyboard cable or its electronic component.
• If the other device does not work, then you need to double-check the motherboard (BIOS) settings to make sure the power is turned off for the specified port.

After such a check, there should be a result that gives an understanding of what is broken, or allows you to understand that the problem is not in the cable and the keyboard port. Eliminating the problem of a broken cable or port is only possible with the help of professionals at computer and office equipment repair centers.

Faulty device

Although this is quite funny, there are times when a user tries to connect a “dead” keyboard and is very nervous that it does not work. This happens due to forgetfulness and ignorance. All the same, after going through all the points of analysis, you can easily understand everything.

It spilled just a little bit

How to understand why the keyboard on the computer does not work, what to do? But does it beep and blink the lights (or just beep)? In this case, a common cause of the problem is liquid getting inside the device: tea, coffee, drinks or just water. All this liquid is conductive, and therefore leads to a short circuit, which can cause the sensitive electronic elements of the keyboard itself or port controllers on the motherboard to burn out.

In order not to buy a new device, the user can carefully disassemble the keyboard and dry all the elements. With a 50 percent chance he can expect success, that his girlfriend will “come to life.”

The garbage woke up, or Oh, those kitties

Eating in the workplace, as well as the presence of pets with fur, have a very bad effect on the PC input device. And then the question arises: “The keyboard on the computer does not work, what should I do in this case?” The answer is simple - just like with a device filled with liquid, it is necessary to completely clean its interior. If you're lucky, the lumps and tufts of dirt did not have time to short-circuit the elements, and then everything will work again.

Factory defect, or Time takes its toll

The keyboard, as an electronic device, can be assembled with defects, leading to its rapid failure. In this case, it is necessary to send it for repair to the manufacturer’s service center. If the warranty period has already expired, then you need to compare the prices for repairs in paid workshops and for a new keyboard, choosing the best solution for yourself. You can identify such problems in a way similar to diagnosing the device cable and connection port.

Power surge or computer electrical failure

If in this case the keyboard on the computer does not work, what should I do? When loading, you need to pay attention to how the computer itself behaves: everything goes as usual, or the startup occurs (does not occur) with a failure. The result of a PC failure to start may be a voltage surge in the electrical network or a failure of the power supply, which, in turn, can affect both the operation of the keyboard and the performance of the entire computer device as a whole. To determine if the keyboard is faulty, in this case you need to connect it to another computer and test it.

Drivers have crashed

None of the above worked. The keyboard on the computer does not work, what should I do? Windows 7 Genius sees keyboards well and, if possible, picks up drivers for them. But it happens that the device is from another company or has special multimedia capabilities, then their separate installation is required. If suddenly such a keyboard stops working, perhaps the drivers for it have simply disappeared. It's easy to check in the "Device Manager" - if the keyboard has a yellow question mark icon, then it's the drivers.

BIOS lost settings

If the keyboard on your computer does not work, what should you do? Windows 8, like other earlier versions of the OS, stubbornly refuses to connect the device. In this case, you need to restart the computer and look into the motherboard settings (BIOS) by clicking “Divide” or “F2” (for some computer devices) at startup. Among the tabular settings, you should first compare the date and time with the real one (if it shows a very old one, then you may need to replace the battery on the motherboard), and then find the line indicating the power supply to the ports (USB or PS/2). If disabled, enable. You can also simply reset the settings to factory defaults by selecting them in the proposed menu.

Antivirus, or OS protection programs

It happens that the keyboard on the computer does not work, what should I do? But the virus beeps and at the same time displays a message about a Trojan or malicious program found. In this case, most likely, the drivers or the keyboard key control program were mistaken for a virus, which led to the device being blocked from accessing the operating system and, accordingly, to its inoperability. Here you will need to create an exclusion rule for the antivirus in its settings, indicating to it the path to find installed drivers or programs.

It also happens that the keyboard on the computer does not work, what should I do? The virus can infect the drivers and device management programs themselves, and therefore you cannot create an exclusion rule. First, you need to reinstall the corrupted files, and then conduct a full scan of your computer for malware.

Laptop keyboard not working? This cannot be said to be a typical situation for modern technology; this is a rather rare breakdown of laptops. And if in the case of a PC you don’t even have to figure out the cause of the breakdown, simply replacing one keyboard with another, then in the case of a laptop things are much more complicated, because its keyboard is an integral part of a single integral structure. What could be the reasons for the breakdown of a laptop keyboard, what consequences can presumably be expected, how to get out of a situation when you urgently need to enter text on a laptop that is not working - we will consider all these questions below.

1. Is there a blacklist of laptop models that are prone to keyboard failure?

Before we begin to directly consider the problem of a broken laptop keyboard, a few words about whether it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation. Is there a kind of black list of laptops - specific models, products from a specific manufacturer, which in practice would prove their tendency to cause keyboard failure? No. There are no models on the computer market that are prone to this particular breakdown in practice. A laptop keyboard from any manufacturer can fail. Moreover, this applies to both flagship models and budget ones.

2. Possible reasons for laptop keyboard failure

Before taking your laptop to a service center, you can try to figure out on your own why the laptop keyboard is not working. And if this is a software failure or problems with the keyboard cable, your attempts may be successful, and you will save on the services of a service center. So let's get started.

2.1. Software glitch

The reason the laptop keyboard fails may be due to errors in the Windows operating system itself. As a rule, this happens when the drivers fail. You can check this in the BIOS. To enter the BIOS, restart the laptop and hold down the Del key. In some laptop models, the F1 or F2 buttons may be used to enter the BIOS. This point can be clarified in the laptop manufacturer's instructions. If the keyboard works in the BIOS itself, you can boot Windows in safe mode to further test whether the keyboard works without drivers and with a minimum set of system services.

You can get into the safe mode of Windows XP, Vista, 7 using the F8 key, which must be held while the system boots. A boot mode selection menu will appear, where you must select to boot in safe mode without drivers. In the case of Windows 8/8.1, entering the system's safe mode is somewhat different; some preliminary system settings are required. Follow the path:

“Control Panel” - “Administration” - “System Configuration”.

In the “Downloads” tab, set the value to “Safe Mode”, click “Apply”, “OK” and reboot. After rebooting you will be in safe mode.

You can return the settings to their previous state in the same way by removing the “Safe Mode” value.

So, you have entered Windows Safe Mode. Check the functionality of your laptop keyboard. If the laptop keyboard works in safe mode, then the problem lies in the drivers. If the keyboard does not work in Windows safe mode, but the BIOS responds to input, most likely the problem is in the operating system itself.

After returning to normal Windows operation, proceed to install or update drivers.

Download and install the driver pack. This is a special type of software designed to select drivers for specific hardware components of a computer device. Having scanned the laptop and determined the drivers necessary for installation, the driver packs automatically remove their installers from their database and carry out the installation. Driver packs on the Internet can be found in the form of a DVD with an existing driver database, but it is much easier to quickly download and install the driver pack software client, which, after scanning, will download from the Internet only the necessary drivers in the latest, most current version.

DriverPack Solution, Slim Drivers– client programs for these driver packs can be downloaded absolutely free on the Internet. These are the top two among driver packs; they are popular among users because they are free and have a regularly updated driver database. Use the driver pack to scan your laptop and install (or update) the drivers that the program indicates.

You can install or update drivers without using driver packs. Download them manually from the official website of the manufacturer of your laptop model.

If the work of installing or updating your laptop drivers does not solve the problem with the keyboard not working, you can try reinstalling Windows itself. For example, Windows XP is today an outdated operating system, and perhaps by installing Windows 7 or 8/8.1 the problem with the keyboard not working will disappear.

2.2. Pressed out or oxidized contacts of the keyboard cable

If you have been using a laptop for a long time, perhaps the problem of the keyboard not working lies in the oxidized or pressed contacts of its cable. To check this option and attempt to solve the problem, the laptop will have to be disassembled. If this is your first time disassembling a laptop yourself, use the instructions from the manufacturer. Instructions for many device models can be downloaded on the Internet in electronic form, in particular, on the official website of the same manufacturer. You can also watch video tutorials on how to properly disassemble a laptop on YouTube or other resources.

Having reached the keyboard cable, disconnect it by sticking it out of the connector and carefully inspect it. If you see obvious damage upon inspection, then this is the reason for the laptop keyboard not working. And you can solve it by replacing the cable.

If everything is in order with the keyboard cable, wipe its contacts with an ear swab moistened with alcohol, or use a regular eraser. After cleaning, insert the keyboard cable back and test.

2.3. Microcontroller failure or liquid spilled on laptop

If the reason for the laptop keyboard not working is a burnt out microcontroller or spilled liquid, in this case you cannot do without the services of a service center. It is impossible to thoroughly determine which hardware components of the laptop are faulty and solder them at home (of course, if you are not a specialist).

When liquid is spilled on a laptop, if it gets on the board, over time this leads to oxidation of the contacts. As a result, the keyboard completely fails. If you accidentally spill liquid on your laptop, immediately turn it off, remove the battery, and dry it with a hairdryer on a gentle hair-drying setting. If your hair dryer model has a cold air button, use only cold air. This is necessary in order to, if not prevent, then at least slow down the process of oxidation of contacts, microcircuits and boards.

3. I urgently need to enter text on a laptop with a non-working keyboard – what should I do?

Your laptop keyboard isn't working and you urgently need to send a message. Or even to download the same driver pack from the Internet, you will need to enter its name into a search engine. What to do in such a situation?

3.1. Windows virtual keyboard

Windows OS has built-in functionality that emulates a physical keyboard - this is the standard On-Screen Keyboard application. Click the “Start” button, select “Accessibility”, and here – “On-screen keyboard”.

Click the desired keys with your mouse to enter characters. The Windows on-screen keyboard has an “Options” button; when you click it, you can make some settings to customize the application for yourself.

Windows 8/8.1 OS, in addition to the standard On-Screen Keyboard application, has an alternative in a slightly different format. This is a special touch keyboard for tablets and laptops with a touch screen - a smooth sliding window with large buttons so that they can be easily reached with your finger. If Windows 8/8.1 is installed on your laptop, open the content menu on the Windows taskbar and select “Properties”.

The “Taskbar Properties” menu will open, go to the “Toolbars” tab and check the “Touch Keyboard” option.

3.2. USB keyboard

If we are talking about speedy typing of a test, of course, you can’t do much with the on-screen keyboard. You can connect a physical USB keyboard through the laptop's USB port.

3.3. Bluetooth keyboard

A Bluetooth keyboard is a physical keyboard that can be connected to a laptop via a Bluetooth module. Almost all modern laptop models are equipped with this module.