[SOLVED] Linux Mint 21.2: Keyboard Not Working

Sorry if this is a duplicate. I lost my other thread! I was having trouble with the builtin laptop keyboard on my laptop. Don't know what information you need to troubleshoot it. I think it might be a software issue, but I'm trying to narrow it down for sure. I will try next time I have trouble, but I think it's a software issue, because it may appear as if closing the lid and opening it fixes the problem. However, I can't even log in when not all the keys work, without an onscreen keyboard. Rebooting doesn't fix the problem, when it happens. Please help me troubleshoot and prove it's not a hardware issue with software. If we know it's a software issue, we can go from there. If it's a hardware issue, I'll see what I can do. Thanks!

Maybe https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...8/#post6450695

That was not the thread.

That might be a way to report to you about what type the keyboard is though. I'd forgotten about that a little, but here is one other way to report the type:

https://linux-hardware.org/?probe=44390c058f

So now if you look there, you know what type of keyboard it reports, and just for fun, I'll post the inxi stuff.

(part 1)

(part 2)

So I'd forgotten about that. But we are now not talking about the external keyboard. We know there's problems with it. I'm trying to resolve those problems by replacing the keyboard at home too. However, we're no longer talking about that. While I havd had some issues with the same thing in external at home, it was probably some fluke, something burried in kernel code where the kernel just got momentarily confused. Since that doesn't typically bother me at this stage, I should ignore it.


However, now we're troubleshooting the internal keyboard, which comes into play when I need to actually interface with the machine, like at the library when I don't want to use the external one. I'm trying to get a bluetooth foldable keyboard for ergonomics, but that won't mean I never need the builtin one.

Now what's happening, is that sometimes every number key, but only on the standard side, will not work, excluding 5, and 6. It happens intermitently, I haven't found any way to make it do it yet. When depending on the keyboard, the only other way to logon in those situations is the onscreen keyboard. By the way, it's also when you push shift, no differnece.

Now I can't verify it yet, but I possibly believe that if I close the lid, and open it again, the problem goes away. I would like to test it, but I'd need it to happen again to do that. So I suspect, it's a software problem, but until I verfiy that is always true, pretty much, I won't know if I'm right or not.

So I was thinking, I need to just run some software that allows me to diagnose anything wrong, don't know which software, because I know not of a good one. I may have to see about building windows pe to do this too, if I can find a way to legally obtain a copy of that, because I'm not sure how to make those disks, but that might be what I need, if there's no linux utillity. I don't know of even a windows utillity. I'm open if it's a windows utility, to running it with wine, or bottles. Especially, if I can do so from a live system. But I prefer a linux program with a live linux cd.

Anyway, I want to test the hardware to see if it detects problems. I want problems that are hardware related in this theoretcial scan. Then, if it says it's hardware, it is, and I can replace it. If it says it's software, I can possibly open a bug report to my distro. Thanks!

(can't post what I was going to, output of hwinfo, complete, too long)

Let me know if I really MUST attach a file with hwinfo's output in it, or help me correctly filter it down if we must use it. But the other link should tell you what hardware I have.

I was thinking as far as filtering, go "| grep keyboard". However, when I tried it, I didn't think it gave me what I was trying to look for. I think the filter wasn't perfect. I would need to know a better filter or I am wrong and that is good enough. But the internal keyboard is essentially a type of what reports as AT keyboard.

Now, update:

The problem happened this morning. I tried my closing the lid, and opening it again. It was NOT consistant that it solved the problem. So based off of the signs, I'm now believing, yes, it's a hardware problem. If you can tell me diagnostics to run to prove it, great. If not, looks like I will be replacing the keyboard. I'm going to give a try myself to the concept of replacing it. But first I have to order it. I can't do that this month, so I DID order an external keyboard to help get me by more. It was on sale already, so I bought it. That was only half or so of the cost to replace the keyboard. However, trying to get shoes is the first priority for me, so I need to do that first. I'll survive but not completely thrive without things being better. If there is a method to prove it, speak now, and if not, I'll start saving for replacing it. Thanks!

By the way, I'm sure, despite someone else's warning, that I can buy replacement parts for less than replacing the whole laptop. Including if I feel I DO need help to install it. I know a lot, but I'm a software guy, not a hardware guy.

I got a new keyboard (external) on the way. This will get me by until I get it replaced. I guess I'm going to close it now, for no responses or no way to check to make sure, but I am confident that it is hardware, at least confident enough. So my plan in the case of being pretty sure is to replace it. I just wanted to give it some time to see if there was any way to confirm it. I am assuming no one knows, at the very least, so I'm closing it. I was willing to use windows PE too, if I really had to, as long as the solution won't cost anything and is legal. I don't know how to make a windows PE disk. But of course, I'd prefer Linux. There probably is a way with Windows PE, but I guess it's for another day and itsn't too important, unless I have the problem still after a replace. Of course, they can only even check it if windows is the OS on my machine. But I'm fine with a replace. This particular laptop would be a bit difficult to open up by myself. I'm a a software guy, not hardware guy. So closing for now, unless there is last minute input.

See my other thread: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...60#post6463260

...For the most current thing I'm solving. But not right now at the very moment, as I'm just looking at previous stuff right now.

On a laptop the keyboard is usually connected with a ribbon cable. Sometimes the connections may oxidize slightly and cause intermittent problems.

One easy way to fix that would be to open the laptop and disconnect the keyboard ribbon then clean the contacts on the ribbon itself by rubbing across them at the end of the ribbon with an eraser. Once cleaned then reconnecting would normally solve the issue if it was in fact caused by oxidation.

With this laptop, not sure how to take apart enough to get to keyboard. I know also, it's got a built in battery I'm not sure how to disable for work, then re-enable. That, being my biggest concern with opening it by myself. Link to hardware:

https://linux-hardware.org/?probe=44390c058f

I'm a software guy, not a hardware guy. If you think you can instruct me, on taking it apart to put in a keyboard or going over to see if the ribbon is a problem, more keys are dying, but that might be my issue. Now we are at the number pad too. For now, I purchased an emergency foldable keyboard.

I was going to take it to a shop to do, just because I'm a software guy, not hardware guy. But yes, I would attempt to do work myself, if I could get instructions on it, which I could follow. It's about $50 to just replace keyboard, and would be easily $150 to take in for hardware. They, of course, don't support Linux (if I open a shop, it will be different), so it's just a hardware job. My friend noted that I might need another part replaced, and that "could" be $300, however it's still cheaper than replacing the whole machine by far. Especially when the price is creeping up again. I really had the same issue with another laptop, so I expect this to be a standard practice, that a lot of keyboards will need replaced in the first 2 years or so. In fact, I remember now, 2 previous machines having the same issue, both Dell. So even if I replace the machine, what makes me so sure in the next 2 years I won't have to replace that keyboard? The cost of buying new machines would therefore add up, so it's far cheaper to replace the keyboard.

Could you give me instructions, or should I take it in, like I was going to? It would take about 3-4 months before I can get it in, hence my emergency keyboard. I'm only even logged in, because of external keyboards.

I have, in a lot of desktop machines, replaced lots of hard drives and know (if I have a compatible stick I've found), how to replace RAM. That sort of thing. Historically, it's always been laptops that mess me up. However, having one machine to take everywhere makes a lot more sense than 2 machines, one for home, and one for that place, and one for that. Although an office machine made sense as a desktop. I'm just not as good at working on them.

OK. Update here. I took my machine into the shop, to have help replacing the keyboard. At this point, it's ready to be picked up, but the snow has me stuck at my Mom's. It's kind of my office too though, so it's not a bad place to be stuck. I will update you when I get the laptop back again.

Update again. My machine is back from the shop. It does appear that the problem was fixed. I would give it a week, since before it was a bit intermittent. That's what I would do, except for: When it came back, it came with the wrong time. No problem, I checked how to synchronize it with ntp. I couldn't figure out how to do so, so, what I did was just "set the time". The problem, is it seems like it's not even keeping that time. If you guys could tell me what you think too, and we'll see what happens, who answers first. But since I know where it's been, first of all, it was understandable if it didn't keep the time at first. It probably wasn't used every day or anything, and that could effect it. But if it's now not keeping the time at all, my first bet, is it's time battery system was altered accidently when the keyboard was installed. Like putting in a new battery in a desktop system, and one that doesn't work. Let me do neofetch real quick, to check something. Mint 21.2, according to neofetch. That was first of all, what I wanted to check. If there was an update, maybe something else happened. There shouldn't have been an update, but at least I know they didn't update me to 21.3. I wanted to update, but not quite yet. I didn't want to reinstall before I updated. The most likely cause, knowing where it's been, is that that time preservation system was damaged while installing the new keyboard. But like I said, if you guys happen to get back to me faster, and think it's something else, please let me know.

So... I wouldn't care... I have enough clocks in the house... But, when the computer clock is wrong, it affects a lot of other things. For example, I couldn't even do a google search or post this, until I fixed it. Thank goodness it's not my only device that can do a google search! I noticed, that when running

timedatectl

That, it says System clock syncrhronized: "No". I can duplicate the problem, by shutting down the machine, and starting it up. That's why it happened more than once. I'd better do a little troubleshooting before having them tear down the system again. If needed, I will open another thread, but let's try here first. Is that a correct value for Linux Mint 21.2? Or with some level of updates anyway? Is there any software explanation for what could have changed there? Or do we think it's a hardware thing? When I shutdown the machine, and started it back up again, it thought that:

Sun Oct 15 12:37:37 AM PDT 2023

That was the time, with some time passed of course, to boot the system and capture the time. In my timezone, it is now approximately Tuesday, Jan 23, 2024 at 9:30 PM, from my android phone.

Like I said, if it didn't affect other things, I wouldn't care at all. I have enough clocks to look at to see the correct time. Why would I otherwise insist that this one have to be right too?

I'm thinking that first of all, that value from timedatectl was not right. It also should be pulling from an ntp server, I thought. I would have thought it would pull from my domain controller's time. Let me check it's time real quick.

OK. according to it, it's Tuesday, Jan 23, at 9:24 PM.

I do not know how to force an update from an ntp server. In Windows 10, or Linux Mint. At least, not from command line. I've never had this issue before. I would have thought that it automatically syncronizes at boot. I tried to look up how to force an update, but what I looked up was wrong, too old, I think.

I should have a working ntp server, though old, which is on vmain2, (I think that's it's name?). But the domain controller seems in my experience to override that server a lot. Could the group policy be set to the ntp server, which sends functionallity back to the ntp server where it belongs? I remember trying to do that, but don't remember whether I was successful, and don't remember whether it affected Linux Mint or not. I know group policy in general typically does NOT, unless perhaps, it's very specific group policy. But I was still tweaking windows when I added the group policy. Should I check the ntp server's time too? I think I will. Tuesday Jan 23 21:33:29 PST 2024. So the funky time probably wasn't from that. Would you say my first guess was right at this point, that there is another new hardware issue? Or do you think it's a software issue, new?