My keyboard has a mind of its own and it's driving me crazy. I'm convinced it's not *entirely* a hardware problem, hence this question. Computer is a low-end laptop, fairly recent model.
A group of exactly 7 keys (
9 0 o p l . UP_ARROW) will spontaneously stop responding for (seemingly) random periods. Sometimes I can wake them up by holding one down for a few seconds, at which point they all begin to function again. After "waking", the keys will often be hypersensitive (type "p" and get "ppp") or only function independently and not in combination (CTRL-p will be ignored).
After one reboot the whole problem disappeared completely for two months. So it seems there's at least a software component to it - and therefore the potential for a workaround.
An [almost identical issue](https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/the-keys-on-my-keyboard-randomly-stop-working-does-anyone-know-how-to-fix-this-issue.387039/) has been reported for MSI laptops. Replacing the keyboard would be either extremely tricky or very expensive. I've sometimes been resorting to a USB keyboard but it's a total PITA.
Any ideas for workarounds if not a magic solution?
Asked by Jortstek
(273 rep)
Jul 19, 2025, 04:40 PM