This is an article that could be very long. I will try to keep it as simple as possible. The reason is that there are so many different kinds. Although the most popular is the so called 101 keyboard. There are many sizes, shapes, prices and even number of keys. Some laptops do not have the numerical keyboard included due to their small size. You can buy USB add on numerical keypads and other peripherals.
Some types of keyboards:
It is hard to explain some types. I will do the best I can. There is the 101 keyboard which is somewhat standard. It is called that because it has 101 keys. There are several sizes of this keyboard, some of which are for laptops or very small computers. There are ergonomic keyboards. The manufacturers try to mimic the way your hands are shaped so you don’t get tired or get carpal tunnel syndrome when you type. Most older keyboards used a cable with a ps2 connection. Newer ones use USB connections. Very popular keyboards today are the ones that are wireless. There are multifunction keyboards that do almost anything. You can access the internet, control the sound, etc. Some of these have special function keys also. They may also take a special driver which is on a CD that comes with them. Wireless keyboards are very popular and normally come with a wireless mouse. It is possible that you pay less for the “kit” than if you buy them separately.
How can I fix a keyboard?
This can be difficult. The first thing you need to do is make sure it isn’t connected to the computer. The only thing that you can really do is clean them. There are several schools of thought about how to do that. I usually take a warm rag with soap in it and wipe off each key. If they are really dirty you may need to remove them. Removing them can be risky since they could break. REMEMBER!! if you do remove any key be sure you know were they were located. I normally take a very small screwdriver and carefully pry one corner. Take some canned air and blow out the surface of the board. I have seen some very dirty keyboards. In that case you may need to use the damp rag with mild dish soap I mentioned above. After you clean the board reassemble it making sure you put the key back in the right order. If you have a wireless keyboard be sure you have a good battery installed before you call it bad.
What if that doesn’t work?
Properly dispose of the keyboard and buy a new one. They are cheap enough that it doesn’t pay to spend all year on it.
What else could be wrong?
- The cord could be bad. This is rare but I have seen environments were this could happen.
- The Computer motherboard could be defective.
- A driver may be needed. If it’s a “fancy” keyboard this could be possible. So-called multifunction keyboards could cause this issue.
What if none of this works?
If you don’t know don’t try. Get somebody that is an expert. It just isn’t worth the pain and agony for something this simple and inexpensive.