OT: Netbook keyboard issues

[Rob Connolly]

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Hash: SHA1

Hi Everyone,

My girlfriend's netbook (an EeePC 901 running Ubuntu) has been having
strange issues with it's keyboard, specifically the Cap Lock key not
responding and Caps Lock turning on and off spontaneously (at one point
this was so bad as to render the machine unusable).

The issues first started on Sunday evening. I had a good look at the
laptop and when asking why the casing was greasy found that she had been
wearing a wax based hand cream when using the machine.

I cleaned the outer casing of the machine and it has since had a
treatment of compressed air on the keyboard. This has improved the
situation, but the problem still reoccurs.

I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions? I've read up
online about keyboard cleaning, but it looks fairly complicated and I
don't even know if the keys on an eeepc are designed to be removed.

I realise this is off topic so I don't want to start a huge discussion,
feel free to contact me off list if you have any suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,

Rob Connolly

- --
Life is not read-only. It is made of bits that cannot be sold with locks
on them. If you cannot choose, try, taste, witness, think, discover,
make, express, share, debate, it’s not worth a lot. Life should be
read-and-write.
- -- From http://www.lifeisnotreadonly.net by Olivier Cleynen
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[Mark Foster]

I've just purchased a replacement keyboard for my wife's 901 on Trademe for
$55.
Asus quoted me $100 pickup from their Auckland service centre.

The keyboard can be replaced relatively easily, a Google will show howto's
and photos.

The reason my wife's machine needs a new keyboard is that her 'k' key
doesn't work at all, and the 'a' key requires a relatively hard press to
make it work. At the mo she survives by keeping a 'k' in the clipboard but
it's getting silly.

Sidepoint; the mouse buttons also require very hard presses to work now,
Asus service centre said a mainboard replacement is required to address this
as the buttons are hardwired.

Overall observation is that they're not as hardy as I would have thought
they should be as netbooks. My Eee 701 still goes, but the charger cable
seems to be intermittent at the moment, so am unsure for how much longer
it'll be useful to me (unless I buy another charger...)

Mark.

-----Original Message-----
From: nzlug-***@linux.net.nz [mailto:nzlug-***@linux.net.nz] On
Behalf Of Rob Connolly
Sent: Wednesday, 6 October 2010 8:10 p.m.
To: NZLUG Mailing List
Subject: [nzlug] OT: Netbook keyboard issues

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Hi Everyone,

My girlfriend's netbook (an EeePC 901 running Ubuntu) has been having
strange issues with it's keyboard, specifically the Cap Lock key not
responding and Caps Lock turning on and off spontaneously (at one point this
was so bad as to render the machine unusable).

The issues first started on Sunday evening. I had a good look at the laptop
and when asking why the casing was greasy found that she had been wearing a
wax based hand cream when using the machine.

I cleaned the outer casing of the machine and it has since had a treatment
of compressed air on the keyboard. This has improved the situation, but the
problem still reoccurs.

I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions? I've read up online
about keyboard cleaning, but it looks fairly complicated and I don't even
know if the keys on an eeepc are designed to be removed.

I realise this is off topic so I don't want to start a huge discussion, feel
free to contact me off list if you have any suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,

Rob Connolly

- --
Life is not read-only. It is made of bits that cannot be sold with locks on
them. If you cannot choose, try, taste, witness, think, discover, make,
express, share, debate, it's not worth a lot. Life should be read-and-write.
- -- From http://www.lifeisnotreadonly.net by Olivier Cleynen -----BEGIN PGP
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[Simon Walkden]

When the keyboard on my eeepc died due to carelessness and a soft drink, Asus quoted me $70 to repair it. They don't sell the keyboards separately.

Sent from my iPad

Post by Rob Connolly
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Hi Everyone,
My girlfriend's netbook (an EeePC 901 running Ubuntu) has been having
strange issues with it's keyboard, specifically the Cap Lock key not
responding and Caps Lock turning on and off spontaneously (at one point
this was so bad as to render the machine unusable).
The issues first started on Sunday evening. I had a good look at the
laptop and when asking why the casing was greasy found that she had been
wearing a wax based hand cream when using the machine.
I cleaned the outer casing of the machine and it has since had a
treatment of compressed air on the keyboard. This has improved the
situation, but the problem still reoccurs.
I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions? I've read up
online about keyboard cleaning, but it looks fairly complicated and I
don't even know if the keys on an eeepc are designed to be removed.
I realise this is off topic so I don't want to start a huge discussion,
feel free to contact me off list if you have any suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Regards,
Rob Connolly
- --
Life is not read-only. It is made of bits that cannot be sold with locks
on them. If you cannot choose, try, taste, witness, think, discover,
make, express, share, debate, it’s not worth a lot. Life should be
read-and-write.
- -- From http://www.lifeisnotreadonly.net by Olivier Cleynen
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Comment: Using GnuPG with Fedora - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/
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[Mark Foster]

Funny, they did offer the option to me. (For $100).

-----Original Message-----
From: nzlug-***@linux.net.nz [mailto:nzlug-***@linux.net.nz] On Behalf Of Simon Walkden
Sent: Thursday, 7 October 2010 12:11 a.m.
To: NZLUG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nzlug] OT: Netbook keyboard issues

When the keyboard on my eeepc died due to carelessness and a soft drink, Asus quoted me $70 to repair it. They don't sell the keyboards separately.

*snip*



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[Aidan Gauland]

Post by Simon Walkden
Sent from my iPad

BLASPHEMER!!!

;)

--Aidan

[cr]

Post by Aidan Gauland

Post by Simon Walkden
Sent from my iPad

BLASPHEMER!!!
;)
--Aidan

Is that ('Sent from my iThing') something that iGadgets tack on to all
messages automatically?

cr

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[Mark Foster]

Post by cr

Post by Aidan Gauland

Post by Simon Walkden
Sent from my iPad

BLASPHEMER!!!
;)
--Aidan

Is that ('Sent from my iThing') something that iGadgets tack on to all
messages automatically?

It's a default. You can change it. I did, as one of the first things I
did....



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[Jaco van der Merwe]

Post by Rob Connolly
I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions? I've read up
online about keyboard cleaning, but it looks fairly complicated and I
don't even know if the keys on an eeepc are designed to be removed.

If it's only the Caps-Lock, then simply disable that key (pretty pointless
throw-back IMO).
That'll be the most expedient & cost-effective fix for the time being

- J





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[Rob Connolly]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Post by Jaco van der Merwe

Post by Rob Connolly
I was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions? I've read up
online about keyboard cleaning, but it looks fairly complicated and I
don't even know if the keys on an eeepc are designed to be removed.

If it's only the Caps-Lock, then simply disable that key (pretty pointless
throw-back IMO).
That'll be the most expedient & cost-effective fix for the time being

Thanks for the suggestions Mark and Jaco. I'll disable the caps lock for
now and consider whether a new keyboard is worth the effort and cost.

I also feel like I may have spawned a monster with the other thread
which stemmed from this!

Rob
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