LiquidSolstice Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Well, this is a bit of an odd request, so let me add some background information. I have a Tablet PC (An HP tm2t). I love it to pieces, but I accidentally spilled coffee (with sugar) all over the keyboard the other morning. Fortunately, a few days back, I purchased Accidental Damage insurance from HP. Unfortunately, to prevent people from abusing the system, that insurance has a "cooldown" period of 30 days, in which I cannot use the Accidental Damage warranty. So basically, I'm stuck with this laptop and its sticky keyboard for around a month before I can get it sent in and repaired. The good news is that I have a Tablet PC stand, a bluetooth keyboard, and a wireless mouse, so I can essentially use it as a desktop when its in tablet mode. The problem is though that the keyboard still is sticky somewhere inside and is pressing random keys whenever I type using my bluetooth keyboard (a DiNovo Edge, if you're wondering). I've tried uninstalling the PS/2 keyboard device, and it works, but then on reboot, it installs the driver over again. While I've always loved this plug-and-play feature of Windows 7, ironically, it's causing me issues now. How do I permanently uninstall the keyboard, and prevent it from reinstalling itself? Please note that because my two keyboards are fighting eachother for control, I really can only use the mouse. So what setting do I need to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerFan Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Can you still access the BIOS? There may be a setting that will allow you to disable the keyboard there. Or, instead of selecting the Uninstall option in Device Manager, select Disable instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 4, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 4, 2011 remove the keyboard/unplug the keyboard from the mother board....it is then disabled, you are going to replace it anyway...there are ways to get the keyboard replaced without telling them that you were a dumb user and spilled coffee all over it. depending on the laptop, a keyboard could have costed you somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 for one...and depending on what you say to the nice idiot that can't see anything on the other side of the phone you could have gotten a keyboard under warranty. The only thing that you need accidental for is the monitor, nothing that you can say will get a replacement for a cracked screen sent to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidSolstice Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Can you still access the BIOS? There may be a setting that will allow you to disable the keyboard there. Or, instead of selecting the Uninstall option in Device Manager, select Disable instead. Unfortunately, my bluetooth keyboard is software-driver based, and only functions from within Windows. I can't access the BIOS at all because I can't press the Esc key at boot. I look, unlike other devices, it won't allow me to simply disable the keyboard. Thanks for the tips though, i appreciate any help :) remove the keyboard/unplug the keyboard from the mother board....it is then disabled, you are going to replace it anyway...there are ways to get the keyboard replaced without telling them that you were a dumb user and spilled coffee all over it. Don't have the tools or the confidence to open up the laptop. Thanks for calling me a dumb user? At any rate, HP knows if there's been liquid damage, it's not that difficult for them to tell. My friend tried to cheat them once and ended up having to pay around $400 for the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJerman Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Unfortunately, my bluetooth keyboard is software-driver based, and only functions from within Windows. I can't access the BIOS at all because I can't press the Esc key at boot. I look, unlike other devices, it won't allow me to simply disable the keyboard. Thanks for the tips though, i appreciate any help :) Your DiNovo Edge should have come with a dongle as well. When you pair the keyboard with the dongle, it works with it's own bluetooth connection and should work without Windows being booted and using it's Bluetooth, so then you could access the bios. I'm with a previous suggestion, just unplug the original keyboard. Edit: Posted as you were editing that last one. Usually they keyboard comes out after taking out 2 or 3 screens from the bottom back of the computer, then there is usually a panel behind the keyboard (like between the keyboard and screen, there's usually buttons and lights) that can pop off after that, then it may be 2 or 3 more screws and the keyboard will lift up. Really simple and only requires a screwdriver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidSolstice Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Your DiNovo Edge should have come with a dongle as well. When you pair the keyboard with the dongle, it works with it's own bluetooth connection and should work without Windows being booted and using it's Bluetooth, so then you could access the bios. I'm with a previous suggestion, just unplug the original keyboard. Unfortunately, I lost its dongle, I'm using the laptop's internal Bluetooth. I'll try and hunt down a USB keyboard, but the problem is A) I don't know what wil happen when my sticky keys conflict with a USB keyboard in the BIOS, and B) HP has a rather locked down BIOS, unlike the ASUS netbook that I'm typing on. Is there any sort of option to stop Windows from installing drivers automatically? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Patriot Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Don't have the tools or the confidence to open up the laptop. Unplugging the keyboard on most laptops is fairly straightforward and rarely requires any tools other than maybe a small phillips head screwdriver. It rarely ever involves opening up the laptop. In fact, it is usually the very first step in most teardown procedures. edit: here's the manual for your computer: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02060084.pdf Getting the keyboard disconnected is a little more involved than with most laptops, but it isn't all that difficult. goretsky 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexalex Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Disable the Keyboard with a Keyboard Shortcut in Windows http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/11570/disable-the-keyboard-with-a-keyboard-shortcut-in-windows/ If you?ve got a pet or toddler, then you know that an unguarded keyboard is a recipe for disaster ? deleted files, lost work, and hard-to-explain Facebook status updates are just the beginning. In this article, we?ll show you how to disable your keyboard at the touch of a button ? and, of course, how to re-enable it. Keyboard Locker is a small program that does this job well and takes up very few system resources. It?s a small AutoHotKey script that was originally written by an AutoHotKey forum-goer named Lexikos. We?ve spruced it up a bit and compiled it so that you don?t need to have AutoHotKey installed. If you do have AutoHotKey installed, we?ve included the original script so you can tweak it to your liking.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Patriot Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 If you?ve got a pet or toddler, then you know that an unguarded keyboard is a recipe for disaster ? deleted files, lost work, and hard-to-explain Facebook status updates are just the beginning. Windows key + L :D (oh, and that program would disable ALL keyboards, not just the built in one, so it wouldn't solve the OP's problem). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 4, 2011 Veteran Share Posted April 4, 2011 Unfortunately, my bluetooth keyboard is software-driver based, and only functions from within Windows. I can't access the BIOS at all because I can't press the Esc key at boot. I look, unlike other devices, it won't allow me to simply disable the keyboard. Thanks for the tips though, i appreciate any help :) Don't have the tools or the confidence to open up the laptop. Thanks for calling me a dumb user? At any rate, HP knows if there's been liquid damage, it's not that difficult for them to tell. My friend tried to cheat them once and ended up having to pay around $400 for the repair. It is quite easy, usually there are a few screws that have a keyboard icon on them (they are holding the keyboard to the laptop). HP usually has dismantle instructions on their website. Please don't take offense to it, I am sure you have beaten yourself up over it. If it costs 400 for anything, you are doing it wrong and it is better to just get a new laptop. http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02060084.pdf Page 57 tells you explicitly how to remove and disconnect the keyboard. All you need is a small phillips head screw driver. It isn't that hard, and it isnt that hard to put a keyboard in. Recently I had a family member bring me a hp laptop that was still in warranty (just purchased 2 months ago) but he dropped it, hp wanted 500 for a replacement screen, I found one for under 100 new. If you pay them 400 you are certainly doing it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidSolstice Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 It is quite easy, usually there are a few screws that have a keyboard icon on them (they are holding the keyboard to the laptop). HP usually has dismantle instructions on their website. Please don't take offense to it, I am sure you have beaten yourself up over it. If it costs 400 for anything, you are doing it wrong and it is better to just get a new laptop. http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02060084.pdf Page 57 tells you explicitly how to remove and disconnect the keyboard. All you need is a small phillips head screw driver. It isn't that hard, and it isnt that hard to put a keyboard in. Recently I had a family member bring me a hp laptop that was still in warranty (just purchased 2 months ago) but he dropped it, hp wanted 500 for a replacement screen, I found one for under 100 new. If you pay them 400 you are certainly doing it wrong. Ah, no offense taken. The laptop is actually less than a year old, and is worth close to $1k. Of course I hate myself for it, I love the little machine. I guess I can look into opening it up, just wish there was an alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Patriot Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I guess I can look into opening it up, just wish there was an alternative. Take your time and you'll thank yourself later on for learning a new (and potentially marketable) skill. I still have friends that are amazed that I'm willing to work on (and in some cases completely rebuild) laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidSolstice Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Take your time and you'll thank yourself later on for learning a new (and potentially marketable) skill. I still have friends that are amazed that I'm willing to work on (and in some cases completely rebuild) laptops. So, I took your guys' advice and decided to open the machine up and remove the keyboard. it worked just fine, but I was still curious to see what the other solutions are. I wondered what would happen if I manually tried to install an incompatible keyboard driver based on what already comes with Windows 7, so I reconnected the keyboard and I installed some sort of 10-key keypad driver from some no name company (verified through Microsoft), and restarted, and lo and behold, the hardware keyboard is doing nothing and I'm happily typing away without any worry. This way, I needn't do anything when the time comes to send the laptop into HP, because they'll just reimage the hard drive with their own version of 7 again and I'll be just fine. Although I thank those of you who advised me to open up the laptop; although certainly one of the more frightening things I've done, I guess it's just a matter of realizing it's no different than opening up your computer tower, it's just in a much smaller case. I might even keep a spare keyboard lying around should the need arise to replace it myself. I'm going to stick with the incompatible driver solution because that way I don't need to worry about remembering to reconnect the hardware keyboard before sending it to HP, because if I forgot (a month is a long time) I am sure my warranty would be void. Thanks for the advice, everyone! Neowin success :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerFan Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Good call on the incompatible driver idea! Never crossed my mind. And, you're absolutely right about a laptop just being a smaller version of a desktop PC. I was also unsure the first time i took one apart, but am now comfortable breaking them down entirely. Just make sure you remember which screws go where! (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seizure1990 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 wait, why can't you just disable the driver instead of uninstalling it? Then it won't pop back up every restart. Or did I skim too fast and miss something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerFan Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 wait, why can't you just disable the driver instead of uninstalling it? Then it won't pop back up every restart. Or did I skim too fast and miss something? Yep. Take a look at your keyboard in Device Manager. There's no option to disable... only to uninstall. I made the same mistake. (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seizure1990 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 whoa, that's nuts. You learn something new every day. My question is now, "why?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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