Keyboard misses keystrokes about every 3 seconds??

[ryan29121]

I am trying to diagnose a keyboard on a laptop because its not working correctly. The keyboard seems to not work about every 3 seconds where it will miss a keystroke. Like if i tap a single key at a semi-fast rate (like 2 or 3 keys a second) every 7th or 8th key will not register. It does this for every key on the keyboard not just the one I was pressing. I tried going into device manager and uninstalling and reinstalling the keyboard driver. I also tried booting into safe mode and the problem still occurs. How can i fix this issue? Thanks in advance for your help.

[J-Mag]

Have you tried attaching an external keyboard?

[CaptNKILL]

Just to make 100% sure it isn't software related, go into the BIOS and try hitting an arrow key or something to see if it does the same thing there.

If your keyboard is getting screwy though its probably going to be expensive and complicated to fix... as with just about anything related to laptops.

[crainger]

I agree, try in BIOS and with an USB keyboard.

I disagree with CaptN saying it is expensive. If you can source and install the keyboard yourself you can replace it for about 40-100 bucks depending on the make and model. It's easy to replace for most makes and models, search the net for instructions, otherwise for most, you simply pop the top bezel off, remove some screws and then disconnect the ribbon cable. Then reverse to install new one.

[ryan29121]

I tried a external keyboard and it seems to work fine. I also tried to go into the bios and see if the laptop keyboard works also and it seemed to work, but the only keys that I pressed were arrow keys. I found a laptop keyboard on ebay for about $15 but I'm not even sure if its worth putting money into the laptop at all, because its a really old laptop. Do you have any other suggestions on how to fix this or do you think the keyboard is shot?