T440 some keys are working and others are not

[trott3r]

Hello,

An odd problem in that some keys are working but others do not respond at all.
I thought it might be the ribbon cable not seated correctly.
So i took the keyboard out and reinserted but the same keys dont work.
I even started holding down the bad keys and stretched and wiggled the ribbon cable but not even a temporarily that
a key worked.

I assume this must mean something internal on the keyboard has died?
It cant possibly anything else can it?

thanks for your time
Martin

[Screamer]

Have you tried cleaning the ribbon cable? The blue-colored tip of the ribbon cable might be heavily stained with dirt, so I would suggest cleaning it.

[trott3r]

The contacts look great on the ribbon cable of the keybarod and the connector on the motherboard.
The blue bit is just coating and does not conduct as far as i know.

The machine while second hand is in good condition with no keyboard wear evident

Thanks
Martin

[Vopu]

Hi , as far as i can think of , if a keyboard fails it is generally a HW problem, though i would try these first before ruling it out as defective , if that helps.
Boot into safe mode/diognastic startup to see if any SW/program is effecting the keyboard/certain keys. uninstall PS/2 keyboard and let Win install it again. Reboot.
Takeout keyboard and clean the connectors and refit ribbon cable tightly, while keyboard is out try to see if anything is effecting the keys mechanically as dust/something underneath. Clean with aircan. Check word/notepad and try keys one by one , use windows onscreen keyboard to see if keys are working. Win+Ctrl+O to activate OSK.
Create another admin account and test ,Lastly try a live linux distro to rule out its Windows , Also even if its not a possibility i would do a scan for keyloggers.

[trott3r]

I did try the notepad and its only some keys while the OSK does work.

Now i fitted a S/H keyboard and it worked in notepad fine.

Ran a repair disk as there were errors and it shut down now i power on and while it still has my user login my password does not work and my fingerprint which worked before says i need to setup a pin.

I cannot seem to login as another user or create one ctrl alt del doesnt work.
I seem to be locked out of win10 is this some sort of security thing that win10 has done?

Very odd but i am new to win10 (used win7 before)

thanks

[Vopu]

I cannot seem to login as another user or create one ctrl alt del doesnt work.
I seem to be locked out of win10 is this some sort of security thing that win10 has done

Hi , assuming you are logged in to another computer and you can read this at this point i am prone to think you have a defective keyboard, however , you have more important problems to deal with as you can not log in. First Off, try safe mode with networking under advanced startup try to login ?
If you can get to the user account selection menu single/multiple account icons where you type your pasword but your pasword is not working , it might be somehow you have enabled windows Hello , where you use your fingerprint reader to log in but a recent change/update has corrupted your login credentials. I suggest two things at this point. If you can get to accounts listed , right bottom corner gives you restart option, hit that to restart, as soon as you see Lenovo logo press F8 to go to windows advanced start up options.(this is tricky as Win10 reduced this time frame to almost miliseconds i have heard) (also F11 has been said for certain units)What you need there is system restore , to see what has recently been changed select a restore point before that recent change , assuming you have enabled system restore on your C drive as Win10 has it disabled at installaton. See if Restore works for you , that bypasses the account login.
If not i think we should try the default System Admin account built in to Win10 BUT disabled/hidden by default. Boot into advanced options check the menu one by one to find command prompt.Itshould be under troubleshooting i think. Under command prompt as admin,
Run the following command to activate administrator user:
net user administrator /active:yes
To set a password for administrator, use the following command:
net user administrator *
** to disable it change /active:no , once you enable admin. boot normally /select admin/oncelogged in /erase/disable/resetpassword on your account.**
***One other trick to boot into Advanced Start Up Options is to force Win10, which is deliberately make mistakes at log on screen , say try rebooting 3-4 times in a row to logon screen but restart without entering password. Or try entering wrong password couple of times , Windows does not permanently lock user accunts so once you are logged in as default admin you can reset your password. This is the default say troubleshooter in Win10, think of HDD failure , new HW installation failure and automaticly triggers ASUO as a safety precaution***
***F8 if not F11/Or F2/F3*** F12 is your temp. boot priority
than there is the Linux log in option to recover/backup your files/system reset or recovery options to try

See how you get on , and shout out if you need more help. Am sure there are experts here in this forum Vopu

[trott3r]

Sorry for the late reply work got in the way.

I cannot get into safe mode with f8 or f11 and there is no option to select advanced startup in the power option down at the bottom right.
I only get restart power off or sleep

f2 and f3 do not do anything either.
The audio on and off button works (it lights) so i doubt its the F, line of keys on the keyboard

I have noticed there is a pale blue screen that comes up and then the normal blue screen pops up in front of it with my username on it.
This screen disappears so quick i have only noticed the colour.

[RealBlackStuff]

To use other (start-)options, you first need to fully shut down W10.

[trott3r]

Yes, i have used power off rather than sleep before i start pressing the keys.

thanks
Martin

[Vopu]

Hi Martin,
To try a couple of other options can you check these pease ?
1-How did you install Win10 , upgrade /by bootable DVD or USB drive ? Have you created a password for your account or were you using only fingerprint login? What method of login are/were you using ?(Pin/face/password/fingerprint) have you set up only one method?
2-Can you use your touchpad/have external mouse ? We know keyboard has problems do you have access to usb keyboard ? Also another computer ?
3-If you set up a password do you remember it ? If yes but keyboard is nonresponsive have you tried OSK, next to power there is ease of access /onscreen keyboard
If not and if you installed Win10 1803 or further type a wrong password on your account than aswer security questions to reset password.
4-After you set up Win10 have you changed anything under power options ? disable hybernation, lock, sleep, or fast startup ?
5-During Win10 setup have you entered your microsoft account details?
6-Have you created a rescue disc?
7-Is there only one account you created?
7-That blue screen you mentioned , can you replicate? if so can you take a video of that with your phone and try to see the message? if at all anything to be seen
8- Can you create a bootable Win10 if you had not already , with that without installing Win10 again you can click repair/go into troubleshoot and use advanced startup options/(startup settings have safe mode) command prompt / add another user/delete current user /enable guest account (get to c drive with diskpart/ type "net user" than net user /add <account name> or net user /delete <account name>
8-If shift is working on keyboard try holding shift while pressing restart to get to advanced startup options ?

[trott3r]

Hi Martin,
To try a couple of other options can you check these pease ?
1-How did you install Win10 , upgrade /by bootable DVD or USB drive ? Have you created a password for your account or were you using only fingerprint login? What method of login are/were you using ?(Pin/face/password/fingerprint) have you set up only one method?
2-Can you use your touchpad/have external mouse ? We know keyboard has problems do you have access to usb keyboard ? Also another computer ?
3-If you set up a password do you remember it ? If yes but keyboard is nonresponsive have you tried OSK, next to power there is ease of access /onscreen keyboard
If not and if you installed Win10 1803 or further type a wrong password on your account than aswer security questions to reset password.
4-After you set up Win10 have you changed anything under power options ? disable hybernation, lock, sleep, or fast startup ?
5-During Win10 setup have you entered your microsoft account details?
6-Have you created a rescue disc?
7-Is there only one account you created?
7-That blue screen you mentioned , can you replicate? if so can you take a video of that with your phone and try to see the message? if at all anything to be seen
8- Can you create a bootable Win10 if you had not already , with that without installing Win10 again you can click repair/go into troubleshoot and use advanced startup options/(startup settings have safe mode) command prompt / add another user/delete current user /enable guest account (get to c drive with diskpart/ type "net user" than net user /add <account name> or net user /delete <account name>
8-If shift is working on keyboard try holding shift while pressing restart to get to advanced startup options ?

1 it was preinstalled by the ebay seller. No other media provided.
I created a password and a finger print.
2 yes ,i have access to another keyboard but i can type the password in and move the pointer so the inbuilt keyboard seems fine.
3 the security reset asks for a usb flash drive which i did not create.
4 not sure if i changed power settings but it would seem unlikely since i have hardly used the laptop until and then the keyboard broke.
5 no microsfot account details entered
6 no rescue disc
7 yes only the one account created
7 it just seems to be a light blue screen nothing else on it.
8 i cannot get to advanced startup options
8 no advanced menu pops up when i use shift and click the restart opton.

thanks for your time
Martin

[Vopu]

Hi ,
I feel we are missing something here, you have a login password and created a fingerprint but both dont work right? Also you are aware the methods described for advanced startup options will not show up on your screen if you click power at the login screen you are stucked ? You shutdown your laptop either by clicking power at login screen or by holding your power botton for about 10 sec. All keys described must be pressed when you start windows not when you shut down. Also if you have not changed the power options you still have fast startup meaning you are not fully shutdown you are booting from hibernation file.. As said by realblackstuff.
Am sure others will chip in with more info , but if the OS is new , you dont have too much data and settings / programs i would try Hiren's Boot to recover and backup your data , than download Win10 to a bootable media and repair/reinstall your OS.
You dont have a rescue disk but you can download a Win10 ISO to be used in order to access cmd/safemode/ and all other advanced startup settings. like creating another account or enabling default admin acc. etc.
Do you have /have you been given COA /product key /is it underneath the machine?
Check Hiren toolbox here https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/
Regards
Vopu
Ps: What was the process/error made you perform repairdisk? that turned this post from some keys not working /to Win10 Account Login/Password problem to/ now my keyboard keys are working/ i can type my pasword but i can not login?

[atagunov]

Do you have /have you been given COA /product key /is it underneath the machine?

Full Windows reinstall = fastest/easiest option?
Purchase a cheap license key on ebay?
Extract one from the current install?
The COA sticker on a T440 probably wouldn't be a Win10 one, so is it really useful here?
Same for SLIC which probably present in BIOS..

If it's an SSD I'd recommend booting into Ubuntu via USB Ubuntu installation stick, make sure there is no HPA - and kill it if it exists - and then do a secure erase for the disk. If it's not an SSD I'd start with buying one

[trott3r]

Hi ,
I feel we are missing something here, you have a login password and created a fingerprint but both dont work right? Also you are aware the methods described for advanced startup options will not show up on your screen if you click power at the login screen you are stucked ? You shutdown your laptop either by clicking power at login screen or by holding your power botton for about 10 sec. All keys described must be pressed when you start windows not when you shut down. Also if you have not changed the power options you still have fast startup meaning you are not fully shutdown you are booting from hibernation file.. As said by realblackstuff.
Am sure others will chip in with more info , but if the OS is new , you dont have too much data and settings / programs i would try Hiren's Boot to recover and backup your data , than download Win10 to a bootable media and repair/reinstall your OS.
You dont have a rescue disk but you can download a Win10 ISO to be used in order to access cmd/safemode/ and all other advanced startup settings. like creating another account or enabling default admin acc. etc.
Do you have /have you been given COA /product key /is it underneath the machine?
Check Hiren toolbox here https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/
Regards
Vopu
Ps: What was the process/error made you perform repairdisk? that turned this post from some keys not working /to Win10 Account Login/Password problem to/ now my keyboard keys are working/ i can type my pasword but i can not login?

yes both pass and fingerprint

Fast startup -okay good i didnt know that thanks.

The coa is for win8

I did a repair disk as i originally did a checkdisk within windows and it came up with errors so used repair in that tool.

[trott3r]

I finally have some progress to report.
I figured out the shift restart now works if i use the right shift key( the left didnt work when i originally tried it.)

However i couldnt get to the cmd prompt or safe mode as it asked for the password.

In the end the only option was to wipe and restore which i have done within the advanced option menu.
Even the preserve files option in the restore asked for a password.
So it looks like win10 is heavy handed in its default setup compared to earlier versons of windows.

Now i will have to created a password flash drive and also the admin password from the command line to make sure this mess does not happen again.

thanks for your help i have learned a lot more about win10 then i was expecting.

[Vopu]

Hi , that's good news. Now you are back to your OS, i would advice you to use eaither jelly bean or another Win10 product key retriever,(or see below) keep it safe for a next fresh/clean install. Use Admin/cmd and paste this to your cmd.
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey
You have also a Win8 COA to fall back to if needed.(that is why i asked ) Don't forget to create a rescue disk. Once you sort that out , run a sfc than a dism on that system. just to be on the safe side. https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use- ... s-10-image
Somehow after all these problems you had (i know others may not agree on this ) i think i would have lost my faith in that Win10 installation (by seller) & go for either a reset /under settings/recovery or a complete fresh install by a Win10 Pro ISO since you already erased your data and start from scratch.
And as atagunov said if unit came with an HDD swap that to an SSD for future bad sectors.
Welcome to the Win10 haters group
Regards
Vopu

[tresho]

I have been reviewing all the posts on this forum in hopes of learning something about my recent T480 keyboard failure.
I am surprised that none of the participants have mentioned the most obvious way of checking on a failure of a keyboard to respond to keypresses.
That is, substitute an external keyboard to see if the laptop will respond properly to that. I've had about 6 keyboards developed mechanical failures after extended use in my 30+ years of using laptops. I've owned my T480 since 2018 and have had 2 failures of its keyboard in that time, both were 100% fixed by replacement of the keyboard with a new one. Recently my T480 has developed several keys that no longer respond.
I have 2 backup Trackpoint external keyboards, one USB wired and one with Bluetooth capability, both Lenovo-branded. I attached an external keyboard at the first inkling of a failed key. If it works, you have a partial solution to your issue.
Checked the connectivity of the wire harnesses to the machine, cleaning the keys, etc. are all good ideas to check this out. Perhaps some/all of my previous keyboard failures could have been fixed by these methods but they didn't work for me.
I would never use a previously owned keyboard to repair a defective keyboard. You are too likely to develop another keyboard failure if you try this. Only 1 of my previous dead keyboards showed signs of external wear when it died.

[tresho]

"i fitted a S/H keyboard " What's an S/H keyboard?