[AF_Money]

i have an acer aspire 4810tz with windows 7 -- upgraded from vista. neither of my shift keys work. here's what i've done so far to track down the trouble;

rebooted the laptop

opened up notepad and typed every character possible to ensure no other keys are malfunctioning.

ensured the language is set to english

deleted and reinstalled the keyboard drivers

ran ccleaner to clean up errors in the registry

initiated a backup to a known time the keyboard was working

removed the shift keys to ensure there is no debris under them

i'm about to take this computer with me on a deployment. no shift keys = no @ = no emailing home = this laptop is useless to me

speaking of deployments, this thing did endure 6 months of heat and sandstorms. not outside mind you, but there was just no way of getting away from the sand, dust, and heat.

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I would try an external keyboard. If that works, then the problem points to your keyboard or its buffer and I am not sure what you can do about that in short-notice. The external keyboard would be inconvenient, but doable.

What about caps lock?

[Digerati]

I would try an external keyboard. If that works, then the problem points to your keyboard or its buffer and I am not sure what you can do about that in short-notice. The external keyboard would be inconvenient, but doable.

What about caps lock?

[AF_Money]

caps lock works.

If i gotta replace the keyboard, then thats what i'll do. I just didn't want to replace it and find that it was some stupid software error or something...

[Digerati]

I just didn't want to replace it and find that it was some stupid software error or something...

I agree. What I am saying is if an external keyboard does not work correctly, then I don't think replacing the notebook keyboard will help.

It could just be a loose connection and if me, I would check that before buying a new keyboard. That is, if disassembling a notebook is in your comfort zone and skillset - and it is not under warranty.

[AF_Money]

I just built a computer from scratch, and i've taken laptops apart before. I'm confident I can handle replacing the keyboard. i'm on vacation right now and i only have a ps/2 and a wireless keyboard available. I suppose i could hook up the wireless keyboard, but thats one more link in the chain that could throw me off. I guess I'll have to wait until i get home and have access to a USB keyboard next week.

warranty ran out about 3 weeks ago. go figure :-/

[Digerati]

Well, note I have assembled 100s of computers - and frankly, a trained monkey can do that. Disassembling and reassembling a notebook is totally different. But if you have the tools, know-how, confidence, and a steady hand, then go for it.

[AF_Money]

I know its been a while since this post but I just wanted close it out with the final solution. I found my keyboard on Amazon.com for less than $30. I figured if that wasn't the problem, then I had much bigger issues since a motherboard failure is pretty much a death sentence for a laptop.

The ACER Aspire Timeline series laptop keyboards are ridiculously easy to replace. There are no screws, and nothing to disassemble. A quick youtube search walked me step by step how to take it out. I used a butter knife to pop out the old keyboard, There's a small connector underneath it, which disconnecting and connecting that connector was the hardest part about the the whole thing. The new one popped right in. Literally took me 30 seconds.

Anyway, the new keyboard works like a champ. I went with the same exact model; with glossy keys that attract fingerprints and all. Wish I would've looked into a more matte finish for the keys, but w/e. My laptop lives through another deployment. Thanks to everyone that replied

[Digerati]

I know its been a while since this post but I just wanted close it out with the final solution.

Thanks for the followup.