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Thread: Laptop keyboard and touchpad stopped working after crash

  1. #1
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    Laptop keyboard and touchpad stopped working after crash

    Hello everyone,

    I have two questions:

    1- I've had this laptop http://www.cnet.com/laptops/sony-vai...-33634228.html ... I used to connect it to an external keyboard, mouse and monitor. A couple of months ago, it stopped working (it really has a looooooong story completely documented in http://www.antionline.com/showthread...-does-not-boot ) until I realized the HDD was dead. After that, not only the HDD is dead, the keyboard and touchpad do not work either so I cannot get to BIOS with the keyboard (if I use my external keyboard that used to work with, it knows the keyboard and I'm fine ... the problem is that I wanted to sell the lappy but the guy was scared knowing the keyboard doesn't work so I decided to try to get it to work!!!!!). My question is that, how much do you think it's likely that if I put a working HDD into it and reinstall the windows, the keyboard and touchpad start working again?

    2- So for the above cause, I need a cheap HDD but don't know if all of them does the job or not. These are the specifications:

    a) NEW! Hitachi 160 GB NOTEBOOK HDD ... SATA 2.5" HDD for installation in laptop/netbook. Can be used as an external drive with USB Adapter.......49$
    b) HITACHI 2.5 GB HDD 7800RPM SATA ...laptop 2.5 HDD 80GB 7200rpm MODEL: HTS721080G9SA00 ...35$
    c) Seagate 20GB 5400rpm SATA1 Laptop HDD ......Features/Specifications:
    Seagate ST920217AS LD25.1 20 GB SATA/150 Notebook Hard Drive ... General Features:
    20 GB storage capacity
    5400 RPM spindle speed
    2 MB buffer
    16 ms average seek time
    Average latency: 5.6 ms
    Serial ATA/150 interface
    2.5-inch form factor
    9.5 mm drive height ..............15$

    So I appreciate to know if all of them are good enough for my test and have the Vista installed on them.

    Thank you so much
    Last edited by boyboy400; December 16th, 2012 at 01:16 AM.

  2. #2
    Keeping The Balance CybertecOne's Avatar
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    Any hard drive will work fine as a replacement, providing it is the correct type (SATA/IDE). Try and get one that isn't too large as the main boards often support up to a particular size. If the drive is larger than the compatible size you will either not be able to detect the drive at all, or you wont be able to use all of the drive's capacity.

    It is also unlikely that if the keyboard does not work within the bios, that it will work within an OS. This is because the hardware is detected by the BIOS and then handed over to the OS - if the keyboard doesn't work on a hardware level, it wont work on a software level. (Note: this is not always the case however).

    If it were me, I would pull the laptop apart and check the cables for the keyboard and such are still connected etc if they are; I would install an OS and see if this will work. Failing that, flashing the bios is the next item of agenda but it does seem that the laptop is no longer of serviceable value.
    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius --- and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
    - Albert Einstein

  3. #3
    Friend of Site Staff
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    Vista, I would use a minimum of a 50 GB, 160 GB is better and 500 GB is the max.

    You have a Serial ATA-150 320.0 GB HDD / 7200.0 rpm drive now per your link. A 5400 or slower hdd would make the battery last longer.

    The Hitachi 160 GB is yur best bet. After all Vista is about 17 GB in size when installed and office programs installed also.

  4. #4
    Senior Member faust's Avatar
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    performance over battery life? Get a bigger battery. The OP asked about keyboard working. touchpad working... Is it usb keyboard? is there a usb legacy support that maybe interfering? Also you can disable the touchpad... With keyboard that works reset it to defaults...
    The gene pool has no life guard!

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi there bb,

    I hope that you and yours are all well. I am afraid that I haven't been around lately, as my wife's illness got worse and she died in October.

    Regarding your laptop:

    CybertecOne is on the ball when he says that it is your BIOS that detects the internal and then external components. As a first move I would take faust's advice and reset the BIOS to default. Then:

    1. Go into the BIOS and see if the HDD is detected. Run the autodetect HDD option if needed.

    2. If the HDD is detected and you still can't boot or use the keyboard, get the manufacturer's HDD test application and run it from the DVD drive. This should tell you if the drive is knackered or not.

    3. If the HDD isn't detected then check that all internal connections are OK. If they are then remove the HDD and go back into the BIOS and see if the keyboard works (the touchpad probably won't), like you should be able to scroll through the BIOS options.

    4. If it still doesn't work, then flash the BIOS from the DVD or USB.

    5. If it still doesn't work then it sounds like the motherboard to me, and that is end of game.

    This means that the HDD may not be dead and should be tested elsewhere, and that you still have a device with valuable spare parts you can sell.

    If it turns out that it is just the HDD and it works OK in the BIOS without one then you can sell it as is, or put the 80 or 160GB drives in it (the 20GB is useless IMO) Personally, I would look for a cheap (slow) 120/128GB SSD as solid state runs much faster and cooler than electro-mechanical, and laptops are not intended to store masses of data internally.

    The SSD should also extend the battery life.

    Hope that helps
    Last edited by nihil; January 8th, 2013 at 01:41 PM.

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