Certain keys on laptop keyboard not working, blue screen on virus scan too.

[ryder77]

Hello,
This morning I was using my laptop and noticed that some keys were requiring me to press them a couple of times to get them to register. It seemed it was something blocking them and I had to clean it, but shortly after they just stopped working. I cleaned that area out and still nothing. It is only the period, comma, Z, C, V, and M keys that don't work, all of the rest do.

I tried restarting the computer and at first it gave an error, but I finally got it to run chkdsk, which mentioned some corrupted files and things like that so it could be due to that. I tried to check for malware and viruses, but both the antivirus programs I've tried hit a point that causes the computer to blue screen. I didn't catch what they are scanning at the time that causes this to happen and I have no clue how to figure it out cause it seems they will all do this. How can I get the keyboard working? It is urgent for my job. Also, how can I deal with the virus scan issue?
Edit: I am using Windows 7 on an HP, I believe, 2000-2302TU

 

[RAZER Gamer]

So it looks like parts of your drive are corrupted since you said that some files were.

But a serious question why are you running more than one AV? Also what anti-virus are you using?

 

[Ubrales]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

 

[Hellfire13]

keyboard functions are never usually connected to ur hdd...in all probability u have spilled something on that...have u tried an external keyboard and checked whether the issue follows the device???
if not, then try a clean install and check whether the issue persists...

 

[RAZER Gamer]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

 

[Ubrales]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

When trouble shooting I don't take anything for granted. That is the number one problem with most trouble shooters. It has to be done (or re-done) step by step, and always from the very beginning.

 

[RAZER Gamer]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

When trouble shooting I don't take anything for granted. That is the number one problem with most trouble shooters. It has to be done (or re-done) step by step, and always from the very beginning.

But he has said that running his AV and scanning for malware has produced the BSOD....Do you not understand what he has written?

If he gets the BSOD from doing an AV scan then how can he do an AV scan?

Also it is highly unlikely that a virus/malware is going to damage certain keys on his keyboard...Yes it could cause a BSOD which is why he needs to sort out his AV, but telling him to just scan with the AV which gives him a BSOD doesn't help him at all!

 

[Ubrales]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

When trouble shooting I don't take anything for granted. That is the number one problem with most trouble shooters. It has to be done (or re-done) step by step, and always from the very beginning.

But he has said that running his AV and scanning for malware has produced the BSOD....Do you not understand what he has written?

If he gets the BSOD from doing an AV scan then how can he do an AV scan?

Also it is highly unlikely that a virus/malware is going to damage certain keys on his keyboard...Yes it could cause a BSOD which is why he needs to sort out his AV, but telling him to just scan with the AV which gives him a BSOD doesn't help him at all!

Did you miss the "Safe Mode" part? You can be more productive by trying to address the OP's post. Do you understand this?

The famous words "We have already tried this" is the single largest obstacle to problem solving!

 

[ryder77]

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

Start the computer in Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing the F8 key when you power it up.

Then run all the anti virus and anti malware scans. Malwarebytes is free and very effective.

If the problem is due to a bad hard disk then you may have to do something different. Make sure you have backups.

I don't think the issue is to do with malware at all. Also what do you mean run all the anti virus and anti malware scans? He said that he cannot do this since it gives the BSOD. Did you not read what he wrote?

When trouble shooting I don't take anything for granted. That is the number one problem with most trouble shooters. It has to be done (or re-done) step by step, and always from the very beginning.

But he has said that running his AV and scanning for malware has produced the BSOD....Do you not understand what he has written?

If he gets the BSOD from doing an AV scan then how can he do an AV scan?

Also it is highly unlikely that a virus/malware is going to damage certain keys on his keyboard...Yes it could cause a BSOD which is why he needs to sort out his AV, but telling him to just scan with the AV which gives him a BSOD doesn't help him at all!

Did you miss the "Safe Mode" part? You can be more productive by trying to address the OP's post. Do you understand this?

The famous words "We have already tried this" is the single largest obstacle to problem solving!

I tried safe mode and the AV opens and stays at 13%. I am using Avast and Windows Defender just to try 2 but Avast is the one I picked, Defender came installed.

 

[ryder77]

keyboard functions are never usually connected to ur hdd...in all probability u have spilled something on that...have u tried an external keyboard and checked whether the issue follows the device???
if not, then try a clean install and check whether the issue persists...

Nothing spilled, but is it possible that I just need to clean inside the laptop? I have a dog that sheds a lot so maybe the hairs are inside doing this

 

[Ubrales]

You mentioned some bad files. In "Safe Mode with networking" install and run Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes is free and runs well in conjunction with Windows Defender (I have both on my computers).

This way we can systematically eliminate problem areas and then home-in to the solution. Re-installing the OS should never be the first option. We can consider that as a last resort.

 

[ryder77]

You mentioned some bad files. In "Safe Mode with networking" install and run Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes is free and runs well in conjunction with Windows Defender (I have both on my computers).

This way we can systematically eliminate problem areas and then home-in to the solution. Re-installing the OS should never be the first option. We can consider that as a last resort.

I tried Malwarebytes and the only files it says are viruses are for Viber, which I got from the official page so it should be fine

 

[Ubrales]

You mentioned some bad files. In "Safe Mode with networking" install and run Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes is free and runs well in conjunction with Windows Defender (I have both on my computers).

This way we can systematically eliminate problem areas and then home-in to the solution. Re-installing the OS should never be the first option. We can consider that as a last resort.

I tried Malwarebytes and the only files it says are viruses are for Viber, which I got from the official page so it should be fine

Did your files get corrupt after you installed and started using Viber? It might be worthwhile to uninstall Viber and to check whether the problems go away. (Safe Mode with networking). - Re-run Malwarebytes after uninstalling Viber.

Malwarebytes is a very trustworthy program.

 

[ryder77]

You mentioned some bad files. In "Safe Mode with networking" install and run Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes is free and runs well in conjunction with Windows Defender (I have both on my computers).

This way we can systematically eliminate problem areas and then home-in to the solution. Re-installing the OS should never be the first option. We can consider that as a last resort.

I tried Malwarebytes and the only files it says are viruses are for Viber, which I got from the official page so it should be fine

Did your files get corrupt after you installed and started using Viber? It might be worthwhile to uninstall Viber and to check whether the problems go away. (Safe Mode with networking). - Re-run Malwarebytes after uninstalling Viber.

Malwarebytes is a very trustworthy program.

The BSOD and keyboard problems started yesterday, never noticed this before. Is there a way to get the chkdsk log?

 

[Ubrales]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/2172-63-win7-chkdsk-file-location

https://askleo.com/how_do_i_see_the_results_of_a_chkdsk_that_ran_on_boot/

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html

There is also a Repair Windows option to be considered before re-installing the OS. Re-installing the OS has advantages and some inconveniences (all programs will need to be re-installed).

 

[RAZER Gamer]

Windows Defender is rubbish so first of all you must seriously turn that off! Also if you have Avast installed then you do not need a second AV and the free version of Avast is better than some paid for AV software such as McAfee.

If you want some decent malware removal tools:

MalwareBytes
SpyBot
Winja

I personally use Norton Internet Security and all the tools above as well as about 10 other cleaning tools. I do weekly scans, sometimes daily scans and have not recently had an issue.

If you want to test your AV then create a txt file with the following string:

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Next save this file as EICAR.COM and see if Avast picks it up. This is a test virus file that doesn't harm your computer, it is simply a text string that triggers the AV to test if it's working correctly.

Link:

https://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/eicar.shtml

 

[ryder77]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/2172-63-win7-chkdsk-file-location

https://askleo.com/how_do_i_see_the_results_of_a_chkdsk_that_ran_on_boot/

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html

There is also a Repair Windows option to be considered before re-installing the OS. Re-installing the OS has advantages and some inconveniences (all programs will need to be re-installed).

Would the chkdsk log be helpful to figure out the keyboard problem? Or is it a motherboard or other hardware problem?

 

[Ubrales]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/2172-63-win7-chkdsk-file-location

https://askleo.com/how_do_i_see_the_results_of_a_chkdsk_that_ran_on_boot/

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html

There is also a Repair Windows option to be considered before re-installing the OS. Re-installing the OS has advantages and some inconveniences (all programs will need to be re-installed).

Would the chkdsk log be helpful to figure out the keyboard problem? Or is it a motherboard or other hardware problem?

I really think that you should uninstall Viber, then run AV programs, and reboot the computer. Windows 7 is a very robust OS.

As Viber was used it might have altered some files thereby corrupting them. This can happen days or weeks after Viber was installed.

 

[ryder77]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/2172-63-win7-chkdsk-file-location

https://askleo.com/how_do_i_see_the_results_of_a_chkdsk_that_ran_on_boot/

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/96938-check-disk-chkdsk-read-event-viewer-log.html

There is also a Repair Windows option to be considered before re-installing the OS. Re-installing the OS has advantages and some inconveniences (all programs will need to be re-installed).

Would the chkdsk log be helpful to figure out the keyboard problem? Or is it a motherboard or other hardware problem?

I really think that you should uninstall Viber, then run AV programs, and reboot the computer. Windows 7 is a very robust OS.

As Viber was used it might have altered some files thereby corrupting them. This can happen days or weeks after Viber was installed.

Viber isn't installed, the thing it called malware was the .exe to install it. I deleted them now so should I run another scan with Malwarebytes?

 

[Ubrales]

1. Uninstall Viber
2. Run AV scans
3. Repair Windows (if necessary).
4. Check performance of the computer.

For some reason Malwarebytes identified the 'exe file associated with Viber as malware. Not all .exe files are malware, but some are.

Another good (free) program to use is "Spybot - Search & Destroy" by Safer Networking.

 

[Hellfire13]

usually an anti virus will detect a crack/patch .exe as a virus...that is usually a false positive...
probably ur pets hairs are inside the keyboard crevices...get a long soft brush to remove them...
also have u tested with an external keyboard???
have u tried the system restore option to a point before this started???

 

[ryder77]

1. Uninstall Viber
2. Run AV scans
3. Repair Windows (if necessary).
4. Check performance of the computer.

For some reason Malwarebytes identified the 'exe file associated with Viber as malware. Not all .exe files are malware, but some are.

Another good (free) program to use is "Spybot - Search & Destroy" by Safer Networking.

Good-ish news, I was able to actually do the full scan this time. It found 7 things like a temp file, a Chrome extension three times, one false positive, and a Super Optimizer uninstaller. Also, some weird string of numbers and letters in Program Data that ends with "\file.exe". I ran Spybot too but there is so much stuff and I don't want to mess something up.

 

[ryder77]

usually an anti virus will detect a crack/patch .exe as a virus...that is usually a false positive...
probably ur pets hairs are inside the keyboard crevices...get a long soft brush to remove them...
also have u tested with an external keyboard???
have u tried the system restore option to a point before this started???

I don't have an external keyboard. I tried system restore and it wouldn't do it and now says I don't have a restore point.

 

[Hellfire13]

uninstall it from device manager and restart the system...check whether it makes a difference after detecting automatically...
ur keyboard may as well be on its way out...u might need to get it replaced...but before u do that, its better to make sure with an external keyboard that its a hardware problem...
at this point, its better u do a clean install of windows and see whether it fixes the problem...if it doesnt, then u can try repairing the keys internally... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4riR_HXQGXQ

if all above fails, u shd better replace it...

 

[Ubrales]

Keyboards are inexpensive - I have seen some for $4 at Microcenter.