[SOLVED] Laptop Keyboard Issue - Keys Must Be Held To Type

[PhoenixFlame915]

I'm having issues typing with a Dell Latitude 9430 laptop. In order to type a letter, open the start menu, backspace, etc. the keys only seem to input after being held for about a second. Sounds similar to the effect of FilterKeys based on what I've read since turning that off was the solution to every similar-sounding problem I've found online.

Typing will work (mostly) normally if I hold the shift key as I do so. This is not a practical solution long-term, but while holding shift there is no longer a delay when typing.

An external USB keyboard works without issue. It's only the built-in laptop keyboard.

FilterKeys is not on. Restarting did not resolve the issue. Reinstalling keyboard drivers did not resolve the issue.

I had this issue a few months back. What appeared to fix the issue was installing a Windows update and restarting (just restarting prior w/ no update did not). I have done the same this time, but the issue has not been resolved.

I work at an IT help desk and had a caller with the same issue around when I did. The Windows update + restart fixed it for them as well back then. Given that it may impact more than just me, I'd like to find a solution that does not involve replacing the laptop if possible.

Any ideas? Thank you in advance for you help!

 

[gardenman]

Welcome to the forums.

There's 3 different possible solutions here:

Occasional keyboard and mouse lag | DELL Technologies

Inspiron 5490 AIO with a Dell wireless mouse and keyboard. Windows 10. 1-year-old. From the very beginning occasionally the keyboard and mouse start to lag. Starts with a very slow response and en...

www.dell.com

Disable Dell software, DISM & SFC, and disable Power Management options in Device Manager, etc. Try them each out to see if they help. It looks like this is a common issue with Dell laptops.

 

[PhoenixFlame915]

Welcome to the forums.

There's 3 different possible solutions here:

Occasional keyboard and mouse lag | DELL Technologies

Inspiron 5490 AIO with a Dell wireless mouse and keyboard. Windows 10. 1-year-old. From the very beginning occasionally the keyboard and mouse start to lag. Starts with a very slow response and en...

www.dell.com

Disable Dell software, DISM & SFC, and disable Power Management options in Device Manager, etc. Try them each out to see if they help. It looks like this is a common issue with Dell laptops.

First off, thank you for your response.

It has no Dell software installed currently and I tried SFC. Forgot to mention in my post, my bad.

This issue is also for a built-in laptop keyboard. External keyboards work fine. The link you sent is regarding using an external mouse and keyboard.

However, the built-in laptop keyboard suddenly started working normally again. It did start working during DISM scanhealth and after checkhealth, but from what I can see those commands don't make any actual changes, just check for problems. It had the issue for several hours and seems to just suddenly be working again. Possibly required several restarts to eventually fix it? Not sure but regardless it is working now. Thank you for your time.

 

[TakeThis]

I just had a Dell 9430 with this same exact issue. I folded the laptop into tablet mode, then back out, and the keyboard issue went away. The way the laptop is designed, it will go into tablet mode when you flip it, and it disables the physical keyboard. When you flip it back to using it like a normal laptop, the physical keyboard becomes active again. All of the drivers are updated on this laptop. No Dell software as well on this machine. Tablet mode was set to off and not to turn on so I'm unsure why this fixed the problem. I suspect there may be a faulty hinge.

 

[PhoenixFlame915]

I just had a Dell 9430 with this same exact issue. I folded the laptop into tablet mode, then back out, and the keyboard issue went away. The way the laptop is designed, it will go into tablet mode when you flip it, and it disables the physical keyboard. When you flip it back to using it like a normal laptop, the physical keyboard becomes active again. All of the drivers are updated on this laptop. No Dell software as well on this machine. Tablet mode was set to off and not to turn on so I'm unsure why this fixed the problem. I suspect there may be a faulty hinge.

Thanks for the comment, but mine isn't a 2-in-1 and can't be changed into a tablet. Tablet mode isn't even in settings. System info and settings both note it as a Latitude 9430 from Dell tho and I see there is a 2-in-1 version.

Also the keyboard isn't completely disabled.