Is there a test I can do online, or a freeware, that will test my keyboard?

I'm having a little trouble with the A key. It's sometimes a little unresponsive. I'd like to know if it's a physical problem or a software glitch.

 

Try this. It requires no installation.

 

Thanks. How do I use that?

 

Just double-click the app to launch it and press the key(s) you want to test. There's an explanation on the download page.

 

Oh yeah, I read all that. I just don't understand it. I was hoping for a simple healthy/unhealthy, but that says I have to look for a list of codes online and do comparisons. Too complicated. How do I tell very simply if a key is working properly or it isn't?

 

Hi Jesse, have you tried borrowing or buying a cheap keyboard to do a simple test? I'll bet you have already thought of this.

 

No, I hadn't actually, but it's not really an option. I don't wanna uninstall and reinstall the keyboard. That's too drastic. It's just this one key that sometimes gives me a little bit of trouble. Nothing major. I was just hoping there'd be a simple test that would say, "This key is functioning within normal parameters", or, "This key is ****ed".

 

It's as simple as unplugging the old and plugging in the new. You can pickup 1 for less than $10,00.

FYI I am using a 10-year old Sahara multimedia keyboard with Windows 7 Ultimate. Everything works.

 

Unplugging the old? How does that work? It's a laptop.

 

Hi Jesse. I think most of us were assuming this was a desktop keyboard and not a laptop keyboard. A little information goes a long way. I think you'll probably wind up replacing the keyboard.

 

Don't understand why.

 

You can plugin a keyboard on a laptop.

 

You mean through a USB port or something? Would I then deactivate the integrated one?

 

Yes.

 

Thanks. Is it hard to deactivate and reactivate the integrated one?

 

No.
A friend has a mouse connected to her laptop, and you can easily switch between the mouse and trackpad.

Control Panel > Keyboard.

 

Thanks. The A key seems to be working better now since I had my new hard drive installed. I also asked the guy who did it to clean out the keyboard, so maybe it was just a crumb or something.