Member Avatar for KulorDS

I've got a 4 year old Alienware m9700 laptop that has been giving me quite a bit of trouble over the last few months. About three months ago, the touchpad just completely stopped working, and for the last two months the keyboard will lock up at random times. USB keyboar still works, but as I'm in the air/on the go a lot, having to carry around a big ol keyboard is highly unrealistic. The computer is amazing when it works, but it's just getting ridiculous.

On top of that, the wifi cuts in and out as though its searching for other channels (Ive already uninstalled the realtek software so theres no contradicting software issues) and tried switching channels, but thats not my real issue--the KEYBOARD is.

I think I've ruled out it being a hardware issue, as the keyboard works fine for a few minutes and then boom, it just locks up. What makes me think its some sort of software issue is if I go into standby mode or hibernate and come out, it works just fine--until it locks up again, then I have to standby and come out...makes for a real hard time when I'm trying to edit. But heres the real doozy--this problem started a few months ago when I had my old hard drive--but this is a brand new hard drive, with a fresh copy of XP on it...weird, huh?

I've searched high and low for a resolution. They dont make this keyboard anymore, so I'm out of luck in terms of getting a new one. Every "similar" post I've seen has been graphics related or cpu related, and I checked all my connections and everything is seated properly.

So I ask you, oh techy god's, WHAT THE F?!

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Dani AI

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Intermittent internal-keyboard failures that temporarily clear after a sleep/hibernate cycle point to two broad causes: a software/driver or power-management issue that gets reset on resume, or an intermittent hardware/controller fault that the resume cycle also happens to reinitialize. Because an external USB keyboard continues to work (as noted above), troubleshooting should proceed by isolating whether the problem appears outside Windows and by exercising the low‑level components (chipset/embedded controller, BIOS, ribbon cable, keyboard assembly).

Recommended diagnostic sequence (do these in order):

  • Reproduce the fault outside Windows: leave the machine in the BIOS setup screen or in a preboot environment and keep typing. If the keyboard freezes there, the problem is almost certainly hardware/firmware.
  • Boot a Linux live USB (or Windows PE) and use the internal keyboard long enough to try to trigger the freeze. Persistence across OSes points to hardware.
  • Boot into Safe Mode. If the keyboard stays stable in Safe Mode, a third‑party driver/service is likely involved.
  • Check system logs for correlated errors (Event Viewer: eventvwr.msc) at the time of a freeze — look for HID, ACPI, or driver failures.
  • In Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) inspect the keyboard entry, note hardware IDs (Properties -> Details -> Hardware Ids), uninstall the keyboard device and reboot so Windows rediscovers it. Also temporarily disable accessibility features like Filter Keys.
  • If the internal cable/palmrest has not been physically reseated, power the laptop off, remove battery/AC, and carefully reseat the keyboard ribbon (ESD precautions).

Targeted fixes and cautions:

  • Install the OEM chipset, embedded‑controller/hotkey drivers and any BIOS/firmware updates from the vendor; follow the vendor instructions exactly and back up data before flashing BIOS.
  • If tests show failure outside the OS or after reseating the connector, the internal keyboard controller or the board is likely failing; repair or a replacement assembly (salvage/aftermarket for older models) will be required.
  • Temporary workarounds: small travel USB keyboard or the on‑screen keyboard (osk.exe) until the part is replaced.

Notes: ’s driver angle is sensible — capturing hardware IDs and event log entries will make OEM driver/firmware searches much more effective. , if opening the case, document any part numbers printed on the keyboard or ribbon; those numbers are the quickest way to find a compatible replacement.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

yeah im guessing its some OS/Driver issue.

I had a lenovo laptop, its bundled version of vista never gave me any problems, but when using a fresh copy of windows 7, they keyboard and mouse will play up (e.g keys will keep acting as if they are held down, mouse will jump, lock up etc...)

Have you made sure you have the right (and up to date) drivers?

Member Avatar for KulorDS

Any chance you could offer insight on how to find what keyboard I have? Only info I can find through device manager is "Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard", with driver version 5.1.2535.0

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