ESC, FN, and F1-12 keys no longer working

[zoki665]

Hi folks,

I've tried searching through the forum posts for anything that could potentially explain my specific problem, alas there was nothing to be found.

At some point, after no specific update or any noteworthy event, the FN key as well as the top row from ESC to F12 stopped working. Ordinarily this would be a minor inconvenience however I'm not able to turn the keyboard backlight back on, and with the keyboard being pitch black it's rather a pain.

Here's a list of everything I've tried to revive the function of these keys:

- Installed/Reinstalled the HP System Event Utility

- Tried pressing FN + ESC in case there is some function lock at play

- Uninstalled/Reinstalled the keyboard driver in Device Manager

- Ensured all other drivers are up to date using the HP Support Assistant

- Reset the entire PC to it's original factory settings

Furthermore I enabled and disabled the Action Keys option in the BIOS but here is where I found another problem, the function keys don't actually work at all, as in nothing gets registered when they are physically pressed. I had to enter the BIOS via and external keyboard. I also tried to use this keyboard to activate some of the functions I couldn't with the built in keyboard, but while the keys are being registered (I confirmed this through the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Utility) no action is being taken. While trying the same utility with the built in keyboard, the ESC - F12 keys don't work at all.

Now one odd thing. At some point, for a very brief time, these keys started working again and I was able to turn the light back on and they stopped. I couldn't figure out what caused this change but it happened, which is why at that point I hadn't ruled out a physical issue with the keyboard itself but now I'm beginning to suspect this is the case.

If anyone has any suggestion apart from the above I would greatly appreciate it. I don't know whether these specific keys are all wired on the same circuit but, if so, it would certainly explain a lot and I'd look into getting a replacement. Anyway sorry for the long post, wanted to be as detailed as possible. Thanks!

[Alex_S1]

Hi,

After reading your extensive post, it seems you have done mostly everything you could for troubleshooting your Omen.
I suggest a few more troubleshooting steps you could do, but if those don't work, it would seem there's a physical problem with your keyboard, such as the switches, PCB or keyboard flex cable, where you should get an RMA as soon as possible.

Other steps:

• Try and rollback keyboard driver to an older version if possible
• Go to control panel > Search for "Ease of Access Centre" > Make the keyboard easier to use > Play around with some settings and checkboxes to see if that fixes it
• You Reset the PC back to factory settings, but the last option is to reinstall Windows 10 using the standard MS Media Creation Tool without HP Recovery Media. This last option is a last resort and all depends on how much time you want to use, and the stress and hassle of backing up data and potentially making your PC worse if you are not computer-literate.

If you are not comfortable reinstalling windows on your PC I recommend skipping the last step and arranging an RMA or replacement of your keyboard.

Hope this helps

[zoki665]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your suggestions. The rollback option has always been greyed out so that's a no-go, and I couldn't find anything in the Ease-of-Access area that would be helpful.

Furthermore I already tried a reset as well as a full-blown fresh install of Windows 10m to no avail. It looks like something may be physically wrong with the keyboard. I'll order a replacement and replace it myself, as the laptop is out of warranty and I've already upgraded a couple of things on my own, so I'm familiar with the layout.

I'll post an update here once I've replaced the keyboard to give feedback on whether that was the issue.

Cheers

Zoran

[Alex_S1 · Accepted solution]

Hopefully the keyboard is at fault here, because if it still does not work, the next failure point would be the motherboard. Thanks for keeping me posted.

[zoki665]

Hey Alex,

So a quick update. I ordered a new Keyboard which arrived today. I swapped out old one, which was quite a chore since the backplate of this model is secured with plastic rivets instead of screws so I had to pry it open. The new keyboard sits a little low however all the buttons that were previously not working are now fixed and I once again have a backlight for the dismally dim keyboard!

Thanks for your suggestions, it looks like everything works as normal now. I haven't had the best of luck with this laptop so hopefully nothing else breaks down the line.

[Alex_S1]

Glad your issue was fixed. Again, I appreciate you keeping me posted. Fingers crossed that's the last issue you have with your laptop. Cheers