R Key Ghosting

[Mitch4420]

I have the HP Omen 15 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H + GTX 1660 Ti with the 4-zone RGB keyboard.

When I spam the WASD keys, I am sometimes unable to press the R key for some time. To get it working again, I have to either spam it or press other keys, or just wait a little. This is reproduceable at any time, directly after a restart and after the machine has been running a while. It can take a little bit before the key stops working (not more than a minute), though once it does it once it does it much quicker. I am testing using an online keyboard checker which displays key presses.

I have tried getting it to occur with other keys, but have never been able to. This keyboard is advertised at 26-key rollover, so this is not normal behavior.

This becomes a problem when in games, where I am frequently unable to reload. The problem does not occur when using an external keyboard, and while the R key is not working, I can press it on a USB keyboard which works, then try the laptop R which will not work. Is this a hardware failure, a driver issue, or a design flaw?

I tried setting the keyboard Repeat Delay, which did not help.

The laptop is completely up to date from the HP Support Assistant + Windows Update.

Bios Version: F.06

[praveen196]

@Mitch4420 Welcome to HP Community!

I understand that R Key Ghosting.

In that case, I would suggets you perform the keyboard test and let us know.

1. Power off the PC and make sure that it is completely powered off.

2. Press the power button and the moment you press the power button immediately start tapping F2 key, you should see the system diagnostics screen.

3. Look for the component test, under that all the hardware will be listed, please choose Keyboard and initiate the quick test.

Note: If it fails it will generate a 24 digits alphanumeric failure id, please capture that.

Keep us posted,

If you would like to thank us for our efforts to help you, 

Give us a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution" on this post, 

Have a great day!

[Mitch4420]

It passes the Keyboard Test, which makes sense because the key only causes problems when using several keys, not when pressing keys individually.

[praveen196]

@Mitch4420 

I understand your concerns.

Try updating the computer, this will install the latest updates -

Step 1 Windows Updates -

1) In the search box, type, and open Windows Updates.

2) Check for updates.

3) If the updates are available, click on install and restart the computer.

Step 2 Install updates using HP Support Assistant

1. In the search box, type, and open HP Support Assistant. 
2. Check for updates. 
3. If the updates are available, click on install and restart the computer.  

Note: If you do not have HP Support Assistant installed, Click here to download the same.

Please update the BIOS and check.

Have a nice day!!

[Mitch4420]

The laptop is fully up to date from both HP Support Assistant and Windows. I also have the latest BIOS installed.

[praveen196]

@Mitch4420

I understand your concerns.

In that case, I would suggets you conatct our phone support and check for the support option. They will help you.

Here is how you can get in touch with phone support.

1)Click on this link - www.hp.com/contacthp/

2)Select the product type.

3)Enter the serial number of your device or select let HP detect your product option.

4)Select the country from the drop-down.

5)You should see the HP phone support number or Chat option listed.

We are experiencing longer than expected wait times to reach an agent due to the CoViD-19 impact and there might have been issues in you getting the expected resolution on the issue. 

Have a nice day!!

[ZirconWolf]

I also have an Omen 15 with a 4 zone keyboard with the same issue. Randomly the r key stops working unless I spam it. I'll let you know if I find a solution.

[Mitch4420 · Accepted solution]

This issue was hardware-related. I had to rma the laptop and get the keyboard replaced. HP was very helpful, though it did take a long time. For anyone who experiencing a similar issue, be aware that at this time, the repair center takes a long time to receive parts for this laptop. This should improve later on and post pandemic, but know that mine took about a month to get back to me.

It is a little concerning that someone else experienced this keyboard failure, perhaps there is a larger problem going on.

[ZirconWolf]

I've only had this laptop for a few months, bought brand new, are you sure it was hardware related? I looked into the Windows optional updates and there's a driver update for the keyboard, though when I update it, it doesn't go away.

[Mitch4420]

I am pretty tech savvy and was unable to find any software solution, and trust me I tried pretty much everything you could. Feel free to continue diagnosing but I think you are out of luck on that front. You can try an external usb keyboard and see if it still occurs on it, if it does then it is likely hardware. Mine was fixed with the keyboard replacement, and is still running the same Windows install. Depending on your knowledge level, you can try some other things, or contact their support for extra help, I found that they were actually pretty helpful. If you do call, be prepared to wipe your Windows install so backup any data first. I think they will make you do that before you move onto an RMA, though I would definitely do a backup before sending it off.

For reference, I sent mine out October 21st ish. I was contacted a few days later by an executive support agent who informed me that the parts needed for the repair were delayed. I was later offered to be sent a loaner unit in the meantime, but that warehouse ran into more delays. I was then offered to take the same model as a refurbished unit, which I accepted, though it arrived with a broken screen from shipping. I then waited for my original laptop, which arrived yesterday, November 23rd. They really did try make things go smoothly, but I think the pandemic is slowing things down.

Good luck, I hope yours can be repaired quicker than mine if that is the route you choose to go. I'll put a list of some software things to try though:

• I found that I could quickly check if the problem was still present with https://keyboardchecker.com/ by spamming 'r' and the keys around it, waiting until the 'r' key indicator stopped registering.
• Update your computer through HP Support Assistant (should already be on your device)
• Update Windows
• Uninstall any keyboard drivers through device manager, then restart and test again
• Manually update your BIOS from HP's software website
  • This step could permanently damage your laptop if done incorrectly, DO NOT attempt if you are not comfortable with this, and if you do do it, make sure that it is plugged in
• Full Windows reinstall, backup your data and wipe everything. All data on the laptop will be deleted!

There may be other steps to try, and again I would call their support lines. If you need more help, maybe make a new post on these forums and describe your issue fully to get support directly from HP.