The reason I am writing this article is because I had a computer with this problem. The first thing that came to mind is that it had a Virus. When the client brought me the laptop he wanted me to replace the keyboard. DO NOT replace anything until you are sure what it is. In this case a new keyboard would not have helped. The problem was that I couldn't get to a computer screen. Whenever I clicked on the password field it filled it in with the letter "H". I tried deleting the field but it wouldn't let me.
I decided to reload the operating system. I reloaded the operating system with the WinXP disk. My thought was that this would now solve the problem. It finally made it to the screen that requires you to enter the key code. I didn't have a chance to do anything. It immediately typed the letter "H" in every block. I had no chance to enter anything else. This meant that I had no way to continue loading the operating system.
I decided to do some research on line. One blog told me that I should try flashing the BIOS. I went to the Hewlett Packard site and did find a Flash BIOS utility which I down loaded and cut to a disk. I carefully followed the instructions. However this did not solve the problem. It wouldn't even let me flash the bios. It just gave me an error message.
The problem now appeared to be in the keyboard controller of the mother board. I recommended that the client replace the computer. The computer was uneconomically repairable. Although you could replace the mother board it would be to costly. You could buy a new unit for almost the same amount of money.
What else can be done?
You could try to sell the individual components on line or locally. Most components such as the hard drive and ram are still good and do have a value. Even the keyboard could be sold.
If I had purchased the keyboard before I did the troubleshooting I would have either been stuck with a keyboard or I would have had to sell it. Returning it probably would not have been an option. Many of these sites will not allow you to return the parts at least in an easy manner. Check their policy to know what you're up against BEFORE you buy.
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