After having searched the web for advise about fixing a sticky keyboard on my laptop, and finding nothing very helpful, I put together this HOWTO based on my own successful method. This will restore the keyboard to new, or better, performance.Laptop keyboards don�t wear out, they foul out. Proper cleaning and lubrication as described here will restore your laptop keyboard to the snappy and smooth performance it had when new. There are several reasons why the keys will start to stick, spilled drinks, normal wearing off of the factory lubrication, weakening of the rubber pieces which give each key its snap action, and contamination by dust and hair. The following will completely solve these problems and return the keyboard to perfect operation.

This will require about 2 hours time once you have collected the proper cleaning materials.

• Cleaning materials:
• Cotton swabs
• Cosmetic foam rubber cleaning pads ( use only with naptha (lighter fluid), NOT alcohol)
• Paper towels
• Rubbing alcohol
• Water
• Lighter fluid (naptha)
• Fine tipped tweezers
• Scissors
• Kitchen strainer
• Household cleaner, Windex or equivalent
• Super Lube Dry Film spray (critical – DO NOT SUBSTUTUTE !) K-Mart automotive.
• This is a PTFE (teflon) based lubricant which dries perfectly DRY and is ideally suited for this application.

Proceed as follows:

DISASSEMBLE
IMPORTANT: Make a keyboard map so you know where each key goes.
Carefully pry each key loose with a small screwdriver and place in a container. They pop off. DO NOT use excessive force. There may be a small rubber piece for each key. Remove all of these and place in a separate container. CAREFUL, these are small and like to jump away.

CLEAN KEYBOARD ( do this well…… you will be wonderfully rewarded )
Clean the keyboard with cotton swabs SLIGHTLY DAMPENED with water. Replace these often and BE SURE they are only slightly damp. If they are too wet the excess water will contaminate the keyboard through capillary action. This will clean all water soluble contaminants like Coca-Cola, coffee, and sugar residue. For the very small places, cut the foam rubber into small pieces and use the tweezers, again SLIGHTLY DAMPENED, for cleaning. You must clean each and every key space, inside and out, this is critical since this is where the key touches and moves.
Repeat this procedure again using rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs but NOT the foam rubber as it disintegrates when used with alcohol.
Finally repeat this procedure using naptha (lighter fluid) and foam rubber. You can clean even the smallest key guides with small pieces of foam rubber and tweezers. This action will remove any petroleum based contaminants as well as the grease that is sometimes used on the wider keys which may have guide wires, for example, the SCACE BAR.

CLEAN KEYS
Some keys may have wires attached and some grease on them, clean these first with cotton swabs and naptha (lighter fluid). Remove all traces of the grease.
Place all keys in a kitchen strainer. Spray with household cleaner and let stand for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with hot water and place keys on paper towels to dry. Let dry completely.

CLEAN RUBBER COMPONENTS
Place all rubber components in a kitchen strainer. Spray with household cleaner and let stand for 5 minutes. Use stopper in the sink so that you don�t lose these if they jump out of the strainer. Rinse these thoroughly with hot water and place on paper towels. Fold the towels over and press to squeeze most of the water out of the pieces. Let dry completely.

LUBRICATE KEYS
Place all keys bottom-up on a paper bag. Lightly coat the keys, at a 45 degree angle with Super Lube Dry Film lubricant. Do this from all 4 sides to assure penetration and coverage into the small and critical guide spaces inside each key. Let dry ( this happens nearly instantly). DO NOT overdue this step as the carrier solvent may affect the plastic.

LUBRICATE KEYBOARD
Mask off the laptop with paper and scotch tape. Apply lubricant (as above in LUBRICATE KEYS) to the keyboard and let dry.
All right, you now have perfectly cleaned and lubricated keys, keyboard, and rubber components.

REASSEMBLE
Place all rubber components into the keyboard.
Install keys with wires. Make sure wire is secured in the key, usually snapped into place. Place ends of wire in the guide slots adjacent to the key location as you align the key. Firmly press down to snap the key into place.
Install the rest of the keys by aligning and firmly pressing down.

CONTRATULATIONS, you now have a keyboard which will operate smoothly and perfectly for years to come.

How to replace a Notebook Keyboard and Mouse with USB Adapter

First, if you’re just trying to replace a key that came off, I have a whole illustrated procedure. When your laptop keyboard fails, you can usually buy a replacement for somewhere between $60 and $120, but putting it in is a real bear, and given the current prices laptops have fallen to, it’s tough to justify as well. When you own the same notebook computer for as long as I have, the pointing device, be it a pad or an intellipoint thing, is going to fail. Laptop keyboard life is also somewhat limited compared to regular keyboards, hair winding around the works is a big problem, but I’d hate to encourage folks with limited mechanical skills to go prying off their keys because it takes some skill to get them back on. So, most notebooks have a PS/2 port to allow for an external mouse or keyboard, but few have both. You can try a PS/2 splitter if you can find one, but the more elegant solution is a USB to PS/2 adapter, shown at right.	USB Keyboard and Mouse Adapter
Computer End of USB Cable	The USB to PS/2 adapter comes equipped with a standard USB input, the rectangular shaped connector (left). The other end sports two PS/2 ports, green and purple, green is for mouse, purple is for keyboard. You don’t have to use them both at the same time, but for a notebook with a failing keyboard and pointer (Ahem) it’s a good solution. Windows has had native support for USB mice and keyboards at least as far back as Windows 98, I wouldn’t bet on ’95 as all the USB support was sketchy. The point is, as long as you’re using WIndows 98 or later, you don’t need any special software with the USB to PS/2 adapter.
So, what’s the big deal about installing a USB adapter that I did a whole page about it? Try it when the laptop CD drive has failed:-) The CD drive on my notebook went south over a year ago and I never got around to replacing it because I figured with a failing keyboard and mouse, I should be looking for a new notebook. The solution is to actually install the USB to PS/2 adapter on another PC with the same version of Windows. Then, install it on the notebook, and every time Windows looks for a driver on the CD that doesn’t work, point it to the A: drive instead, go to the other PC and copy the required file onto a floppy, and do sneaker net. It may have taken 20 minutes, but it’s a once in a lifetime job, so it was worth it.	Female Mouse and Keyboard Connectors
A large number of keyboard, mouse, and peripheral problems aren’t what they appear at first blush. I discuss troubleshooting peripherals in detail in the eBook version of The Laptop Repair Workbook and include a detailed flowchart with expanded text for troubleshooting peripheral problems.	In case you’re wondering, if you want to install real software, as in programs that won’t fit on a floppy, onto a notebook with a dead CD drive, you can buy an external USB CD for much cheaper than a replacement drive for the notebook. Installing the software from the USB CD can be just as much fun as above, unless they provide the drive on a floppy, you’ll have to install the software on another PC with the same OS first and then bring the required files over one at a time as Windows asks for them. You can use a Jump Drive instead of a floppy, though it’s the same amount of work. BTW, I know I use laptop and notebook interchangeably, it’s habitual, not intentional:-)

When you look at all the extras and options that are available for new computer keyboards, it can be hard to believe that their original design came from mechanical typewriters that didn’t even use electricity. Now, you can buy ergonomic keyboards that bear little resemblance to flat, rectangular models with ordinary square keys. Some flashier models light up, roll up or fold up, and others offer options for programming your own commands and shortcuts.

But no matter how many bells and whistles they offer, most keyboards operate using similar technology. They use switches and circuits to translate a person’s keystrokes into a signal a computer can understand. In this article we will explore keyboard technology along with different key layouts, options and designs.

Foldable

A foldable keyboard.

Foldable (also called flexible) keyboards are made of soft plastic or silicone which can be rolled or folded on itself for travel.When in use, these keyboards can conform to uneven surfaces, and are more resistant to liquids than standard keyboards. These can also be connected to portable devices and smartphones. Some models can be fully immersed in water, making them popular in hospitals and laboratories, as they can be disinfected.

Projection (as by laser)

Projection keyboards project an image of keys, usually with a laser, onto a flat surface. The device then uses a camera or infrared sensor to “watch” where the user’s fingers move, and will count a key as being pressed when it “sees” the user’s finger touch the projected image. Projection keyboards can simulate a full size keyboard from a very small projector. Because the “keys’ are simply projected images, they cannot be felt when pressed. Users of projected keyboards often experience increased discomfort in their fingertips because of the lack of “give” when typing. A flat, non-reflective surface is also required for the keys to be projected onto. Most projection keyboards are made for use with PDAs due to their small form factor.

Optical keyboard technology

Also known as photo-optical keyboard, light responsive keyboard, photo-electric keyboard and optical key actuation detection technology.

An optical keyboard technology utilizes light emitting devices and photo sensors to optically detect actuated keys. Most commonly the emitters and sensors are located in the perimeter, mounted on a small PCB. The light is directed from side to side of the keyboard interior and it can only be blocked by the actuated keys. Most optical keyboards require at least 2 beams (most commonly vertical beam and horizontal beam) to determine the actuated key. Some optical keyboards use a special key structure that blocks the light in a certain pattern, allowing only one beam per row of keys (most commonly horizontal beam).

Chorded

While other keyboards generally associate one action with each key, chorded keyboards associate actions with combinations of key presses. Since there are many combinations available, chorded keyboards can effectively produce more actions on a board with fewer keys. Court reporters’ stenotype machines use chorded keyboards to enable them to enter text much faster by typing a syllable with each stroke instead of one letter at a time. The fastest typists (as of 2007) use a stenograph, a kind of chorded keyboard used by most court reporters and closed-caption reporters. Some chorded keyboards are also made for use in situations where fewer keys are preferable, such as on devices that can be used with only one hand, and on small mobile devices that don’t have room for larger keyboards. Chorded keyboards are less desirable in many cases because it usually takes practice and memorization of the combinations to become proficient

Software

Software keyboards or on-screen keyboards often take the form of computer programs that display an image of a keyboard on the screen. Another input device such as a mouse or a touchscreen can be used to operate each virtual key to enter text. Software keyboards have become very popular in touchscreen enabled cell phones, due to the additional cost and space requirements of other types of hardware keyboards. Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and some varieties of Linux include on-screen keyboards that can be controlled with the mouse.

One factor determining the size of a keyboard is the presence of duplicate keys, such as a separate numeric keyboard, for convenience.

Further the keyboard size depends on the extent to which a system is used where a single action is produced by a combination of subsequent or simultaneous keystrokes (with modifier keys, see below), or multiple pressing of a single key. A keyboard with few keys is called a keypad. See also text entry interface.

Another factor determining the size of a keyboard is the size and spacing of the keys. Reduction is limited by the practical consideration that the keys must be large enough to be easily pressed by fingers. Alternatively a tool is used for pressing small keys.

Standard

Standard “full-travel” alphanumeric keyboards have keys that are on three-quarter inch centers (0.750 inches, 19.05 mm), and have a key travel of at least 0.150 inches (3.81 mm). Desktop computer keyboards, such as the 101-key US traditional keyboards or the 104-key Windows keyboards, include alphabetic characters, punctuation symbols, numbers and a variety of function keys. The internationally common 102/105 key keyboards have a smaller ‘left shift’ key and an additional key with some more symbols between that and the letter to its right (usually Z or Y). Also the ‘enter’ key is usually shaped differently.Computer keyboards are similar to electric-typewriter keyboards but contain additional keys. Standard USB keyboards can also be connected to some non-desktop devices.

Laptop-size

Keyboards on laptops and notebook computers usually have a shorter travel distance for the keystroke and a reduced set of keys. They may not have a numerical keypad, and the function keys may be placed in locations that differ from their placement on a standard, full-sized keyboard.

The keyboards on laptops usually have a shorter travel distance and a reduced set of keys.

 Thumb-sized

Smaller external keyboards have been introduced for devices without a built keyboard, such as PDAs, and smartphones. Small keyboards are also useful where there is a limited workspace.

A chorded keyboard allows pressing several keys simultaneously. For example, the GKOS keyboard has been designed for small wireless devices. Other two-handed alternatives more akin to a game controller, such as the AlphaGrip, are also used as a way to input data and text.

A thumb keyboard (thumbboard) is used in some personal digital assistants such as the Palm Treo and BlackBerry and some Ultra-Mobile PCs such as the OQO.

Numeric keyboards contain only numbers, mathematical symbols for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, a decimal point, and several function keys. They are often used to facilitate data entry with smaller keyboards that do not have a numeric keypad, commonly those of laptop computers. These keys are collectively known as a numeric pad, numeric keys, or a numeric keypad, and it can consist of the following types of keys:

• arithmetic operators such as +, -, *, /
• numeric digits 0–9
• cursor arrow keys
• navigation keys such as Home, End, PgUp, PgDown, etc.
• Num Lock button, used to enable or disable the numeric pad
• enter key.

In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. Following the decline of punch cards and paper tape, interaction via teleprinter-style keyboards became the main input device for computers.

Despite the development of alternative input devices, such as the mouse, touchscreen, pen devices, character recognition and voice recognition, the keyboard remains the most commonly used and most versatile device used for direct (human) input into computers.

A keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on the keys and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence. While most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs (characters), other keys or simultaneous key presses can produce actions or computer commands.

In normal usage, the keyboard is used to type text and numbers into a word processor, text editor or other program. In a modern computer, the interpretation of key presses is generally left to the software. A computer keyboard distinguishes each physical key from every other and reports all key presses to the controlling software. Keyboards are also used for computer gaming, either with regular keyboards or by using keyboards with special gaming features, which can expedite frequently used keystroke combinations. A keyboard is also used to give commands to the operating system of a computer, such as Windows’ Control-Alt-Delete combination, which brings up a task window or shuts down the machine. Keyboards are the only way to enter commands on a command-line interface.