Laptop Fn key not working after keyboard removal

[LShapedAmbush]

I recently removed the keyboard from my laptop to clean it and now the Fn key doesn't work. Whenever I press the Fn key it acts as a mouse right-click. I don't think any other keys are working improperly. I reinstalled the OS as I planned to anyway and I still have the same problem. I have removed and reattached the keyboard many times but with the same results.

I know it might not have been a great idea to do this myself but I'm selling the laptop and I want it to look clean but I fear I may have permanently damaged it. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

My laptop is a:
Dell Inspiron 5100
Windows XP Professional

[thefultonhow]

Does the Fn key work properly outside Windows?

[LShapedAmbush]

Thanks for your response. I don't know. How would I test that?

[thefultonhow]

Try changing the brightness while the computer is starting up, or even in the BIOS. Or try switching to an external display in either of those two environments. I can't promise that it would work even if there wasn't a problem with your Fn key, but if it does work, you know it's software-related in Windows.

[LShapedAmbush]

Hi,
I can change the brightness in BIOS but not while the computer is starting using Fn.

[thefultonhow]

When you say "I can change the brightness in BIOS," do you mean using the Fn key and the keyboard, or using a function in the BIOS? If you can do it using the Fn key and the keyboard, it sounds like you are running some software that is reassigning the key combination.

[LShapedAmbush]

By using a function in the BIOS.

[thefultonhow]

I can't think of any reason why this would be happening, especially because I seem to remember that the Windows keys are in the top right corner of the keyboard on those Dells, and the Fn key is in the bottom left. But it sounds like the context-menu key (the other Windows key besides the one with the Windows logo on it) has somehow been remapped to the Fn key.

[LShapedAmbush]

Thanks for your help. I guess I'll bring it down to the local shop and see what he has to say. I appreciate it!

[rcvalencia09]

It should be located between the Ctrl and Alt Key. Can you please tell us what are the first 4 keys from the bottom left.

[LShapedAmbush]

Ctrl, Fn, Alt, Space

[glc]

Make sure the keyboard looks exactly like this:

http://www.notebookparts.com/images/...l/5X486_tn.jpg

If the keyboard has gone flaky, here's a replacement for 29 bucks.

http://www.discountelectronics.com/i..._detail&p=1590

[LShapedAmbush]

Thank you.

[strifemare]

this is what i call ultra freaky coincidence. i was just putting my old 5100 back together yesterday, after some extensive surgery on the headphone port, which worked for a while, but needs to be tweaked again.

whats freaky is that i had the exact same problem with my keyboard. just a while ago, some of the keys refused to work, however, now they do work. but where earlier my FN key was working, now it isnt. for some reason, in the BIOS, my keyboard reports as a Japanese keyboard. does yours show the same Ambush?

EDIT: after liaising with Dell Support, through some magical unexplainable matter of freakiness, the FN key is working again. for some reason, after i ran the diagnostics test using the driver CD, my keyboard layout reset itself to US. weird stuff. if you wanna try it out, select custom test, and just test the keyboard functionality. if for some reason you cant do the sequential test, run the interactive test first, then rerun the sequential test, and see if it works.