Recently I was asked to take a look at an old Asus Eee PC netbook since the owner was having issues with the keyboard “Not working.” My first reaction to hearing that the Asus Eee PC keyboard was not working was, “Maybe you should get rid of it.”
This Asus netbook keyboard issue wasn't something I wanted to mess around with too much but I did feel like I should take a look. They were using the Asus Eee PC as second computer once in awhile and were getting reasonable use out of it. Even if nobody wants a netbook anymore and everyone is going for tablets nowadays it was worth a shot to try to salvage and fix this Asus Eee PC keyboard.
The complaint of the keyboard not working wasn't that the whole keyboard didn't work. The keys were pressed for “I” “O” and “P” the Asus netbook not put those letters on the screen. When you pressed these keys it executed the numbers above above the letters. So “P” would give you “0” typing “O” would give you “9” and “I” would give you “8.” At first I assumed that Num Lock or the FN key were set or something. After playing around with the keyboard I realized that was not the case. This is when I decided to check Google like an IT pro (well I am not quite a pro) to see if there was something simple I was missing. I Googled these various terms;
“asus eee pc keyboard”
“asus eee pc keyboard not working”
“asus eee pc keyboard troubleshooting”
I tried many of the suggestions and recommendations in the tech forums I was finding with threads with similar complaints. Apparently Asus Eee PC keyboard issues are quite common. Some believe it is a driver and software issue while others were saying the keyboard was probably broken and needed to be replaced.
It seemed to me a software issue and I was pretty sure the netbook owner was not interested in spending money on replacing the Asus Eee PC keyboard. I would have installed the driver for this particular Asus netbook model but I couldn't find it. So… what was my fix to the Asus Eee PC keyboard not working?
Linux Mint!
That's right I downloaded Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon, threw it onto a USB drive, then I booted the Asus into Linux Mint. Boom! The keyboard issue was gone and the Asus netbook worked pretty damn well for a netbook pushing 2 years old and specs nobody would rave about (except the harddrive is 200gb.)
Essentially my solution to the Asus Eee PC keyboard problem is switching from the questionable Windows 7 Starter to Linux Mint 13. You could also look into another lightweight Linux distribution that would work perform well on a Asus netbook.
I know some people probably will not want to switch to a new operating system as it can be a bit daunting. If you check there are plenty of good tutorials on Youtube on how to switch from Linux Mint/Ubuntu from Windows. You can also elect to dual boot, which means you would keep Windows 7 starter on the netbook and create a partitioned hard drive for Linux Mint. You could use either operating system that you want. If you'd rather not deal with installing another operating system you can just run Linux Mint from a USB drive but performance will not be as good. Of course I can guarantee it will be better than Windows 7 Starter.
Keep in mind this Linux Mint solution for the Asus Eee PC keyboard is free. If you know a “tech person” that is familiar with Linux you could ask for their help. Having only a small fraction of the keyboard not working is a real PIA and quite annoying.
I assume the netbook will only get a few more months of use considering it's age. Still it's nice to not have to throw out this Asus Eee PC netbook and make it usable for someone for a little while longer.
If you have any questions about your Asus Eee PC keyboard not working or how about Linux Mint feel free to leave a comment below.
Hi,
I have exactly the same problem with my EEE, which works pretty well with an external keyboard, but I’ve come across with this post while using Linux Mint 13 and the problem persists anyway. Any other clues? Thanks in advance.
You might need to replace the keyboard on your Asus eeePC netbook. I read on some tech and computers forums they often go bad.
Press the Fn+Shift+Insert/Numlock or Fn+Numlock
my keyboard works fine when I log in and enter password, etc…. however as soon as the desktop comes up the keyboard no longer registers… absolutely nothing… mouse works fine and it was fine before some automatic Ubuntu updates about a week ago…. how do I re-engage the keyboard after login? I am sure it is something simple… please help… I need this laptop for work!
Unsure why that would happen Frank. Your best bet is to ask on UbuntuForums. It’s likely something to do with how the latest Ubuntu version updated the drivers.
I’d like to revive my long-abandoned EEE 901 running Lubuntu, but neither the touchpad nor the keyboard respond. It does boot fine and appears to be ready to rock otherwise. Any suggestions for a relative noob?
You installed Lubuntu or you booted from a USB? Does the keyboard not work when you use Windows?
I’d recommend you try another operating system like Linux Mint, Xubuntu, Zorin, Pinguy, etc.
How if you press ”p” then the result is *?
your numlock key is on.
Having similar issues and hope my keyboards are not lemons. I have 3 identical units with the same identical keys having issues in all 3 in even ms-dos. The keys in question are e, p, start, l, tab, backspace, and certain number keys. They have been shifted to perform alternate commands on all three units. I was considering installing a keyboard macro, but then I realized it would cause issues an external keyboard.
Oddly usb keyboards have no issues. It also seems to recognize the key being pressed in a keymapper program, but it keeps pressing two commands at the same time. Unusual.
My mini laptop certain key are not working,like:u,i,o,p,h,j,k,l,b,n,m.My laptop model is Eee PC Seashell series-ASUS. Kindly suggest.
Just try pressing Fn+F11 to disable Num Lock, it worked for me…
Hi bro..
I have same model note book,EEE Asus..its problem i cant use the whole keyboard..
And another problem is,it can log on user(failed) just as guest..as a guest i cant do like deleting any media or even to transfer to anywhere,need the administrator password..
Please help me..?
I was wondering if there was a way to reverse the function keys and disable the Function keys on a laptop keyboard. I want to use the extra function of the function keys, So I can’t saw asus support and follow his instruction to enable multiple. It will work for me.
The issue with keyboard is almost always the same. It’s the chipset (controller). When you attach USB keyboard it has it’s own controller specified by USB interface – that is why it works. So it is hardware problem and not a software.