This may sound strange BUT

[xit]

Sony Vaio PCG 7A2L, Upon booting there is no control of the keyboard, such as you cannot key up or down to select Safe Mode, if you put in a Windows disk to do a repair install you cannot press enter to boot from DVD. No matter what keys are pressed on boot no effect at all. I did manage to boot into Windows once and the keyboard worked fine. Is it possible that the bios is corrupt, any ideas? Since the KB will not work I cannot enter the bios.

Thanks

xit

 

[G0AOZ]

If the BIOS is corrupt, the keyboard may not work at all. Have you tried plugging in an external USB keyboard to see if that works consistently? It's possible, though unlikely, that the keyboard's ribbon connector is loose or needs reseating.

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[goombawaho]

Right - stuck key, failing ribbon connector or worst, the connection point on the motherboard is failing. All are possible. Check all keys for being springy and popping back up after being depressed.

Using an external USB keyboard may help to see if everything else is working normally.

You could then try to update the BIOS, although I don't really think it's BIOS related, UNLESS you go to the Sony support site, look at the BIOS updates and one of the "fixes" in the new BIOS is related to a flaky keyboard.

I guess I wouldn't flash the BIOS unless it mentioned keyboard.

 

[xit]

Thanks, but I did get it to boot once and the keyboard worked fine so that eliminates the KB or KB connection or stuck key. I have tried a usb keyboard but it would not work. The one other thing that troubles me is that on the initial screen I see no options such as boot sequence or recovery. Without a working keyboard it is pretty much a door stop. The owner said they left it powered on most all day, came home and it was off, so who knows, could have been a power surge or weather related.
Thanks

xit

 

[goombawaho]

I can't imagine that if the keyboard works within windows that you can press the correct key and get it to go into the BIOS. That would be like one of the most basic functions that you can do on a computer and doesn't require a hard drive to be in the computer.

If it were a surge or something, I wouldn't even expect the computer to POST let alone BOOT.

 

[tf1]

Has he got a cat?


Regards: Terry

 

[xit]

tf1, you know I have to ask, What has a cat to do with this, I can almost imagine!!!?? But i have to know

xit

 

[webrabbit]

Cat hair (or hair from Yorkie dogs) will get in a keyboard and keep it from working properly. But op says it works properly once Windows gets control, so that cannot be it.

 

[G0AOZ]

Does it make any difference to the problem if it's running on battery or mains?

Not familiar with this particular model, but if it's easy to do, try removing the hard drive and the DVD/CD drive and see if the lower power requirement makes a difference.

Check all connections to the motherboard and peripheral boards inside are good.

To me this is starting to look like a hairline crack on a track on the motherboard...

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[xit]

Thanks all, I have tried it with battery, without battery, I have changed to 4 sticks of known good memory. I am at a dead end here, I also tend to think it is a board problem as I have lately never been able to progress from the post screen, can't spend any more time on it. All I can offer them is to rescue data from the drive.

Thanks

xit

 

[goombawaho]

Yes, I knew that a cat had been the culprit in this whole affair........... LOL.