Can't login, keyboard keeps spamming

Schwabber · 07 May 2017

Hi everyone,

My laptop just asked to restart to install a system update Windows 10, but after it was done installing I'm having trouble signing in.

PROBLEM:

First of all, the cooler is going like crazy, constantly. Secondly, and this is the real problem, the keyboard is spamming /////// at a quick and constant pace. This makes it impossible for me to login.

ATTEMPTS AT SOLUTION:

I've tried quite a few things. My first reaction was to plug in an external keyboard, but it keeps spamming ///// into the login field. I can type various things, but not quickly enough to login.

My second try was to try and use system restoration, but that apparently also requires logging in, which of course isn't possible.

My last try was to try and open the Ease of Access menu to open the on-screen keyboard using the button in the bottom right of the login screen, but when I press it using the mouse or switching to it using TAB on my external keyboard, nothing happens, so that's out of the question too.

CONCLUSION:

I have no idea if the update did this or if it's a hardware error. The last thing I can think of trying is taking apart the laptop and unplugging the keyboard from the motherboard and see if that does something, but it's a lot of work and doesn't seem like a viable long-term solution.

A long time ago (maybe 1½ or 2 years) someone spilled a bit of water into the laptop so it wouldn't turn on. I took it apart and dried it off and let the moisture dry. After that it has worked with no issues whatsoever, so I don't think this is the problem.

The laptop is an older HP Pavilion model (4 years old, approximately) which originally came with Windows 8. It was later upgraded to Windows 10.

Anyone have any possible solutions to this? It would be greatly appreciated!

NavyLCDR · 07 May 2017

How does it behave if you boot it from a Windows 10 installation USB flash drive or other recovery type flash drive such as Kyhi's?
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - - Windows 10 Forums

Schwabber · 07 May 2017

I don't have any, so I wouldn't know. I suppose I could make one if I have a USB drive large enough. What would that do, exactly?

NavyLCDR said:

How does it behave if you boot it from a Windows 10 installation USB flash drive or other recovery type flash drive such as Kyhi's?
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - - Windows 10 Forums

NavyLCDR · 07 May 2017

Insert flash drive in a Windows 7/8/10 computer.
Open a Command Prompt (Admin) [or "run as administrator" Command Prompt]
In the Command Prompt Window run the following commands:
diskpart
list disk
select disk # <- replace # with the number of the USB flash drive from the list. MAKE SURE IT IS CORRECT!
clean <- THIS WILL ERASE THE DRIVE SELECTED ABOVE!
create part pri
select part 1
format fs=fat32 quick
active
exit
exit

Download Kyhi's recovery tools ISO file. It is more than likely going to be the 64-bit that you need. Mount the ISO file. Windows 8 and Windows 10 will mount ISO files by right clicking on them and selecting Mount. Windows 7 requires a program like WinCDEmu:
WinCDEmu - Download

Copy all of the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive. You know have a recovery flash drive that will boot in either a UEFI or legacy BIOS computer. Boot the troubled computer from the flash drive. If everything is normal, then your problem is the Windows 10 on the computer. If you have the same problem, then it is a hardware problem.

If everything is normal in the recovery drive, then I would enable safe mode on the troubled computer using option 3:
Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 - Windows 10 Performance Maintenance Tutorials

and try booting the troubled computer into safe mode.

Schwabber · 07 May 2017

Alright, so I did that and here's the update:

The laptop is indeed still doing the same thing, although now it's spammin ***** instead. I'm noticing that //// and **** are right next to each other on the num pad, so perhaps it's the numpad that is done for.
Also the left click button on the laptop isn't working either. The laptop continues to fire on all cylinders when it comes to the fan, and the left side of the laptop (where the fan is located) is developing excessive heat. The table it's standing on is uncomfortably hot from the laptop standing on it, and i'm getting whifs of warm plastic smell.

So, I'm guessing it's a hardware error? It just seems weird to come out of nowhere at the exact moment that the computer was updated. What are my options at this point? Is it likely that I can somehow fix this problem, perhaps by disabling the numpad?

NavyLCDR · 07 May 2017

I would completely disassemble it and start looking for physical signs of hardware failure and also start looking for a replacement.

Schwabber · 07 May 2017

NavyLCDR said:

I would completely disassemble it and start looking for physical signs of hardware failure and also start looking for a replacement.

I'm not hugely technical when it comes to hardware, so I'm not completely sure what to look for. I think my prowess goes no further than perhaps jerking around the flat cable connecting the keyboard to the motherboard to see if that does anything.

Replacing it is really out of the question as I have no money and no job, so I have to make it work somehow.

Schwabber · 09 May 2017

Okay, so I managed to solve the problem!
Or rather, I didn't solve anything as I still don't know what caused it, but I took the laptop completely apart and reassembled it, and now it works. The hard way of "turning it off and on again".

Thanks for all your help NavyLCDR!

Can't login, keyboard keeps spamming

[SOLVED] Can't login, keyboard keeps spamming