Backtick key won’t respond right (also physically screwed)

Understanding and Troubleshooting a Sticking or Malfunctioning Backtick Key on Your Laptop

Encountering a malfunctioning key on your laptop keyboard can be both frustrating and disruptive, especially when the issue appears to fluctuate unpredictably. Recently, a user shared their experience with their HP 15-bs0xx laptop, observing persistent problems with the backtick (`) key—a key located just beside the number “1” under the Escape key. This article aims to analyze similar issues, explore possible causes, and outline effective troubleshooting steps for resolving keyboard glitches, whether mechanical or software-related.

Symptoms and Initial Observations

In the reported case, the backtick key ceased to respond to physical presses altogether. Additionally, after a period of inactivity, the key would seemingly press itself, producing large strings of backticks without user input. These issues manifested intermittently—in bursts—sometimes preventing even short words from being typed normally. Attempts to temporarily silence the ghost-typing include continuous backspacing, which occasionally alleviated the problem temporarily, but the key still refused manual presses.

The user associated the onset of problems with accessing a suspicious website, initially suspecting malware. However, scans with Malwarebytes yielded no threats, pointing towards other possible causes.

Troubleshooting Approach and Diagnoses

Software and Driver Checks
Driver Reinstallation: The user uninstalled the keyboard driver and rebooted, allowing Windows to reinstall drivers automatically. This step is effective in resolving driver-related issues, but in this case, it did not restore normal functionality.
System Restore: Restoring the system to a previous point temporarily fixed the problem, indicating that recent software changes or updates might be involved. Nonetheless, the problem recurred, suggesting hardware could be at fault.
Mechanical Inspection and Cleaning
Physical Inspection: Removing the keycap revealed dust and even a small shard of pencil lead beneath the key, common culprits in causing key jamming or inconsistent responses.
Cleaning: Carefully cleaning under the key and around the clip mechanism reduced ghost typing but did not fully restore key responsiveness.
Key Mechanism and Clip Issues
The user discovered that the key’s clip mechanism was finicky, with small clips popping off or breaking. As of the last update, the user lost a small clip, complicating reattachment.