Expert: Brian Benosky - 7/7/2010

Question
QUESTION: hey there brian, its fargo again. i think this time i have a problem that is going to be a little bit easier. so i backed up all of my files and i tried to reinstall windows, but lo and behold, my computer wasnt done with me yet. some files cannot be replaced because they are corrupted. ive known people who have come accross these kinds of problems and deleted their operating system in order to reinstal it. is this a safe solution, and am i able to do it without the full use of my keyboard? and if it is safe, how do i do it?

ANSWER: Hi Fargo

Before you wipe everything out and start over, have you run the two programs I mentioned yesterday?  If they were unable to help you to remap, one more option to try is purchasing a USB keyboard.  They come with software which installs correct drivers and may correct your troubles.  If not, then reinstalling Windows is a safe solution.  The new install will delete all the old, corrupted files, including your keyboard.  You can then recover your personal files from the backup.  Just make sure that you do not recover Settings...only files and folders, otherwise you will be back where you started.  Also note that you will need to reinstall your programs, as these cannot be transferred by backup.  any further questions, just let me know.

Brian

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: just when you thought i was safe to turn on your computer...

i think my comp is really screwed up. the last 2 programs you recomended didnt do the trick, but i finally got vista to reinstall. for some reason this has not worked! the keyboard is still not working right! when i reinstalled vista, it created a file called "windows.old"(i had no choice in the matter), and when i opened it i found that there was a "windows" file in it. it had all the settings from the last version, so i deleted it. i ended up deleting the whole file. not surprisingly, it didnt work. i found a way to enter sfc /scannow, but it didnt find any integrity faults. my computer cannot detect any wireless networks, even though there is one in the area. im guessing this has something to do with drivers. also, my graphics card rating went from 3.5 to 1, which i also suspect is due to drivers. i tried updating them, but i cant. im gonna be honest: im getting a bit frustrated. what should i do now? ive got a flash drive, so i can still download programs if you have any for me, but i doubt that your magic-bag-of-fix-it-programs has anything left in it i can use. oh, i also tried startup recovery again. didnt work.

like i said before, i have a compaq presario, so i have a recovery disk built into my comp. im willing to give this a try, but i have no idea how to use it. is the recovery disk my best bet? how do i use it?

ANSWER: Hi Fargo

Using the recovery partition is the only option at this point.  When you reinstalled Vista, you seem to have performed a repair install instead of a complete reinstall.  To do that, you needed to delete the existing Windows partition and install from scratch.  
Regardless, you can make your machine new again by using the recovery partition to start fresh.  Try pressing the CTRL + F11 keys on boot.  It may be different on your model, so if that does not work, try the following:

Click Start > Run > type compmgmt.msc and press Enter.
Click Disk Management.
Select your recovery partition.
Right click on the partition then choose Mark Partition as Active.
Then restart your computer.

Let me know the outcome.

Brian

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well, i did what you said, and its fixed almost everything. for a while after a did it, i was able to type normally, but a few minutes later it was back like it was: the keyboard is all messed up. luckily, i found that if i use the on-screen keyboard and minimize it, i can type normally...except when i hit the L button, which locks the computer. after that, i have to x out the on screen keyboard and open it again or else it wont work. how is this even possible? everything was deleted and the defaults were restored! how can 1 little tweak to the registry cause this much damage? can a comp shop do anything about this that i havent done already? i dont want to have to deal with this until i get a new comp.

Answer
Hi Fargo

Did you ever try plugging in a different keyboard?  That is the only way that this would make sense; the keyboard itself is faulty.  If you don't have a spare, borrow one to try.  In an earlier answer, I had mentioned purchasing a USB keyboard, so that's another option to try.  Let me know what happens.

Brian