ASUS ROG GL502VM (7th generation) keyboard not working

[jenny27]

ASUS ROG GL502VM (7th generation) or GL502VMK.
Keyboard is unresponsive , backlight , power button and touchpad works fine.

I bought a second hand GL502VM (7th gen) few days ago, at the very first start it asked me if i wanted to delete the TPM Trusted Platform Module pressing F12, so i pressed F12.

Then few minutes later while setting up windows 10 the keyboard stopped working, after finishing the set up with the help of the on screen keyboard, i tried to reinstall the drivers, atk package etc.. nothing

The next day keyboard worked by itself at the start, it was all good for the whole day, i did a fresh windows 10 install, updated all the drivers found on asus website, played video games, everything worked perfect

Today, here we go again, keyboard doesn't work, none of the button work, no F keys, no ESC, no Window key nothing, except the power button.
I had set the backlight ON the previous day, so the backlight works, the power button works fine.

So far, i checked :

- ribbon cable for loose connection
- updated the bios to the latest 305
- did a hard reboot
- updated every driver
- tried to change keyboard driver from PC/AT Enhanced PS/2 Keyboard (101/102-Key) to HID Keyboard device
- deleted the keyboard from device manager so windows can reinstall automatically a good driver at restart

Nothing worked, it is very frustrating.
Other than that, i like the laptop, i wish it worked.

I found few other post with people having the same issue without being able to fix it.

Can somebody have any idea?

Thank you

[xeromist]

Does the keyboard work in the BIOS? If it's just not working in Windows this could be a software issue but if it's not even working outside of Windows then it sounds like there is something physically wrong. Did the person selling it indicate why they were getting rid of it? Was it supposedly working perfectly for them?

[jenny27]

xeromist wrote:
Does the keyboard work in the BIOS? If it's just not working in Windows this could be a software issue but if it's not even working outside of Windows then it sounds like there is something physically wrong. Did the person selling it indicate why they were getting rid of it? Was it supposedly working perfectly for them?

No the keyboard doesn't work in the bios.
Can be a motherboard issue according to other GL502VM users experiencing the same problem.

Yes the seller told me it was working perfectly fine.

[xeromist]

My personal feeling is if it's flaky and you can still return it, you should. If you cannot return it then you may want to go back and inspect the keyboard ribbon and the area surrounding the connector on the motherboard. Look for any damage, pinch marks in the cable, etc. It's possible it's just a bad keyboard in which case you might be able to find a replacement on ebay, but unless you know that's the issue (due to a damaged cable, liquid spill, etc) it could be a waste of money.

Of course you can always use an external USB keyboard. That's not a great solution if you want portability but it should allow you to use the machine for the time being.

[jenny27]

xeromist wrote:
My personal feeling is if it's flaky and you can still return it, you should. If you cannot return it then you may want to go back and inspect the keyboard ribbon and the area surrounding the connector on the motherboard. Look for any damage, pinch marks in the cable, etc. It's possible it's just a bad keyboard in which case you might be able to find a replacement on ebay, but unless you know that's the issue (due to a damaged cable, liquid spill, etc) it could be a waste of money.

Of course you can always use an external USB keyboard. That's not a great solution if you want portability but it should allow you to use the machine for the time being.

Yes, I got a full refund from the seller and he didn't want the laptop back, so i have to keep it.

It works perfectly fine with an external usb keyboard, although only after windows os load, so impossible to access the bios at the start using the usb keyboard.
That bother me to use a portable usb keyboard with that wonderful laptop. I'm often travelling and it is not convenient.

I'm about to order a replacement keyboard online and see if it resolve the issue by any chance.

If not, if the problem is really on the motherboard and not the keyboard itself, i will try a crazy project, maybe it is possible to find a way to connect the built-in keyboard through usb.
Seems like it's doable.
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-USB-Laptop-Keyboard-Controller/

[xeromist]

Some keyboards use a non-standard USB device profile which can prevent them from working in a BIOS. So it could just be the particular USB keyboard you have.

Anyway, I hope the replacement works out for you.

[jenny27]

xeromist wrote:
Some keyboards use a non-standard USB device profile which can prevent them from working in a BIOS. So it could just be the particular USB keyboard you have.

Anyway, I hope the replacement works out for you.

Unfortunately, the same issue is present with the new replacement keyboard.

[xeromist]

Not sure then. I'd guess your best bet is indeed trying to replace the keyboard. Hopefully that's the extent of the issue. Sorry I don't have any better ideas.

EDIT: Had a thought. Since it worked initially then stopped it could be something Windows did. You might try REapplying the ATK and any hotfixes(if available). Not sure if you've tried that since you already applied them once.

[jenny27]

xeromist wrote:
Not sure then. I'd guess your best bet is indeed trying to replace the keyboard. Hopefully that's the extent of the issue. Sorry I don't have any better ideas.

EDIT: Had a thought. Since it worked initially then stopped it could be something Windows did. You might try REapplying the ATK and any hotfixes(if available). Not sure if you've tried that since you already applied them once.

I did try a new keyboard but it still doesn't work except the power button.
I also did try a windows fresh install with fresh atk package etc... unsuccessfully.

I'm pretty sure problem comes from the motherboard.

[gerZu]

I have exactly the same problem, but one day to repair the laptop it worked again normally, but the next day it stopped.