I have a freaky keyboard problem, best described by someone else on a different thread:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?p=265104#post265104

I think that other thread addressed a different problem, but I'm not sure.

"AVM" wrote:
My Toshiba M40 gives me similar keyboard problems. I get funny characters like
NB¬A
when I press the left Shift key and then the keyboard starts behaving abnormally:
1. it shifts to caps mode, to type lower letters, I have to actually use caps lock.
2. I cant use the shift key to type in the special characters above the numerals.
3. clicking on the menu bar gives me a different effect as if the shift key is already pressed while it is not.
4. I cant select one file or folder as several of them selected at one time.

and then I give up, shut down the computer (it doesnt restart at this time)
after some time, the computer starts normally but I am never sure when it will start misbehaving again.
I read on this board about he bios update, so got mine updated to the 1.7 version from toshiba website (this is the latest one they had for machines with ATI graphics). Dont tell me to take it to Toshiba because I did take it to their authorised service centre in Mumbai and they were of no use.
thanks

Hello and welcome to Techspot.

Check that your numlock key isn`t activated.

Regards Howard :wave: :wave:

Definitely more complicated than that

Yeah, I've tried all that kind of stuff. This keyboard freakout is much more complicated than that. I get that same "NB~A" that AVM gets. There's one more post from "Giggleface" describing the problem and his/her work. I've copied it below. So far I haven't seen anyone posting a solution, but I'm kinda new to this so might have missed something.
-WZ

Giggleface wrote:

same problem - in canada, the toshiba m40 = toshiba m45.

i have the same problem - the right shift key would give a weird carriage return *|* and the left shift gives a *NB~A*

the shift key is just plain stuck down occationally!!!

i thought this was a software / driver conflict, reinstalled Windows, same problem. then i fired up Knoppix - a bootable version of Linux - same problem. then i noticed the keyboard will be stuck at the bios password. this confirms that this is a hardware problem!!!

sent to toshiba, replaced keyboard and still have the problem...= not a keyboard problem but something more...

going to send it back to them...hope that they can fix it this time around...

From what Giggleface wrote. It seems like some kind of hardware problem.

Contact Toshiba and see what they recommend. This might be a known issue with your particular model.

Regards Howard

My laptop had the keyboard problem (NB~A) but it's finally repaired. Take your M45 to a Toshiba Depot and tell them NOT to replace the keyboard but replace the CONTROL PANEL CIRCUIT for the buttons on the left of the keyboard (the buttons for DVD, Internet, Play, Stop, Power, etc) This should fix the keyboard issue.

Excellent!

You rule! Thanks for the info. I will do ASAP.

Thanks. Last Monday , I had taken my laptop to the local Toshiba service partner and they couldnt find anything wrong with it. And had no explanation for the phenomenon either. They had suggested replacement of keyboard on basis of symptoms mentioned, but were not certain whether it would solve the problem.They told me they need 10 to 12 WEEKS to change the keyboard because it is an International Warranty!!. I will again ask them on basis of your suggestion to just replace the control panel circuit and check if they can help.

quite unfortunate, but, shortly after i posted that my laptop was repaired, after ~3 months the keyboard got stuck again... took it in and got a new motherboard... 'll see if this will do the trick or not

Has anyone had any luck with the repairs/bios update? I am having the same problem. I have a M45-S351 as well. I updated the Bios from 1.2 to 1.5. Hopefully this will fix the problem. I'd like to hear what others have done to fix the problem.

Toshiba keyboard

I changed the keyboard and the thing worked for about 3 months or so. Started having same problem so changed it again during Nov 2006. But it has started giving problems again. I also got the small circuit below the multimedia keys checked as someone above suggested, but there was nothing wrong there.
Bios does not help. Changing keyboard does not help.
There is a narrow plastic connector cable that connects the small multimedia strip on the left to a point below the keyboard somewhere under the area where the left shift key is. Maybe this connector gets disturbed during typing and causes malfunction because problem starts from this area.

so after having changed the keyboard twice, I can certainly say changing keyboard is not the solution. Neither does the biod update help.
I guess this model of Toshiba suffers from inherent defect.

I have exactly the same problem. Have anyone found a definitive solution?

Regards,
Pablo

I doubt BIOS would have anything to do with this. This is more of a hardware issue. The shift key is probably a manufactuer defect.

It's not just the keyboard that has to be replaced. I forget the name of the other part that goes along with the keyboard. This is the part that needs replaced. This is what they had to do on the old one I had anyways. I know that doesnt tell you what you need to know. But apparently this is a defect on some Toshiba models.

Seems the newer Toshiba models are giving more problems then prior models where were very good.

Tipstir, I don't know. The Toshiba I had that had the very same keyboad problem was new when I bouhgt it. ANd that was at least 5 years ago. We even had Toshiba's at work that we replaced due to this issue. Ahhh....thank God for IBM Thinkpads!