Fn key sticks down

Posted by Oli on Ask Ubuntu See other posts from Ask Ubuntu or by Oli
Published on 2011-02-22T12:51:37Z Indexed on 2011/02/22 15:33 UTC
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Just bought my significant other a shiny new Samsung Q330 13" netbook, stuck an OCZ Agility in it and installed Maverick. Just as a quick aside, this is a devastating combination. Graphics work perfectly and it cold-boots to desktop in about 7 seconds. Very quick.

But (common to laptops) I've got a couple of problems. I'll start with the most problematic and start a new thread for the other.

Like a lot of laptops, there is a Fn (function) modifier to allow some keys to have another purpose. When I tried to alter the brightness of the screen by tapping Fn+Down, it worked but kept on going until it was as dim as it could go. I tapped Fn+Up and it went to the other extreme.

After that the entire keyboard ceases to work properly because the Fn modifier appears to be locked. Additionally, and as a direct side effect, I think, clicking on things doesn't result in a standard result. It's as if control is being held. A reboot is the only thing that seems to fix these problems.

This isn't a problem if you don't touch the Fn key but as there are two of them on the keyboard, an accident is going to happen sooner than later, requiring a reboot (and probably some data loss).

I don't have a lot of experience with laptops (I prefer my hulking great desktop) so this isn't my area of expertise. I'm open to all suggestions, even disabling the two Fn keys until we can find a better solution.

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