7, 8, 9, and B key

[kgreenburg]

Last night, I had a problem with a frozen screen, and I fixed that - it turns out my screen protector had a little lip on it that was causing the problem. But now, the 7, 8, 9 and B key are doing freaky things when I hit them while trying to dial a number. If I hit 7, it takes me to Call Log. The 8 key takes me to Calendar. The 9 takes me to email, and the B or # shuts off the screen.

I don't know what I did while the screen was down, but I am stumped. Anyone know what might be causing this? I can still use the phone, but I have to use the touchscreen numbers to dial anything containing 7,8,9, or #.

Thanks,

Kirt

[benjie]

Sometimes dirt, dust, moisture, et cetera causes this. In addition, a hardware conflict has the same impact. I am sure you have done a soft reset and it still continues....

A backup of the device followed by a hard reset and nothing added then tested will tell you if it is hardware or software. If it is software, then reinstalling your applications one at a time and testing the device will get you running again. If you do a hard reset and then restore the last backup, then there is a good chance the problem will still be there.

[kgreenburg]

Benjie,

Thanks for your reply. I performed a hard reset as you suggested and nothing changed. Those keys are behaving in exactly the same manner but now I have none of the software from before. Any other thoughts?

[stevetaz]

Hi:

This is a symptom of a possible failing keyboard since the hard reset did not return the keys to working condition. After doing the hard reset you didn't sync, correct????

One other possibility is that a key may be stuck, but that might be a stretch, but still worth a try as it can happen. One at a time, press and release each key to see if they press in and pop back out and if they are all working it is looking like a hardware problem.

How long have you been using your 650? Is there any possibility the device may have come in contact, no matter how slight, with water. That could include getting caught in a rain and only a few drops getting into the lower row. Interesting that the non-funtioning keys are all on the lower row.

Let us know how this progresses....

SteveTaz

[kgreenburg]

Thanks, Steve!

Yesterday was hot and humid, and I was on the phone in the afternoon while doing some renovation work. I am a sweater, and this could have created some water droplets with the phone against my face. I guess that could explain the problem keys in the same area.

But it seems odd to me that the keys do something, just the wrong thing. It seems like, if it were a hardware problem, the keys would simply not work. But they register and cause the wrong result. It is puzzling to me.

I have had the Treo for 2.5 years and talked with Palm today. They would charge me $199 for a repair which is silly. I can get one that is in mint condition on eBay for much less.

I was just hoping there was a simple solution.

Thanks for your help.

Kirt

[stevetaz]

If you are at all handy, you could think about a keyboard replacement.

I would suggest one more thing, but that would involve opening up your Treo. Dirt and grime could be building up inside (you would be surprised what can get in there) and sometimes a good cleaning and shots of canned air can work wonders. It would also pay to verify that the keyboard connector is firmly pressed in and hasn't worked its way out slightly.

As a matter of fact, pressing the keys and shooting in canned air might be worth a shot....You never know.

I believe pdaparts.com had some videos and how-tos on opening up the device so you might take a look. I think they also sell replacement keyboards and that might be a viable option before shelling out for a new device.

There is also a very well rated and respected guy named Chris Short who has a repair business on eBay. He has been around for more than a few years (8 I think) and has always maintained better than a 99% positive feedback. I have never used him personally, but you can take a look here.

Keep in touch and let us know what you do....

SteveTaz

[stevetaz]

You know what? Since your trouble started with a screen protector caught under the frame, I have to also ask if you checked for dirt all around the frame?

Take a piece of stiff paper like a piece of a manilla folder and GENTLY slide it under the frame and move it around the entire frame/screen.

Certainly worth a try and that can cause funky things to happen as the device thinks you are tapping the screen. It generally causes the keyboard to not function, but who knows?

SteveTaz

[kgreenburg]

My phone was old and warranty was already expired anyway, so I took the whole thing apart and cleaned it out. There are some good videos on how to take it apart on YouTube.

Once the problem was fixed and before putting my old software back on, I decided to go to the Palm site and look for updates. There was a new version of software for the Phone - Verizon 1.05A VZW. It seemed to install OK, but after the HotSync, it went into a reset cycle.

So I performed another hard reset, and now the phone shows that it has the default version (1.03), but, when I turn on the phone, it performs a soft reset. Any ideas what could be causing it? I haven't installed any of my 3rd party apps after the hard reset.

I haven't had problems with the phone for 2.5 years - I guess I was due. ;)

[kgreenburg]

Thanks, Steve and Benjie!

With the help of the following link, I was able to fix the problem that I encountered when I attempted to upgrade my phone to 1.05a. If anyone else who has a Verizon 650 has the same issue, this will help to solve it.

http://forums.palm.com/palm/board/me...cending&page=4

Thanks to both of you for steering me in the right direction with the keyboard issue.

Kirt

[benjie]

Ok, the original post had nothing about the upgrade. The manner the upgrade is performed caught bunches of people. I have always upgraded via the card, some though had problems upgrading via sync.