Do I need a new laptop

If you google your model device, you should find instructions (print and/or video) on how to dismantle it and clean it a little more thoroughly or look in to replacement parts.

5 years is kind of old for a laptop, but if it's still operable (within your patience level), taking it apart usually isn't that difficult. What's the exact model?

If you're not ready to spring for a new computer, you could always consider a wireless or USB keyboard.

Mine's even older than yours and gasping a little (I'll probably have to connect an external monitor soon), but I like it so much I just back-up like crazy and say a little prayer to the computer gods lol.

You might try getting a can of compressed air (it should come with a narrow straw/tube) and then tilt the laptop onto the side and aim the tube under each of the keys, especially the ones that are sticking. Use short bursts and adjust the location of the tube frequently.

Change the tilt of the laptop and do the procedure again. You might have to do this several times to dislodge most of the accumulated gunk.

Several cans of compressed air are a lot less expensive than a new laptop so it may be worth a try to see if that is the problem.

You can also dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and use this to clean between the keys as well as on top of the sticking keys.

Don't use water.

You can buy replacement keyboards for most laptops for about twenty US dollars. and there are plenty of websites with illustrated instructions.

I’m replying to this ancient thread b/c it was about keyboards. I was in the middle of writing something and the caps lock stuck on. The key didn’t stick - the little light in the ‘caps lock’ key turns off as it should. This HP laptop is less than a year old, and I’ve never spilled anything into the keyboard. I consulted the internet and it gave me advice to change my advanced keyboard settings - if caps lock was set to turn off with shift key, change to caps lock key, and Vice versa. I also updated the driver for the keyboard. Restarted after each change.

Still can’t type lowercase letters.

Anybody know how to fix this?

Your post came out with lower case letters - how did that happen?

Maybe contact the maker of your laptop, google it, or contact a keyboard/computer repair person. My husband calls his guy when it's something bizarre and he usually knows how to fix it.

I’m using my iPhone to chat here, not my laptop.

And Mame, “I don’t know” is a completely acceptable answer when you don’t know something.

I discovered that in MS Word you can switch the malfunction off by pressing shift+F3. It has something to do with switching to “sentence case”.

Thanks, anyway