Ok, on my 2 ear old laptop, the keyboard has begun to miss keystrokes. Does anyone have any tip or tricks that might let me get it back? The missing keystrokes are random and makes it hard to type even a short post like this an my stories frustratingly impossible.

I'm not too sure what to do about repairing the current keyboard, I would suggest replacement if the cost isn't too high.

I'm not sure what brand of laptop you have, but on Dell laptops the keyboards are not too hard to replace.  We replaced a couple at work and it only took a few minutes.
If I remember correctly, it was under $100 for the ones we replaced.  Give the manufacturer a call, it might be under warranty and you can get a free replacement.

You could try and clean it or you can get a USB keyboard.

I would attempt to carefully remove the keys and reseat them after cleaning underneath.  Most laptop keyboards have a little plastic hinge underneath the keys.  Sometimes these hinges slip out of place a little bit.  I have fixed many keyboards with that simple fix.  If the part that keeps the key going down straight is broken, you may be able to get a broken laptop of the same model on ebay and exchange just that 1 part.

I rip apart keyboards quite often, it is a lot of fun. If the contacts are going on the sheet below the keys the only thing you can really do is buy a new keyboard. heck, they are pretty cheap these days (unless you prefer a wireless split keyboard like I do) anyway. We picked up a few at work from a local computer parts place for about $8 or $10 each.

One thing I did learn though. Beer+Keyboard=Sad Keyboard

Quote from: LostInTime on August 03, 2007, 03:24:00 PM
I rip apart keyboards quite often, it is a lot of fun. If the contacts are going on the sheet below the keys the only thing you can really do is buy a new keyboard. heck, they are pretty cheap these days (unless you prefer a wireless split keyboard like I do) anyway. We picked up a few at work from a local computer parts place for about $8 or $10 each.

One thing I did learn though. Beer+Keyboard=Sad Keyboard

This is a laptop keyboard she was talking about, so although it is still replaceable, it more expensive than just $8 or $10 to do so.

Craigslist to find parts, still should not be that pricey.

I think most computers you can just plug in a regular keyboard into the back or side and use instead if you cant get it working sufficient. Also my old one you can hook up to a moniter as well. But that doesnt help if you are wanting it to be portable.

The laptop I use for work has a few screwy keys too. Of course, it's a Dell.

:: insert Winbloze remark here ::

But yes, in a worst-case scenario, any standard keyboard (an $8 or $10 keyboard) can plug into the USB or PS1 socket that all laptops have.