How to Disable a Gateway Laptop Keyboard

Disabling a laptop keyboard isn't common; it's usually done when a keyboard is damaged, has a stuck key or is failing. Stuck keys in particular can be troublesome when it comes to logging into your operating system. An external keyboard won't take precedence; the system will accept input from both devices at once. Laptops don't have a built-in function to disable the keyboard (how would you turn it back on?) like they do for a mouse, monitor or wireless device. You'll instead need to disable the driver Windows uses to control the keyboard.

Instructions

1. Right-click "My Computer" and click "Properties." It should be located on the desktop or in the "Start" menu.

2. Click "Device Manager;" if you don't see it, click the "Hardware" tab to find it there.

3. Click the "+" or arrow next to "Keyboards" to open the list of all keyboard drivers.

4. Right-click on the laptop's keyboard driver and then click "Disable." You'll know it is the laptop's because it will be the only one there aside from the external keyboard driver. In the event it's not correct, you can use trial and error. If you disable the wrong driver, you can correct it by right-clicking and selecting "Enable."

Resources

• Gateway Support Homepage