[OT] Laptop Repair?

[Rhino]

I got a new ASUS laptop for Christmas - a K55N - and its my first
laptop. (I've used laptops before but this is the first one I've owned.)

I am reasonably comfortable in opening the case on desktop computers and
have installed memory, replaced a DVD burner, and added hard drives on
desktops but I have never opened a laptop.

I'm not even sure HOW to open my laptop given the very few visible
screws. Am I going to find it a completely different animal than my
desktops have been?

The reason I ask is that I have one sticky key - the comma - that needs
to be pressed considerably harder than any of the other keys and it
would be nice to fix it, assuming that's possible. I can also imagine
adding more memory or replacing the hard drive with a bigger one at some
point. Are those tasks that I might reasonably expect to do myself? Or
do laptops basically get left alone by anyone except a professional
repair person?

--
Rhino

[Ghostrider01]

It is usually not recommended for a non-techie to open a laptop
and servicing internal components. And certainly not without having
a copy of the technical [i.e., not user] manual. There are plenty
of small screws and delicate ribbon cables in tight spaces.

Adding memory or replacing the hard drive can, however, be done by
the user as their compartments are accessible and instructions are
in the user's guide.

GR

[Paul]

What's the warranty period ?

Could an authorized service center fit a new keyboard ?

Does the first year of warranty come from the vendor ?
Or do you end up talking to Asus for everything ?

*******

There are parts sites, that sometimes have a procedure. This procedure
though, is generic, and not to be trusted. They've probably never taken
one apart.

http://www.drives-storage.co.uk/new-replacement-laptop-keyboard-for-asus-k55n-58841

This site has disassembly photo albums for older machines, but because
there are so many different models, they couldn't handle all of them.
You can see this keyboard, pulling out from the top edge. The tabs
along the bottom edge, might function as a hinge.

http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/Toshiba-Satellite-M645-M645D-M640-M640D/base-big/laptop-base-disassembly-09.jpg

While Asus has a forum (vip.asus.com), the laptop section seems to be
disorganized. I don't know if there is a need to register and log in,
to gain access, or what the story is. The vip.asus.com forums work
much better, when you're looking for motherboard details.

On older laptops, you use a plastic tool, to pull out the trim strip
just above the keyboard. That allows access, to pull the keyboard up
and out, remove any hidden screws, carefully disconnect the keyboard
cable, and so on. In that Irisvista photo, the trim strip doesn't seem
to need to be removed.

Also, something to watch about keyboards. On "world-wide" laptops, there
can be four or more *different* models of keyboards. If you were to shop
for one on Ebay, you might originally have had an English keyboard, and
end up with one with French accent marks, or Russian, or... whatever.
You have to be very careful, to acquire an exact replacement for
the existing keyboard. In some cases, when you plug in the wrong
keyboard, pressing a key gives a "surprise" keycode, making the keyboard
useless.

Paul

[Rhino]

On 2013-04-12 20:31, Ghostrider01 <00> wrote:
> On 4/12/2013 4:27 PM, Rhino wrote:
>
>> I got a new ASUS laptop for Christmas - a K55N - and its my first
>> laptop. (I've used laptops before but this is the first one I've owned.)
>>
>> I am reasonably comfortable in opening the case on desktop computers and
>> have installed memory, replaced a DVD burner, and added hard drives on
>> desktops but I have never opened a laptop.
>>
>> I'm not even sure HOW to open my laptop given the very few visible
>> screws. Am I going to find it a completely different animal than my
>> desktops have been?
>>
>> The reason I ask is that I have one sticky key - the comma - that needs
>> to be pressed considerably harder than any of the other keys and it
>> would be nice to fix it, assuming that's possible. I can also imagine
>> adding more memory or replacing the hard drive with a bigger one at some
>> point. Are those tasks that I might reasonably expect to do myself? Or
>> do laptops basically get left alone by anyone except a professional
>> repair person?
>>
>
> It is usually not recommended for a non-techie to open a laptop
> and servicing internal components. And certainly not without having
> a copy of the technical [i.e., not user] manual. There are plenty
> of small screws and delicate ribbon cables in tight spaces.
>

That's about what I suspected. How would I go about getting the
technical manual if I wanted it? I don't see it in the list of manuals
for the K55N. Is it available free online somewhere or is it one of
these deals where you have to spend $50-100 for it? (I had to spend an
ungodly amount for a manual for one of my cars some years back.) I
probably won't attempt servicing myself if it's as complicated/fidgety
as it sounds but I'd be curious to open it once just to see how
complicated it is.

> Adding memory or replacing the hard drive can, however, be done by
> the user as their compartments are accessible and instructions are
> in the user's guide.
>

In my case, there isn't much in the way of instructions or diagrams,
just an indication of where the memory and hard drive can be accessed
on the bottom of the laptop.
(http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/K55N/E7187_eManual_K55N_K55DE_K55DR_Z104.pdf,
page 19). If I opened those spots up, I might be able to reason out how
the change the drive or add memory but I won't know until I try....

>
>


--
Rhino

[Rhino]

On 2013-04-12 23:24, Paul wrote:
> Rhino wrote:
>> I got a new ASUS laptop for Christmas - a K55N - and its my first
>> laptop. (I've used laptops before but this is the first one I've owned.)
>>
>> I am reasonably comfortable in opening the case on desktop computers
>> and have installed memory, replaced a DVD burner, and added hard
>> drives on desktops but I have never opened a laptop.
>>
>> I'm not even sure HOW to open my laptop given the very few visible
>> screws. Am I going to find it a completely different animal than my
>> desktops have been?
>>
>> The reason I ask is that I have one sticky key - the comma - that
>> needs to be pressed considerably harder than any of the other keys and
>> it would be nice to fix it, assuming that's possible. I can also
>> imagine adding more memory or replacing the hard drive with a bigger
>> one at some point. Are those tasks that I might reasonably expect to
>> do myself? Or do laptops basically get left alone by anyone except a
>> professional repair person?
>>
>
> What's the warranty period ?
>
> Could an authorized service center fit a new keyboard ?
>
> Does the first year of warranty come from the vendor ?
> Or do you end up talking to Asus for everything ?
>

Good questions. I'm not 100% sure how the warranty works. I seem to
remember filling out an online warranty card that mentioned a one year
warranty. Hmm. I've just gone to the ASUS website -
http://support.asus.com/warranty.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=3&s=386&m=K55N&os=&hashedid=vhg0rMbdseC566Sg
- which I assume/hope covers Canada and it says there is a one year
limited warranty.

The computer was purchased at Best Buy so it's probably worth a call to
see if they will take care of it themselves. That would presumably be
quicker and eliminate the need to box it up for shipping somewhere.

I just called Best Buy and they say that since I bought only the
manufacturers warranty, it has to be sent back to the manufacturer. I
can bring it to them but all they will do is box it up and ship it to
ASUS for me. That'll save me having to find a box (I have the original
box but discarded the styrofoam packing at Christmas) and presumably the
postage but that's all. Best Buy said the computer would likely be gone
two to three weeks for the work.

Now, there is ONE little problem that may be a deal-breaker. I did drop
the laptop once. It was in a tote bag - I didn't have a proper bag for
it yet - and someone startled me and I dropped the bag about a foot,
maybe 18 inches, on to a hardwood floor. The left click felt a bit wonky
after that but I don't know if the comma key was acting up before that;
I just don't recall. There are no marks or other external signs that
something happened. Would they have some sort of indicator inside to
show that it had been bumped? Technically, they COULD possibly justify
refusing to repair it (for free) on the grounds that I had violated
condition D of the warranty: "There is damage caused by accident,
natural disaster, intentional or accidental misuse, abuse, neglect or
improper maintenance, or use under abnormal conditions".

I can picture sending it in to get that key fixed (or maybe the keyboard
replaced altogether if they don't/can't fix individual keys) but then
having the tech declare that it was damaged and the warranty void. Then,
I'd have to pay some possibly substantial fee for the repairs and/or for
the return shipping. The sticky key isn't really all that bad and I can
get used to hitting it harder if it comes to that.

> *******
>
> There are parts sites, that sometimes have a procedure. This procedure
> though, is generic, and not to be trusted. They've probably never taken
> one apart.
>
> http://www.drives-storage.co.uk/new-replacement-laptop-keyboard-for-asus-k55n-58841
>
>
> This site has disassembly photo albums for older machines, but because
> there are so many different models, they couldn't handle all of them.
> You can see this keyboard, pulling out from the top edge. The tabs
> along the bottom edge, might function as a hinge.
>
> http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/Toshiba-Satellite-M645-M645D-M640-M640D/base-big/laptop-base-disassembly-09.jpg
>

If you're not confident about these photos/procedures, I'm not inclined
to trust them either.

>
> While Asus has a forum (vip.asus.com), the laptop section seems to be
> disorganized. I don't know if there is a need to register and log in,
> to gain access, or what the story is. The vip.asus.com forums work
> much better, when you're looking for motherboard details.
>
> On older laptops, you use a plastic tool, to pull out the trim strip
> just above the keyboard. That allows access, to pull the keyboard up
> and out, remove any hidden screws, carefully disconnect the keyboard
> cable, and so on. In that Irisvista photo, the trim strip doesn't seem
> to need to be removed.
>

The more I think about this, the more reluctant I am to try to mess with
the laptop. It's basically the old "if it works, don't fix it"
principle. While the laptop doesn't work perfectly, it's about 99.5%
right now. If I screw something up trying to fix that comma key, I could
easily reduce the functionality a LOT and end up costing myself time and
money, maybe quite a lot of both. That doesn't seem worth it for one
sticky key.

> Also, something to watch about keyboards. On "world-wide" laptops, there
> can be four or more *different* models of keyboards. If you were to shop
> for one on Ebay, you might originally have had an English keyboard, and
> end up with one with French accent marks, or Russian, or... whatever.
> You have to be very careful, to acquire an exact replacement for
> the existing keyboard. In some cases, when you plug in the wrong
> keyboard, pressing a key gives a "surprise" keycode, making the keyboard
> useless.
>

That's definitely an issue here in Canada. When I was looking at laptops
before Christmas, I was surprised to see that virtually every keyboard
was a "Canadian" one. It used to be that laptops sold in this country
were always US keyboards. Mine has extra keys for characters used only
for French (like << and >>), one of which occupies the space between my
Z key and the left Shift key which really messes me up. But I did some
digging and found KeyTweak. I used it to remap that key to be an
additional Left Shift. I _think_ the Canadian keyboards were some kind
of government-mandated thing that came into effect a year or two back. I
found many comments about it online and virtually none of them was
favourable, even from native French-speakers. (They all had
long-established techniques to get those characters from their own US
keyboards.)

But assuming I service this in Canada, I have to assume that ASUS repair
depots in this country would have plenty of this keyboard. It seems to
be the ONLY keyboard available stock on any laptop sold here. (I assume
you can special order other keyboards but haven't checked that out.)


--
Rhino

[Paul]

Rhino wrote:

>
> Now, there is ONE little problem that may be a deal-breaker. I did drop
> the laptop once. It was in a tote bag - I didn't have a proper bag for
> it yet - and someone startled me and I dropped the bag about a foot,
> maybe 18 inches, on to a hardwood floor. The left click felt a bit wonky
> after that but I don't know if the comma key was acting up before that;
> I just don't recall. There are no marks or other external signs that
> something happened. Would they have some sort of indicator inside to
> show that it had been bumped? Technically, they COULD possibly justify
> refusing to repair it (for free) on the grounds that I had violated
> condition D of the warranty: "There is damage caused by accident,
> natural disaster, intentional or accidental misuse, abuse, neglect or
> improper maintenance, or use under abnormal conditions".

All I can answer for you, is the technical side.

It is possible, to add "G sensor" components, to electronics. It's
even possible that hard drives have those (so Seagate or WD can determine
if you drop a hard drive).

We used to use them at work. We used to tape a "ShockWatch" to the cardboard
shipping container for our computers. That was used to detect whether
the shipper treated the product badly. And provided feedback to the
product management team. (Get the cardboard box back, on the returned product,
examine the color of the ShockWatch.)

A G or shock sensor, basically just has a threshold, and once you cross it,
indicates more than that has been applied to the device. Our ShockWatch, for
example, was set to around 10 G's. Which was considered to be enough
to damage the computer. (I wasn't in on the details of this, but the
guy running the program, showed me what they were doing.) Things like
an SSD, they could take a lot larger number than that, so you would pick
a recording device with a larger threshold. In our case, the ShockWatch
was "low tech". It was just a dye capsule, and the capsule would break
and you would see a color change through a plastic window, if the product
was abused. So it's about as high tech, as an electrical fuse :-) And
presumably, cheap to add as well.

Laptop hard drives, have a dynamic G sensor, which detects when the
laptop is in "free fall". If dropped from three feet, with the
power applied, laptops equipped with that feature, can "park
the heads" before the laptop hits the floor. It takes both
the right kind of hard drive, as well as code to run it, to
make that work. The idea is, with the heads parked, the head won't
"bounce" off the platter and leave a mark. If enough shock is
applied, the head can snap off.

Paul

[Lars]

Previously, on Usenet Rhino <no_offline_c...@example.com>
wrote:

>The more I think about this, the more reluctant I am to try to mess with
>the laptop. It's basically the old "if it works, don't fix it"
>principle.

I must admit to being the opposite on that one. Whatever gadget I have
I like to know what it looks like inside and how to fix minor
problems.

My second laptop was an IBM Thinkpad, used, and I was lucky to find
that IBM had all sorts of manuals online. There were very detailed
instructions on how to disassemble the many various models and exact
spare part numbers etc, making it reasonably doable to work on their
Thinkpads. That is one big reason why I have since kept buying
Thinkpads. For a while I had 12 working units and a few more that I
had cannibalized.

Since years I often help friends with their computers and whenever
someone is talking about getting a laptop I tell them if they get a
Thinkpad I will always help out.

I really think you should try to find the service manual for your Asus
and see that it is probably not all that difficult to have a peek
inside.

You may want to start having a look at this thread;
http://tinyurl.com/cj2dflt

Lars
Stockholm

[Rhino]

Interesting. So for all we know, there could be some kind of detector
within the laptop that will indicate a minor fall took place and they
could use that to invalidate the warranty. Still, given that the
consequences of my little incident were so minor in terms of the
usability of the computer, I'm inclined to suspect that no significant
damage was done.

I don't know what to do. I really don't want to lose use of the laptop
for two or three weeks and, if anything, I suspect they are
underestimating the time involved. I think the store is probably telling
me what has proven to a duration that most customers will accept. Once
they have the computer, they can always encounter "unexpected delays" of
one kind of another and hang on to it longer.

It's really not that big a problem so I'll probably just live with it,
just the way you don't go to the body shop and repaint major portions of
your car over one small ding.


--
Rhino

[Rhino]

Thank you, Lars.

I've always envied the ability of others to fix things themselves and
have long aspired to doing the same. Unfortunately, my talents are not
the same as my aspirations ;-)

I've set out to repair things myself on several occasions and have had
problems most of the time, problems that only worsened the existing
situation and made it more expensive and/or time-consuming to resolve.
This has somewhat sapped my confidence and made me skeptical about my
ability to successfully fix my sticky key. I'm therefore inclined to
live with it, although I'm tempted to send it to the manufacturer for
service.

I read the thread you cited and just sent an email to ASUS North America
tech support asking for a technical manual. If I am able to get that and
the repair looks simple enough, I might give it a try if I can do so
without having to acquire expensive tools that I don't have.

--
Rhino

[Paul]

Rhino wrote:

> If anything, I suspect they are underestimating the time involved. I

> think the store is probably telling me what has proven to a duration
> that most customers will accept.

You are wise beyond your years :-)

Yes, that could happen. Asus repair time could go from
three to eight weeks. In the eight weeks case, you'd
already be chasing them to find out what happened to it,
and the extra time is for them to dig up something to send
you.

Any time a computer leaves your hands, do a backup of the
hard drive. Even though a keyboard is required, just about
anything can happen to it. Hard drives get erased by repair
facilities, as the clueless can be working there.

Computers even get lost, when sent for repair. It happens.

You will need an RMA number, before sending it to them.
The RMA number has to be written on the outside of the box,
so the shipment will be accepted. The RMA number proves
they're ready and waiting for your returned product.
They're expecting it. They will not accepted un-announced
shipments. With Asus, you fill out a web form, to get an
RMA number.

If the company had repair depots in major centers, and it
didn't require boxing up, maybe things would be different.
It's possible Asus has a single repair place (like in California).
I really haven't researched them, for that sort of thing.

I also don't know, if it's true that the "store has no warranty",
and it's "manufacturer warranty all the way". If you could
get the repair done locally, it would be a simpler matter
of just ordering a keyboard for it.

Have a look around here, and see if your keyboard is available.
If you could get a service manual for the laptop, you might be
able to locate a part number for the keyboard. In the keyboard
listing here, I don't see a "compatibility" list with each
item. Still, at least this is a source of keyboards, even if
you don't know whether it's the right one.

http://us.estore.asus.com/

http://us.estore.asus.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=53

Paul

[Rhino]

On 2013-04-14 12:34, Paul wrote:
> Rhino wrote:
>
>> If anything, I suspect they are underestimating the time involved. I
>> think the store is probably telling me what has proven to a duration
>> that most customers will accept.
>
> You are wise beyond your years :-)
>

No, I've just ridden this merry-go-round a couple of times ;-)

> Yes, that could happen. Asus repair time could go from
> three to eight weeks. In the eight weeks case, you'd
> already be chasing them to find out what happened to it,
> and the extra time is for them to dig up something to send
> you.
>
> Any time a computer leaves your hands, do a backup of the
> hard drive. Even though a keyboard is required, just about
> anything can happen to it. Hard drives get erased by repair
> facilities, as the clueless can be working there.
>
> Computers even get lost, when sent for repair. It happens.
>

Yeah, I'm cynical/experienced enough to have suspected that already ;-)
There is almost no data of any importance on the computer since I do
most things on my desktop. But I will backup anything critical and
delete stuff I don't want them seeing, like my email.

> You will need an RMA number, before sending it to them.
> The RMA number has to be written on the outside of the box,
> so the shipment will be accepted. The RMA number proves
> they're ready and waiting for your returned product.
> They're expecting it. They will not accepted un-announced
> shipments. With Asus, you fill out a web form, to get an
> RMA number.
>

They've replied to the inquiry I sent to them and mentioned the need for
an RMA already. I'll do that if I decide to send it in.

They did NOT send me a manual though. They didn't actually refuse to
send the manual, just basically ignored the request and added this
sentence after advising me to try some driver updates (which changed
nothing) and suggesting an RMA if that didn't do the trick:

===
I don't suggest you disassemble the laptop by yourself, because it will
invalid your warranty. Please confirm this.
===

> If the company had repair depots in major centers, and it
> didn't require boxing up, maybe things would be different.
> It's possible Asus has a single repair place (like in California).
> I really haven't researched them, for that sort of thing.
>

I've replied to their email to ask where the repair depot is and for an
estimate on how long it will take to do the repairs. I've also asked
them what happens if they deem the problem my fault due to, say, a food
particle under the key. I'm very curious to know if they will allow me
to have the laptop back in its current state for free or if I will be
forced to pay a possibly large price for the repairs or at least the
return shipping.

Based on that answer, I may very well just live with the sticky key. I
don't know if they are going to be able to detect that I caused a
problem but if they want a lot of money for a new keyboard or even just
a lot of money for the return shipping of the unfixed computer, I may
very well just live with the problem.

> I also don't know, if it's true that the "store has no warranty",
> and it's "manufacturer warranty all the way". If you could
> get the repair done locally, it would be a simpler matter
> of just ordering a keyboard for it.
>

That might be a better option, even if I have to pay for parts and
labour. At least I'd get it back quickly. Well, maybe. One of my friends
had her desktop in for repairs locally and it took them days just to
diagnose it and then additional days to copy her data to another hard
drive when the problem turned out to be too expensive. I could have done
what they did in half an hour.

> Have a look around here, and see if your keyboard is available.
> If you could get a service manual for the laptop, you might be
> able to locate a part number for the keyboard. In the keyboard
> listing here, I don't see a "compatibility" list with each
> item. Still, at least this is a source of keyboards, even if
> you don't know whether it's the right one.
>

They never sent a service manual. They didn't exactly refuse but I got
the impression that they didn't want me to have one while the computer
was under warranty. That means I have no idea what the right keyboard is
for the computer out of the ones listed below. I don't know if a US
keyboard would plug into my laptop without bad side-effects; do you?

> http://us.estore.asus.com/
>
> http://us.estore.asus.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=53
>
> Paul

I just tried to find their Canadian repair depots but all I got was US
(and Puerto Rico). I hope that doesn't mean it has to go to the US for
repairs!

I googled on ASUS Canada, which took me to ca.asus.com. I chose English.
Then I clicked on "Support" in the big grey box at the bottom, which has
a title of "Canada/English". That took me to service.asus.com and
clicked on "Authorized Repair Service Locations". And that shows only
authorized service centers in the US (and Puerto Rico). I wind up on the
same page if I choose ASUS Notebook Service. Uh-oh! I'm beginning to
think 3 weeks is awfully optimistic....

--
Rhino

[Paul]

Rhino wrote:

>
> I just tried to find their Canadian repair depots but all I got was US
> (and Puerto Rico). I hope that doesn't mean it has to go to the US for
> repairs!
>
> I googled on ASUS Canada, which took me to ca.asus.com. I chose English.
> Then I clicked on "Support" in the big grey box at the bottom, which has
> a title of "Canada/English". That took me to service.asus.com and
> clicked on "Authorized Repair Service Locations". And that shows only
> authorized service centers in the US (and Puerto Rico). I wind up on the
> same page if I choose ASUS Notebook Service. Uh-oh! I'm beginning to
> think 3 weeks is awfully optimistic....
>

Give the process a chance, before giving up on it.
If they're doing this on purpose (to avoid honoring
the warranty), then that's reason enough to persist.

*******

Now, this is interesting.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/487940-asus-rma-warranty-guide-print.html

"For Canadian residents, all your RMA numbers will start with "CAA1" which
directs your RMA to the Markham, Ontario facility. Canada only has one
service center and while Canadians are only limited to the one facility,
it is often regarded as one of the best and most efficient Asus service
centers in the world."

And some more reports here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/464750-asus-office-markham-9000-a.html

If you live in Markham, sounds like "good times".

Paul

[hugh....@hotmail.com]

On 17 Apr, 19:24, Paul <nos...@needed.com> wrote:
> Rhino wrote:
>
> > I just tried to find their Canadian repair depots but all I got was US
> > (and Puerto Rico). I hope that doesn't mean it has to go to the US for
> > repairs!
>
> > I googled on ASUS Canada, which took me to ca.asus.com. I chose English.
> > Then I clicked on "Support" in the big grey box at the bottom, which has
> > a title of "Canada/English". That took me to service.asus.com and
> > clicked on "Authorized Repair Service Locations". And that shows only
> > authorized service centers in the US (and Puerto Rico). I wind up on the
> > same page if I choose ASUS Notebook Service. Uh-oh! I'm beginning to
> > think 3 weeks is awfully optimistic....
>
> Give the process a chance, before giving up on it.
> If they're doing this on purpose (to avoid honoring
> the warranty), then that's reason enough to persist.
>
> *******
>
> Now, this is interesting.
>

> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/487940-asus-rma-warranty-guide-p...

>
>     "For Canadian residents, all your RMA numbers will start with "CAA1" which
>      directs your RMA to the Markham, Ontario facility. Canada only has one
>      service center and while Canadians are only limited to the one facility,
>      it is often regarded as one of the best and most efficient Asus service
>      centers in the world."
>
> And some more reports here.
>

> http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/464750-asus-office-markham-9000-...

>
> If you live in Markham, sounds like "good times".
>
>     Paul

I used to work in Markham twenty years ago. Markham is one of the
Toronto suburbs, just north of the city. It's about a two hire drive
(one way) in good traffic so it doesn't make a lot of sense to drive
it in given that a courier will be cheaper. (Mind you, I don't know
how a courier will handle it; for all I know, they'll throw it around
and REALLY break it.)

I meant to get back to this thread days ago. I emailed ASUS to ask
about the warranty and where the service center was for Canada and
determined that it was indeed in Markham. They also assured me it
should not take more than two weeks to repair it. I was pleasantly
surprised to find that they would notify me when they had diagnosed it
and would tell me if the warranty was void at that time. At that time,
I could ask for it back unrepaired and not have to pay for anything
but the shipping. I'm starting to be a lot less concerned about
shipping it in for repair. I can't do it until I have the desktop back
up and running but it's a definite maybe for when the desktop is
working again.

However, it may not be necessary. All the typing I've been doing on
these threads seems to be improving the behaviour of the comma key. I
don't have to hit it hard any more. It sometimes doesn't type and
feels a little spongey but actually gives me a comma quite a lot of
the time now. I'm starting to think the problem was a crumb of food
that somehow got under a corner of the key; maybe all the hammering on
the comma key has broken that crumb down into tiny crumblets that
don't keep the key from making contact....