Arch Linux

Kitchi

Member

Registered: 2013-10-11

Posts: 17

Some function keys have stopped functioning

I'm running Arch on a Dell XPS 15 laptop. I have my function keys setup so that I don't have to hit the Fn key to use the "special" functions.

For the last few days I've noticed that my brightness increase/decrease buttons were behaving a little delayed, and today they stopped working entirely. I've tried using

showkey --scancodes

and I've had a look at https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ex … #Scancodes as well as https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ma … o_keycodes.

Along with my brightness keys, my wireless hardware switch doesn't work and my WiFi is turned off. I tried looking at dmesg for the 'unknown keycode' outputs, but it didn't register.

Are the keys physically dead? How can I check that? Is there a way to map them back to their original functions?

outro_tipo

Member

Registered: 2013-03-08

Posts: 28

Re: Some function keys have stopped functioning

what happened in showkey?

Kitchi

Member

Registered: 2013-10-11

Posts: 17

Re: Some function keys have stopped functioning

Nothing. It didn't print anything at all, and the Arch Wiki says that it's probably because the scancode is not mapped to the keycode.

Since the output didn't appear in dmesg either, I'm not sure how to find the scancode so I can manually remap it.

I'm right now going through the WIki again to see if I can figure out the issue, but the whole thing is really confusing me.

outro_tipo

Member

Registered: 2013-03-08

Posts: 28

Re: Some function keys have stopped functioning

try using any mod key (or not using if you are) to see if you get anything to make sure the keys are not phisically broken.