My computer is misbehaving. Sometimes after bootup, the trackpad and keyboard will stop responding, and then the computer will freeze. An external mouse will continue responding throughout, so it’s not a hard lock, but it’s still not letting me do anything, either. Unplugging the power from the machine and letting the battery die will result in it coming up correctly the next time I turn it on, after which it will resume the wacky behavior.
I suspect it’s hardware related, particularly the ribbon cable connecting the built-in keyboard to the motherboard. That’s a common reason for laptop keyboards to stop responding, and when I pulled the keyboard off to check, I found the plastic clip which holds the ribbon in place was cracked on one side. I dropped the laptop earlier today, which could have jarred the ribbon out of place. I reseated the cable; we’ll see if that controls the issue or not. If it works, I may have to get out the superglue and fix that clip. I don’t want to take it to be repaired, because I suspect the only fix I’d be offered is to replace the motherboard. That’s more trouble than I want and more money than I want to spend.