I bought my wife an HP chromebook, and almost a year after we bought it, the right side of the keyboard would randomly stop typing. It was the 1, 4, y, u, h, j, n. and m
keys, as far as I know. Looking into the problem, I found that I was not the only one with this issue. Then I found a hidden gem on the HP support site. A user by the name of gediger
figured out that the kink in the ribbon-cable was the culprit, and by bending it somewhere else, the problem is resolved.
I have this exact problem and after HP and Woot where I bought it were unhelpful, I dug into it myself. It’s not a problem with the keys at all, it was the ribbon cable connecting it to the motherboard. After re-seating the large ribbon cable it would work for a bit until I snapped the keyboard back into place. Then, no worky again. After fiddling with it while having the keyboard off, I found that the fold in the cable was the problem. When straightened out, it worked, when folded tight (like when the keyboard was snugged down) it quit working. I re-folded it in different places while reinstalling the keyboard and it’s been working for about a week. If it stays working, awesome, but who knows.
In the end, No help from HP on this but every once in a while a blind squirrel finds a nut. Hope this helps someone else!
Source: HP Support Site