A user reports that when they press the Y key on their laptop, a Z appears onscreen (and vice-versa). Before disassembling the laptop to inspect or replace the keyboard, which of the following initial steps should the technician perform to troubleshoot the issue?
Check the keyboard layout settings in the operating system.
Disassemble the laptop and check the keyboard's ribbon-cable connection.
Update the BIOS firmware to the latest version.
Press the Num Lock key to see if it resolves the issue.
An initial, non-intrusive step is to verify the keyboard layout selected in the operating system. Accidentally switching from a US-QWERTY to a European QWERTZ layout will swap the Y and Z keys as described. Num Lock typically causes letters to become numbers on laptops with an embedded numeric keypad, not a Y/Z swap, while BIOS updates and hardware disassembly should be reserved until simple software checks are exhausted.
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What are keyboard layout settings and how can they affect typing?
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How can outdated firmware impact keyboard functionality?
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What is the purpose of the Num Lock key, and how can it affect keyboard usage?