Windows 11 Acer AG15-51P keyboard quite working during setup

[CaesarWin26]

I just bought a new Acer Inspire Go 15. Today I was setting it up for my adult granddaughter to use. All went smoothly until suddenly the keyboard stopped working. I've tried the following—

• I've restarted, with no joy. At login, I was not able to enter my granddaughter's PIN, as the keyboard would not respond.
• I checked Updates and found a list of them that were still pending download or installing. I got that process going with the trackpad or an external mouse; no joy so far.
• I performed a hard reset: Shut down, pulled the power cord, then pressed and held the power button for 30+ seconds. When I released the power button, the machine went into some sort of self-repair mode. That ran for about 15 seconds before an error message displayed telling me that it couldn't fix the problem.
• At some point in all this, I did get the keyboard to respond long enough to enter the PIN. After I got in, however, the keyboard still refused to respond.

My granddaughter has an external Bluetooth keyboard and mouse set that works with her old W10 machine. The Acer's touchpad works fine. The Bluetooth mouse works fine with the Acer, but the Bluetooth keyboard is of no help.

Just now I booted up and the welcome screen displays with a lovely picture of the bishop's palace in Peru. I tapped the touchpad to launch the login, but the keyboard does not respond. So we're back to a bricked new computer.

 

[ChatGPT]

Hi CaesarWin26,
That does sound maddening on a brand-new machine.
The good news is: this does not sound like a fully “bricked” laptop. It sounds much more like either a bad built-in keyboard or a Windows/input setup problem. The key test now is to find out whether the keyboard fails only in Windows, or also before Windows loads. Acer’s standard notebook BIOS entry key is F2, and Acer also documents a power-drain/internal battery reset as a safe first reset step.

My best guess​

Because the keyboard is failing:

• at the sign-in screen
• after restarts
• and only worked briefly once

…I would treat this first as a possible hardware defect on a new unit, not just a bad update. Microsoft’s keyboard troubleshooting starts with hardware checks, and Acer’s BIOS test is the fastest way to separate Windows trouble from keyboard hardware trouble. (support.microsoft.com)

Do this next, in this order​

1. Try the on-screen keyboard so you can get back in​

At the sign-in screen:

1. Click the Accessibility icon at the lower-right.
2. Choose On-Screen Keyboard.
3. Use the touchpad to enter the PIN.

Microsoft says the On-Screen Keyboard can be launched directly from the sign-in screen this way. (support.microsoft.com)

2. Once signed in, turn off the keyboard accessibility features​

Using the touchpad:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
2. Make sure Sticky Keys is Off.
3. Make sure Filter Keys is Off.
4. Make sure Toggle Keys is Off.

These settings can make a keyboard seem erratic or unresponsive, and they are quick to rule out. Microsoft’s keyboard help points to Windows keyboard troubleshooting and accessibility keyboard settings as standard checks. (support.microsoft.com)

3. Test the keyboard outside Windows​

This is the important step.

1. Shut the laptop down completely.
2. Turn it back on.
3. As soon as the Acer logo appears, repeatedly tap F2.

Acer says F2 is the BIOS/UEFI key for notebooks.

How to interpret that test​

If the built-in keyboard works in BIOS​

That suggests the keyboard hardware is probably alive, and the problem is more likely in Windows, drivers, or setup state. That inference is consistent with Microsoft’s guidance that when a keyboard works in UEFI but not in Windows, the problem is with the software side.
In that case, do this:

1. Sign in with the On-Screen Keyboard.
2. Open Device Manager.
3. Expand Keyboards.
4. Right-click the built-in keyboard entry and choose Uninstall device.
5. Restart the laptop.

Then let Windows reinstall the keyboard driver automatically. Microsoft’s general keyboard troubleshooting also recommends checking device setup and drivers first. (support.microsoft.com)

If the built-in keyboard does not work in BIOS​

That strongly points to a hardware fault on the new laptop, not something you caused in setup. Since BIOS runs before normal Windows input handling, failure there is a bad sign for the internal keyboard itself. Acer’s BIOS method gives you the cleanest pre-Windows test.
If that happens, my advice is simple:

1. Stop spending time on resets and updates.
2. Use a return/exchange while the laptop is brand new.
3. Call it DOA / defective keyboard.

About the Bluetooth keyboard​

Your Bluetooth keyboard is not a reliable diagnostic tool here. At the sign-in stage, Bluetooth input may not be paired or initialized the way you expect. For testing, a wired USB keyboard is much better. Microsoft’s touch-keyboard guidance also distinguishes between attached keyboards and the on-screen/touch keyboard path, which is why the on-screen keyboard is the safer immediate workaround. (support.microsoft.com)

One more safe reset to try​

You already did a version of this, but Acer’s documented power-drain reset is:

1. Shut down the laptop.
2. Unplug the charger.
3. Disconnect peripherals.
4. Hold the Power button for at least 30 seconds.
5. Reconnect power.
6. Turn it back on.

Acer says this can clear residual power/embedded-controller issues. (community.acer.com)

My honest recommendation​

Because this is a new Acer Aspire/“Inspire” Go 15, I would not sink much more time into it.

I would do only these two tests:​

1. On-Screen Keyboard to get in.
2. F2 BIOS test with the built-in keyboard.

Then:​

• Works in BIOS → try reinstalling the keyboard device in Windows.
• Does not work in BIOS → exchange it immediately.

One diagnostic question​

Do you have access to a plain wired USB keyboard? If yes, that would let you:

1. sign in,
2. enter BIOS if needed,
3. confirm very quickly whether only the internal keyboard is dead.

If you want, reply with what happens when you try F2 at the Acer logo, and I’ll tell you the exact next step.

 

[CaesarWin26]

First: No, did not have access to a wired keyboard. Second: I followed your instructions and deleted the keyboard device driver. I'm happy to report that after restarting the computer, the keyboard seems to be working fine. Thank you!

 

[ChatGPT]

That’s great news, CaesarWin26 — and that strongly suggests it was a driver/Windows-side issue, not a dead keyboard.

What to do next​

To reduce the chance of it happening again, I’d do these now:

1. Run Windows Update and let it finish completely.
2. Restart once more after updates finish.
3. Open Device Manager > Keyboards and make sure there are no warning icons.
4. Test the keyboard in a few places:
   • sign-in screen
   • Notepad
   • browser address bar
5. If Acer has an official support app installed, let it check for driver or BIOS updates.

Important​

Because this is a brand-new laptop, I would still keep an eye on it for a day or two.
If the keyboard fails again:

1. Note exactly when it happens.
2. Check whether it fails only in Windows or also before sign-in.
3. If it becomes recurrent, consider using the return/exchange window rather than living with a flaky new machine.

Bottom line​

For now, this is a very good sign: reinstalling the keyboard device fixed it, so the laptop is likely usable.
Glad you got it back.