Function Lock not working for Home, Pg Up, Pg Dn, and End functions. Fn key must still be pressed.

SKRest

Hello. I just purchased a ConceptD 5 laptop and I like it but would very much like to be able to tap the Home, Pg Up, Pg Dn, and End keys in the "navigation column" on the right side of the keyboard, rather than having to hold down the Fn key and then tap those buttons in order to be able to use them. My understanding is that when Function Lock is engaged, these keys, like the F1 through F12 keys at the top of the keyboard, should not require the Fn key to be held down first in order to respond with the requested function.

Does anyone have a solution or a workaround for this? Can this be solved through a system update provided by Acer? And if so, how long would it take for such an update to be released?

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me, it is essential on account of the loss of productivity that occurs cumulatively from having to always hold down the Fn key in order to use these functions rather than simply being able to tap the keys themselves.

Thanks very much for time and consideration. I sincerely hope that Acer or a fellow user is able to offer a solution to this issue.

JackE

Shut down machine normally.

Wait a few moments, then turn it back on again and IMMEDIATELY start tapping the F2 key to enter the BIOS menu.

Go to MAIN page or tab.

Change Function key behavior to media key by clicking on right arrow.

Then go to EXIT page or tab to save BIOS settings and exit.

SKRest

Hello, JackE. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I already tried changing the BIOS setting from Function to Media prior to posting, and while it works for the F1-F12 keys, it unfortunately does not work for the specific keys I mention in the navigation column. I know it SHOULD theoretically work for those keys as well, but alas, it does not. (NOTE: To JackE, and to anyone else reading this post that has an Acer ConceptD 5 or any other Acer machine with the Home, Pg Up, Pg Down, and End keys in the navigation column on the right side of their keyboard, please make this same change in your BIOS settings from Function to Media so you can verify that what I am saying is correct. As you will see, even after changing from Function to Media, you still have to hold down the Function key in order to use the Home, Pg Up, Pg Down, and End keys.)

At this point, based on all of my research and experimentation, I am confident that, for whatever reason, Acer did not treat the keys in the navigation column as Function keys with respect to their programming, even though the Function key must be held down in order to initiate their functions. In my opinion, this is a huge oversight on the part of Acer. I believe that the only way this oversight can be rectified is for Acer to release an update with modified programming whereby these keys are treated the same way as the F1-F12 keys, in which case the solution you have proposed would be the correct one. I sincerely hope Acer will release such an update ASAP, because I really like the ConceptD 5 laptop otherwise.

JackE

Some keyboards are equipped with padlock keys like shown below. Press FN + padlock at the same time to see what happens.

SKRest

Hello JackE. Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, there are no lock keys on the ConceptD 5 keyboard. Here is a close-up image of the keyboard, as well as a screen capture of the page of the manual where the key combinations are discussed. In my opinion, it seems clear that Acer did not think it was necessary to program a way for users to bypass the Fn key so as to be able to use the Home, Pg Up, Pg Dn, and End keys by themselves. For people like me that spend a lot of time working in spreadsheets, this is a HUGE productivity killer and a deal-breaker that seemingly would not be that difficult to fix either by means of a BIOS update or adding a few lines of code to the driver that is responsible for key commands. Since you seem to be a veteran of the Acer community, are you aware of a way for me to bring this to the attention of Acer so that I can seek a solution to this issue? The ConceptD 5 laptop is excellent otherwise and Acer should allow users the ability to use it and its keyboard in the most efficient manner possible. Please let me know how I can bring this issue to the attention of the appropriate folks at Acer.

JackE

Look closer at your shift key on the left side. Might have to change the media key back to function key in BIOS 🙂