I have a 5-year-old Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 7, and it's my favorite go-to tool for simple post-processing with Elements. Just yesterday, it decided to perturb me when its "period" key ceased to work. Even though I'm a senior male (in his early 80s), I became alarmed when my period stopped, a condition that more typically affects young women or girls of wanton proclivities. Rather than speed off to Best Buy, I thought it might be productive to consult the tech-savvy folks in this forum. First, is this a serious illness that writes my Sony's death sentence, or is it a minor glitch that a Best Buy "geek" could cure in minutes? Second, does anyone have an estimate of what I might expect to pay in order to bring about a cure? Thanks for any advice that points me in the right direction. i never dreamt that I could become so despondent over a dot that won't come when it's called.

The cheap Walmart option sounds good. But I would have to somehow use it without having the machine on my lap. I discovered that I could buy a new Sony keyboard for $25 and Best Buy would install it for $60. Even though I don't have Parkinson's, I still wouldn't trust my ancient shaky fingers to handle the installation at home. As someone who is running for prez likes to say, "Believe me. I know. That's a fact."

Appreciation and thanks to all who responded to my distress call. BTW, I'm using my Macbook Pro to type this.............Migawd, it loves periods! ☉