my keyboard does not seem to work only certain letters work so i have to use the on-screen keyboard. any help please ;]

Smash it to bits with your fist and buy a new one, thats what i did with mine the other night when it pissed me off.

Or you could always plug a desktop one into it

A bit more information might help. Is it a Laptop keyboard or a Desktop keyboard. If it's a Laptop, what make? What operating system are you using?

Hi, its a dell inspirion, operating on windows vista and its a laptop keyboard.

Open up a Notepad Document.
This is because its a basic editor.

Go along your keyboard top row second row etc.

See if there is a pattern to the the keys that no longer work.
Are they in one section ?

To fix or swap the keyboard isn't too difficult. You can normally get a replacement from e-bay cheap enough.

What we have not done yet is established if its windows or a virus that's paying tricks with your keyboard.

Try to start your laptop in Safe mode via F8 at start up.
Open the notepad again and do the same test.

If its defiantly the keyboard then it will need replacing or an external one which will be your cheapest option.

Had This Problem A Couple Of Times, The Keyboard Needs Replacing As Some Of The Circuits Have Gone Down, Easy To Replace.

Agh! the spilt cup of coffee syndrome

A keyboard problem doesnt mean there is a keyboard fault. Until the user reports back that he has tried the things recomended by Mark then we still dont know where the fault lies. Ive seen a couple of engineers swap out parts only to find the problem lies elsewhere.