Mac – How to control the volume with a non-Mac keyboard

Keep in mind that the Command key is the same as the Windows key (or Super) in Bootcamp/whatever.

1. Back up. Santa will thank you.
2. Read this guide and this guide if you want to get a basic idea of what I'm doing in step 3.

3. Add these two commands to your startup (System->Administration->Startup Applications):

   xmodmap -e 'keycode 133=Control_L'
   xmodmap -e 'keycode 37=Super_L'
   

   That'll take care of the left side, swapping the Command and Control key functions.

4. Add these two commands to your startup too for the right command and control.

   xmodmap -e 'keycode 134=Control_R'
   xmodmap -e 'keycode 109=Super_R'
   

It'll only work as soon as you log in though.

The internal keyboard controller may be faulty, or the keyboard connector may be damaged or shorted.

This behavior is unlikely to be caused by software, and since you stated that the laptop keyboard is entirely nonfunctional but an external keyboard works to an extent, I would suspect that the laptop's internal keyboard electronics are at fault. The parts in question are probably on the motherboard itself.