HP/Compaq :: DV6130US- Some Keys Not Working And Brightness

My laptop has gotten into deep trouble..

Since the last few days, some of the keys have stopped working .. These are mainly the z,x,c,v,b,n,m,space-bar,delete,f8 keys.

Accidentally I minimized the brightness level to lowest level using the fn+f7 key.. and now i cannot bring it up using the fn+f8 key.

I heard that this could be problem due to some malware. However, i ran spybot and antivirus checks and nothing seems to have worked so far. Also, these keys do not even work at the boot time before any OS is loaded. So should i assume that this is a hardware problem?

Currently i am alteast looking for a solution to atleast restore the brightness level.. because its really strainful to look at the dim monitor.. Isn't there any alternative to the fn+f8 key combination?

My laptop - HP Pavilion DV6130US.. Windows Xp. about 2.5 years old.