Keyboard slowdown in email and Word

Hi,
In the past few weeks, I have seen a keying slowdown in email and Word and sometimes on Internet. When I key sometimes the display will take 2-3 seconds before characters show up and then at other times, it works fine. I have not been able to detect a pattern.

I have Dell 4600, 512MB, new in Nov. 03.
I have Windows XP SP1 with all critical updates, and looked at other MS updates but none seemed to apply.
Run Norton SystemsWorks, virus updated automatically, run system scan once a week.
Run Webroot Spy Sweeper daily.
Run defrag about once a month.
Have searched MS knowledge base, this site, and used Google.

Could someone help me of how to correct or where to look?
Thanks,
Ken

 

You forgot to tell us about your keyboard. Does it connect on a USB port, is it wireless? Have you tried unplugging it, rebooting, plugging it back in on the Windows Splash screen and letting XP "find" it? Have you checked in Device Manager for any iregularities? Have you tried substituting another keyboard?

Johanna
with more questions than actual answers...

 

Thank you for your help. Taking out the keyboard cable and rebooting solved the problem! I am embarrassed on this one since that should have been the first thing I had done. I was preoccupied with thinking out malware being on my system causing the problem.
Thanks,
Ken

 

I owe any success I've had with these infernal machines to dumb luck and being a strict adherent of the KISS policy. Thank you for posting back and letting us know how you fixed it.

Don't apologize for malware paranoia, either. These days, the hardware is good, XP is stable, and the first thing we do suspect, and rightfully so, is malware, when something isn't working properly. What that says about our society is a shame. For tips tricks and links make sure you head over to the Security Forum. You didn't mention Spybot (there is a new version now) or AdAware, and both are useful tools for keeping tabs on your system, and fixing any unwanted intruders. You HAVE to get security savvy these days, or your thousand dollar state-of-the-art machine becomes a useless piece of junk.

Welcome to the BBS!
Johanna