Keyboard acts mysteriously

There is something grossly wrong with my computer. For several months I have had a strange syndrome with my keyboard. It began before I acquired this new Microsoft wireless keyboard. In fact the reason I obtained new keyboard was because of this syndrome.

When I would keystroke, the characters on the screen had no resemblance to the keys that I pressed. The first couple of times that this occurred I rebooted the computer and the keyboard then acted normally. I'd eventually tired of this and the assumed that the keyboard was defective. I replaced it with this Microsoft wireless keyboard. The intermittent problem is still there.

Does anyone know what is happening, and why? Operating system Windows XP Professional

Paul

 

Two things, neither likely to be honest as your keyboard initially acts OK, but humour us and check them out anyway...

1) Is your keyboard the same language as your language settings (some keyboards are AZRTY not QWERTY etc).

2) Have you checked the batteries in the wireless keyboard, maybe it's failing?

Third idea, does your keyboard have a separate numeric keypad or is it shared with the main Alphanumeric keys (eg J=1, K=2 etc).

If you post what keys aren't working as expected (and the characters shown) then perhaps we could help further.

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm not savvy enough to answer question 1 about the keyboard language. I am in the US, and all hardware and software was purchased in the US, and I've never used any other language on the computer. Yes, the batteries are OK. Third, there is a separate set of keys, a distinct numeric keypad.

Please bear in mind that this is the second keyboard that has given me this same syndrome, so I suspect it's something other than the keyboard. When this happened last, I made a copy of the characters that it produced.

The following is the uppermost line of characters on the keyboard. The first line below represents the first pass I made of the top row of keys. The second line represents the second pass that I made on that top row. I had not pressed the shift key. The third line represents the third pass I made on that same, again not using the shift key. I repeated this seven times, as indicated on the first seven rows below. Note that on the sixth line the same set of characters were repeated as on the first line.

The second sequence is the same top row of keys, but with the shift key held. I did not reboot the computer and eventually the keys began functioning normally.


'`\ZXCVBNM,./
-+\1234567890
-=QWERTYUIOP[
]ASDFGHJKL;'
`\ZXCVBNM,./
-+\1234567890
-=QWERTYUIOP[

}asdfghjkl: "~
|zxcvbnm<>?-+
|!@#$%^&*()_+
qwertyuiop{}a
sdfghjkl: "~|z
~!@#$%^&*()_+

Paul

 

Hi Wildfire,

I re-read your note again, and with respect to the numeric keys, J is not shared with 1, K with 2. The top row of keys that I entered in the two tables above is from my top row of numeric keys in which 1 is shared with !, 2 with @, etc. In addition to that row of numeric keys, there is a seperate numeric keypad on the right hand side of the keyboard.

Paul

 

Hi Paul,

You're using a US keyboard so we can rule out language settings.

I'm assuming your wireless keyboard is USB? Was your previous (wired?) keyboard also USB?

It doesn't appear a hardware issue (but please answer USB questions above) and to be honest I can't see this as a malware issue either, have you tried to remove your current keyboard drivers from device manager and allowing windows to reinstall them.

Normally I'd suggest a system restore but since this has been going on for a few months it's probably too late.

 

try removing the driver and reinstalling by clicking Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
Double-click Keyboard, right-click the keyboard that you use, and then click Uninstall.

reboot and the keyboard will reinstall from windows drivers or use your keyboard drivers disk if asked

let us know if this works.

 

Yep, suggested last post ickymay... I assume that march's experience can guide him to devmgmt

 

First to answer Wildfire's question, yes, my previous keyboard was a USB, although not wireless. Interestingly, I connected this wireless to the same USB slot as the hardwired keyboard was in. Hmmm! Can USB slots go bad? When I re-install, I'll choose a different slot.

Regarding Ickimay's comment on re-installing the driver, I can do it by devmgmt. I assume I'll have to connect the keyboard after I de-install, but before I restart the computer. Am I correct in this? I guess if I didn't have it connected Windows would recognize it. When would it be better to connect. Before re-start of after?

Just one more question. Why is devmgnt preferable to removing through "Add/Remove programs" in the control panel? And thanks ever so much for your help.

Paul

 

@Evan,

It is not language settings.

@March

Leave keyboard connected, remove driver shutdown and restart.

 

No problem, but I've never seen a language issue that transposes rows of the keyboard.

My first thought was hardware (but two keyboards with same issue?) then interface (a faulty PS/2 maybe, but USB?), Malware (What would be the point?), Drivers is all that is left.

If you have seen a language translation transpose rows then yes march should check it out but I've never seen this.

 

Thanks to all of you for taking your time to help me solve this. I have deleted and reinstalled the driver, and nothing bad has happened. (since I didn't delete the program, just the driver, the keyboard still has all its functions.) Now I just wait to see what happens.

It does puzzle me though that with the other keyboard that I scrapped when this first happened, it must have been using a different driver. But I'm sure glad to be functioning today.

Thanks again all.

Paul

 

I don't know if adding a post here will have the thread come alive so that someone will see it, but here goes. Does anyone know if using the Microsoft program Guided Help for making a check disc is desirable? There were a couple of caveats in MS Knowledge base article Q315265. One is that it could take a long time to run. The second is that "some changes cannot be undone." That is the part that scares me.

This relates to my erratic keyboard performance. After removing the driver as Wildfire suggested, (Windows must have provided it's own driver on rebooting) the machine worked normal for the rest of the day.

The following day (today) functions were normal at first. I typed text without difficulty. When I went to a web site that required my password, I couldn't log on. I went to a text document and discovered that my keyboard was again not producing the correct characters. I chose the "a" key, lower case and pressed repeatedly, getting a different character with each press.

It occurs to me that there is either a hardware problem, possibly on the motherboard, or software gone amiss. I wonder if check disc is a good place to start, but I'm interested in getting advice before I let Guided Help make changes that cannot be undone.

Does anyone have any ideas or comments?

Paul

 

Hi March,

It shouldn't make any changes to your system but if you're worried just do the manual steps.

 

have you tried using a PS2 keyboard to eliminate the possibility of a USB problem ?

 

Hi Wildfire,

I'm glad that you are still on the line. Perhaps you can continue to help me. I'm reluctant to do the manual steps because in the past I've been required to answer questions without knowing the ramifications of the answer, and sometimes don't fully understand the question. But if that's the best way to go, I'll do it.

Can you tell me please, do you think that this problem may be something that something amiss on the disc could cause? Having concluded that it's not the keyboard hardware, or even the keyboard driver my logic led me to either a hardware problem on the motherboard or something in software somewhere along the line. It seemed that scanning the disc was the place to start.

Do you think my analysis is correct and than doing a disc scan is a good place to start? If you do, can you tell me about the disc scan. I haven't done one since Windows 98, so I don't know what's involved now. Does the Microsoft program, if left to make any repairs, solve something line this?

Paul

 

Hi Paul,

To be honest I wouldn't think it's anything to do with your HD but there's no harm in checking it.

The easiest way since you can boot windows is to open my computer and right click on the drive, select properties the tools tab then click "Check Now ".

Once Check Disk window appears leave the two check boxes blank for the time being (in extreme situations data loss may occur). And click Start.

You may be prompted to shutdown the computer before checking can take place, if so restart.

Let us know if any problems were detected.

BTW Ickymay's suggestion may help as well if you can use a PS/2 keyboard.

 

Thanks Ickmay and Wildfire. Yup, I put on a PS2 keyboard and will await anxiously to see what happens. The wireless keyboard (through USB port) doesn't work while the PS2 is being used, but I'll keep using it until, and unless the screwy stuff happens again.

Thanks for the tip on checking the hard drive. Going to take a look at it.

Paul

 

Keep us informed Paul

I've just had another look through this thread and apart from the USB another common denominator seems to be...

Was this program around with your first keyboard or did you install it with the second one?