What the F is wrong with my keyboard?

[Wjousts]

None. My keyboard is wired. It is connected through a KVM switch however which connects to a desktop that I haven't used in months. Maybe I should take that out of the equation...

[Wjousts]

I thought that too, but it isn't system-wide. It seems to effect one application at a time. So, for example, Firefox might be working fine, but Visual Studio is acting wacky. I restart Visual Studio and now it's fine too. Then maybe some time later (maybe hours, maybe days), a different application will start acting up.

[DeathByChocolate]

Well, this fine quality Swiss Easter Egg isn't going to eat itself you know! ;P

"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B

[Septimus Hedgehog]

Sounds like someone wants a new laptop. Coffee first and then a faulty keyboard. Have you tried "dropping" a 10Kg hammer on it? Perhaps slip it under the wheels of a train? ;)

[Dalek Dave]

Griff, trust me, that isn't Toblerone!

--------------------------------- I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] English League Tables - Live

[OriginalGriff]

Windows keyboard layouts don't have to be system wide - they can be application specific (and normally by language the app was installed in). And the default key for switching keyboard language is pretty easy to hit: Left SHIFT + ALT. Try disabling that sequence via Control Panel > Regional and Language Options > Change Keyboards and see if the problem goes away.

Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water

[S Houghtelin]

Wjousts wrote:

It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back.

:doh: OR maybe it was the alignment of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in the western sky last month...

It was broke, so I fixed it.

[Wjousts]

Wow! I can't believe I didn't know that. I bet I've done it while alt-tabbing between windows (and some time alt-shift-tabbing to go backwards). The problem was that I had a French keyboard "installed" from when I was messing around with language settings to test a . vs , issue. I removed it from the list of installed keyboards and now it won't switch even with alt-shift. Cheers!

[W Balboos GHB]

Back in the days of DOS, I wrote a TSR program that would do just about what you said: Intermittently change keystrokes. I particularly targeted the 'd' and 'r' keys, causing them to appear like fat-finger mistypes: d->f or s; r->e or t. So, just sayin' - it could be a little software mischeif, as well.

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

[Wjousts]

I would. But after it survived the tea bath I gave it, I kinda have new found respect for the tough little bugger. If only it wouldn't randomly freeze up for a few seconds every once in a while!

[Rajesh R Subramanian]

You're pressing the key combination that toggles the input language (and/or the keyboard layout). This combination is usually : Left Alt + Left Shift. If you choose the option to see language bar on your desktop, you can confirm this assumption that the input language has changed to something else (presumably EN-GB).

Wjousts wrote:

suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open.

The input language switch happens on process basis, and this behaviour is by design. The reason is that if I'm drafting something in Tamil language in notepad, I wouldn't want to see Tamil glyphs being typed if I just switch to Firefox for a moment and type something there. If you're not using any language other than EN-US, then go to control panel and remove the input languages that you aren't using.

"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.

[Rajesh R Subramanian]

Assuming that your claims here are actually true, I'd think that except for when you're eating chocolates, you'd pretty much spend the rest of your time on a treadmill. :)

"Real men drive manual transmission" - Rajesh.

[Henry Minute]

Repeat after me: "Gottle of geer." "Gottle of geer." "Gottle of geer." "Gottle of geer." "Vust get Henry a gottle of geer."

Henry Minute Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is. Cogito ergo thumb - Sucking my thumb helps me to think.

[DeathByChocolate]

You have outed me! Truth is I hardly ever eat chocolate ... I love it but I just have a little from time to time - otherwise a whole new wardrobe would be required, if you know what I mean. :rolleyes: ... but I like to dream! :-O :-D

"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B

[DeathByChocolate]

You can't beat the knobbly bits on a Toblerone! ;P

"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B

[Lost User]

Yep, isn't it astonishing that a stateful change can be made using only modifier keys and that this is on be DEFAULT. AND those modifier keys are part of several well-established key sequences already. Dumb as you like.

[Wendelius]

If not already posted, not that pressing left shift and alt simultaneously toggles between keyboard layouts. I often do this by mistake :)

[realJSOP]

Wjousts wrote:

and my : was coming out as an M?

I bet it really hurts when something other that ! or | comes out of your :

".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

[Gary Wheeler]

99 gottles of geer on ze vall, 99 gottles of geer; take vun doon, pass it aroond, 98 gottles of geer on ze vall! 99 gottles of geer on ze vall, 98 gottles of geer; take vun doon, pass it aroond, 97 gottles of geer on ze vall! ...

Software Zen: delete this;

[Vivi Chellappa]

Wjousts wrote:

It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back [Coffee]

Spilling :beer: would explain the kind of behavior you describe, but tea?