What the F is wrong with my keyboard?
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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.
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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 Keyboardsand 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
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!
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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
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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? ;)
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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.
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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
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.
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No proglems zere! ;)
"State acheived after eating too many chocolate-covered coconut bars - bountiful" Chris C-B
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.
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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.
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
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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
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
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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!
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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 -
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.
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; -
Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
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?
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Just lately my work laptop has intermittently taken to suddenly changing it's keyboard layout. But it's not system-wide, it usually happens to a single (different) application I have open. For example, I just restarted Firefox because my W has coming out as a Z and my : was coming out as an M? All my other applications seemed to be fine. It's absolutely baffling. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I've already asked for a new laptop, but since we are about to upgrade (finally) to Windows 7 (from XP), I'm holding out for a brand new Windows 7 laptop rather than have them give me an XP laptop and then upgrade it again a week or two later. My current laptop is truly on it's last legs. It probably didn't help when I spilt a nearly full cup of tea over it a few months back :java:
I had a similar problem with Chinese. It turned out to be a Java setting, which, naturally, only affected Java apps. If that's the problem, I can look up how i fixed it, or you can just browse for Java language settings (but don't accept the first and most repeated "solution" returned, because it's high-level crap that doesn't change anything). [edit] you can check to see if Java is the problem by opening the Java applet in Control Panel. If the keyboard goes wonky there, Java's probably the problem.
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