Comments on: Can type

Question: Can type

terrier319 — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:43:10 -0800

The character keys on my desktop keyboard have stopped working -- but the auto keys work fine. What's going on?

I can't type a character -- numbers, letters, punctuation, you name it. But the auto keys for the windows menu, calculator, calendar, etc. all work fine. And the keyboard function lights all work fine. I thought it was a bad keyboard so I just went out and bought a new one and still have the same problem. Is this a bad PS/2 port or something else? The Device Manager recognizes the keyboard and says it is functioning properly.
Any ideas/suggestions welcome.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:24:27 -0800

badly written keylogger? Installed any new software lately? Any opportunities for a trojan to jump in? Just a wild guess.

By: chrisroberts

chrisroberts — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:42:26 -0800

My powerbook did this the other day when I kicked off my screensaver. Only about half my keys were working and a reboot seemed to fix everything. Have you tried a reboot and does the problem persist?

By: kc0dxh

kc0dxh — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:51:23 -0800

Is there something going on with your Accessability options, like FilterKeys?

By: Nerro

Nerro — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:55:19 -0800

Quick troubleshooting test --

Reboot the computer and after the BIOS screen, tap F8 on your keyboard. You should get a Windows Startup menu. Select the option for Safe Mode. Once in safe mode, open up notepad and see if all your keys work there or not. (To get back to Normal mode, just reboot the computer and don't hit any keys).

If they do work, you're probably looking at a virus/keylogger like GuyZero said. If not, could be a problem with PS/2 communication.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:12:57 -0800

Did you tighten your keyboard connection at the back of the computer?
A friend of mine was typing gibberish, and that was the problem.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:28:06 -0800

Sorry. Missed the part about the second keyboard. Obviously not the connections.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:07:17 -0800

What happens when you try typing one of the non-working keys? Do you get a different key than the one you were expecting, or do you get no key at all?

What happens if you start your computer with a DOS boot floppy or a Linux live CD?

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:54:25 -0800

Almost all keyboards nowadays have a usb connector and a ps2 connector. If the ps2 post wasn't working but the special functions were, it would cause exactly the problem you describe, according to the troubleshooting guide for my microsoft usb keyboard.