R is for Run

October 31, 2007 7:41 AM

A computer in my life has a problem with its keyboard. I'm hoping there is an obvious solution.

The computer (windows) isn't letting me type. I'll be in Word and press "d" and it will take me to the Desktop. "R" makes it try to run something. I can't write anything (even in Search Help) because half the letters are commands that take me outside of Word. I'm figuring that the keyboard is just locked into doing this, but how do I undo it? I futzed around a bit in Control Panels, but nothing leapt out at me. It isn't my computer so I don't know what provoked the problem. And I suck at Windows. Help?

posted by bluenausea to computers & internet (5 comments total)

bang on the start key, sounds like it's stuck
posted by noloveforned at 7:42 AM on October 31, 2007

That or sticky keys, the most annoying feature in windows ever. Is it really that bad to pause thoughtfully at the beginning of a sentence, holding the Shift key down?
posted by JeremiahBritt at 7:54 AM on October 31, 2007

Sounds like your "window" key is stuck down. Window+R = run, Window + D = desktop, etc.

It's probably a physical problem with the keyboard.
posted by bondcliff at 7:54 AM on October 31, 2007

nth-ing Windows key is stuck. Pop it off, clean out any crumbs or sticky messes, then try it again.
posted by chrisamiller at 10:04 AM on October 31, 2007

I used to have a keyboard with built in function keys that would occasionally throw fits liek that. Some keyboard combination I never tracked down set it off. A reboot would get things back to normal but it was very annoying

Eventually it gave up the ghost entirely after I spilled water on it (and it got a lot of hammer along the way). The new simpler keyboard does the job with out the old problems, and it was dirt cheap as well.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:14 AM on October 31, 2007