Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with computer and keyboard

Keyboard for my HTPC setup?

petah — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:17:11 -0800

Recommendations for a good HTPC (home theater PC) keyboard? I've got an old laptop I've hooked up to my television, and I'd like to be able to browse the web and operate my computer from the couch.

I was wondering if there were any dedicated keyboard/mouse combos for this task?

Why does my laptop think I'm pushing ctrl?

Pope Guilty — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:50:34 -0800

My Inspiron 1545 thinks I'm pressing ctrl and I don't know why. I picked up a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop awhile back, and the only problem I've had with it is that it frequently activates the ctrl key regardless of whether or not I'm actually pressing it- or even have my hands on the keyboard! Sometimes this is just annoying, like randomly crouching in an FPS or tab-targeting grabbing friends instead of enemies in WoW, but if I type a "w" while it thinks I'm pressing ctrl, I lose the Firefox tab I was working in! If I hit tab in Firefox, I frequently go to the next tab instead of the next field. Perhaps most bafflingly, it is only ctrl that this happens with; it never randomly types another character, nor does it ever wrongly activate shift or alt or any other key.

So far, I've talked to Dell about it; they sent me a replacement keyboard, but this did not resolve the problem. Googling indicates that many people are having this problem, but nobody seems to have any solutions (besides one suggestion, bizarrely, to reduce trackpad sensitivity, which did nothing).

Anyone out there know what's going on or have any ideas?

ProductFilter: Looking for a ~2ft high table to put over my lap to put keyboard/mouse on

catquas — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:55:44 -0800

I am trying to find/make a table that is about 2 feet high that I can put my keyboard and mouse on. The depth is irrelevant, but the length shouldn't be longer than say 4 feet. Also, would like it not to have any cross-beams or anything so I can stretch my legs out under it. A table bit enough to put a computer on also might be helpful, but I could also put my computer on a different table. If I did the latter, than the table would not have to be that sturdy.

The ideal for me would be a fold-up table, but that's not necessary. I am also willing to build one as a last resort, but nothing that takes much more than putting some nails or screws in a couple of places (Home Depot) can cut the wood.

Adjustable-height legs would be ideal.

I need this for the sake of getting a good ergonomic position.

Above all I am looking for something very simple and cheap, as long

Thanks in advance!

How to fix laptop keyboard keys that fell off?

macsigler — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:21:29 -0800

How to fix laptop keyboard keys that fell off? I have a Dell XPS M1710 laptop, and some of the keyboard keys have popped out of their spot. I have tried to reattach the plastic retainers on the keys to their spot on the keyboard, but inevitably they never latch on like they used to, and in fact some are now broken or lost. Is there a secret to getting them to pop on, or is there an alternative, i.e. mini-springs and superglue, etc.? I'm willing to try most reasonable ideas. Thanks in advance!

Help, KVM ate my keyboard!

masher — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:08:09 -0800

When my Server 2003 desktop auto locks, the keyboard becomes unresponsive while the mouse continues to work. Anyone had a similar experience? No indicators in any of the logs. Running Dell 2950 and Avocent AMX KVM. The easiest way to recover is to initiate and console RDP connection from another machine, upon which the keyboard regains consciousness.

Keys to the city

micklaw — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:03:46 -0800

Help me fix a keyboard/key problem with my Vista laptop. Background. I previously had XP installed but had to move back to Vista (long story).

Since then I have noticed a few little idiosyncrasies with my keyboard that have finally gotten the better of me. When ever I type this symbol:
'
by pressing the key once, nothing happens. If I hit the key again, two become visible (ie '') so I have always just hit the key twice and deleted one.

Similarly, whenever I hit this symbol:
" (yes, same key, with shift)
I get the same thing.

I was able to handle the hit-twice-then-delete-once issue. But recently I have noticed (only it seems in Google Earth, Youtube and Gmail - all Google right?) that the @ key and the " key have been swapped around, but only for those sites/applications.

I have no idea how to fix this problem and am wondering if anyone else has experienced the same or similar. I am running a Dell Inspiron 1501 (meaty!) that is around 2 years old and the problem only arose when I switched back to the original Vista install late last year.

I don't even know what to search for online to get help.

You are my only hope.....

So tired of standing on my head...

downing street memo — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:37:37 -0800

I somehow hit a combination of keys on my keyboard that turned the display on my keyboard completely upside down. Restarting didn't fix it. Help! I had my wireless keyboard on my lap, it fell off, and when I tried to retrieve it I accidentally stepped on it. Yes, I'm very klutzy. But when I stepped on it, I must have hit some combination of keys that had the effect of turning everything on my computer upside down. Now I can't figure out how to turn it right side up!

If relevant my OS is Windows XP, its an HP computer and a Logitech keyboard.

Scrambled keyboard is not dfb. Sorry, I meant 'fun.'

flibbertigibbet — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:52:33 -0800

Sometimes, my keyboard switches to Dvorak for no apparent reason. We can't find a trigger for it--it occurs when typing in word, when playing TF2, when entering an address in the address bar, etc. Only a restart can restore QWERTY. Even though the text input on TF2 will be scrambled, the TF2 controls work as though on QUERTY--'W' is still forward, even though it types out 'E'. Incidents can be anywhere from hours to weeks apart. I've personally only seen it happen inside TF2, but my sister swears it happens other times, too. Googling only returns 'how to switch to/learn Dvorak' pages. The computer runs Windows XP, and only happens to that computer. Can you help me stop Dvorak?

You're not the mute button! Stop it!

EarBucket — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:35:39 -0800

The left control key on my keyboard has suddenly started toggling the mute on my master volume. How do I make it stop? I'm running Windows XP on a Dell Dimension desktop, if it makes a difference.

Microwave vs. Computer, and the Microwave is winning.

sol — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:43:08 -0800

The kitchen computer has a little trackpad/keyboard combo that sits atop of the microwave. When the microwave turns on, the trackpad stops working. Looking for suggestions on shielding, putting a filter in line with the cable, grounding, anything to help me cook and mouse at the same time. This has been going on for a while but last night, after some extended nuking of some delicious lasagna, the computer warned me that a USB device was not functioning properly and was disabled, forcing a restart of the whole thing to get the keyboard working again.

So what to do? I know about basic electronics from fixing guitars and such, but not the RF/Magnetic interference voodoo. I'm fully prepared to crack this thing open, get into ferrite beads, soldering, grounding wires, etc. if it will help. Yes, the problem goes away if I move the keyboard a few inches away from the microwave, but the way my kitchen is set up this is really the best spot for things.

How do I make my language settings for "input language" (keyboard layout) which I set via the language bar stay set program to program?

jesirose — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:15:05 -0800

How do I make my language settings for "input language" (keyboard layout) which I set via the language bar stay set program to program? If I set the language to "Colemak" when I have Textpad open, and then go to Firefox, the language bar still displays US English and I have to type in QWERTY. If I go back to Textpad, it's Colemak. It is not specific to any program, all are affected.

Using Windows XP SP2. Not sure if it matters but the language bar is minimized into my Taskbar.

Dim screen fix results in bizarre keyboard behavior???

doomtop — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:30:42 -0800

We fixed an issue with a dim screen on a laptop, but now the keyboard is acting wonky. What's up with that? The original problem with this laptop (HP Pavilion dv2035us) was that the screen was very dim. We've seen this often and generally this means that the backlight bulb has failed.

So we replace the backlight bulb on the LCD, but the problem is not resolved. So we go ahead and replace the entire LCD. Still the problem is not resolved.

So we try replacing the backlight inverter board. Still the same dim screen problem, now with a brand new LCD/backlight and inverter. Everything replaced and still the same problem, how can this be?

So we look into it further. The only thing we can come up with is the lid close switch. The switch that indicates to the machine when the lid gets closed and tells it to dim the screen and maybe go into sleep mode, etc.

We find the connector that is identified as the "lid close switch" a small cable that connects to the motherboard. We try to disconnect this connector.

The connector is made of plastic, but for whatever reason, the plastic on all of the connectors inside this laptop are very soft and almost what I would describe as mushy or spongy.

We try to gently remove the connector, but due to the mushy connection its sort of falls apart in the removal process. So we just cut the cable entirely.

Now we boot up and voila! the screen is no longer dim!

We put back the old LCD w/ new backlight and the old inverter board. System boots and the LCD is bright and crisp.

Everything seems well.

Then we find out the keyboard is not working properly anymore. The behavior is bizarre. Most of the letter keys work fine. But some of the functional keys exhibit strange results. The "delete" key when pressed with Notepad open outputs "b" and the Notepad Help window pop ups. The second time you press "delete" it then outputs "n=". The third time you press "delete" it doesn't output any text, but selects the Edit menu and turns Caps Lock on.

All of the functional keys on the final column of keys ("home" "pg up" "pg dn" "end") all exhibit similar bizarre behavior.

We can't figure it out, so we replace the keyboard with a brand new one. The problem does not go away...

So what is going on here? What would cause this kind of situation and what could possibly resolve it? This has to be a hardware issue, because connecting a USB keyboard to the laptop is not a problem. The USB keyboard does not have the weird issues that I have described. It seems to be a problem with the laptop's keyboard, but replacing it with a brand new one didn't fix it.

Anyone ever seen anything like this?? We are at a loss and need to restore the original functionality of this system. Any thoughts are appreciated!

How can I paste the number five with a keyboard shortcut?

BobsterLobster — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:32:15 -0800

The number five suddendly won't work on my laptop, can I program a key combination to paste it whenever I need it? Obviously, the key combination will need to work across the OS (Windows XP), and any program.
I've taken the key off, and can't see anything obvious, any ideas what may have suddenly caused this?

automatic keycap cleaining?

ArgentCorvid — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:53:47 -0800

What (automatic) methods would you recommend for cleaning grime off the keycaps of a keyboard? The keyboard on my desktop went out the other day. I have a backup I can use, but it's really dirty. I've taken off the keycaps, and cleaned underneath, but I still need to clean the crap off the keys. I really don't feel like scrubbing them off one-by-one.

I have this awesome idea to put them in the washing machine, but am not sure if this will work without damaging them.

If you have a better idea, let me have it!

Will someone marry my keyboard?

skylar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:29:26 -0800

I've just bought a Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Keyboard 7000, which comes with the matching mouse (8000). It works great with my Windows XP computer, as long as the computer is on. Once I switch the computer off and attempt to restart, the Bluetooth connection is lost and the computer won't start, citing the lack of a keyboard as the reason. Only by repeatedly fiddling and resynching can I get the computer started up. Can anyone suggest how I bond these three devices in permanent holy matrimony?

R is for Run

bluenausea — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:41:49 -0800

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?

Help out my creaking old computer.

By The Grace of God — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:00:02 -0800

Succour for Aged Computers Filter: I've got an old computer that is having two problems. 1) When it boots up, it always asks to go into safemode. This is an old problem. 2) when it boots up, I can use the kb to select safemode (or not) or make selections in the bios, but when XP loads up, mouse and kb aren't working! I will note that when I set up this old beast, the kb and mouse worked, and it would usually boot into windows after two or three tries. (It's a backup computer for when there are too many people in the office.) Now, it will boot up after two or three tries, and then the mouse will hover in the centre of the screen; the keyboard won't work (the caps lock key won't even light up at this point, and the green keyboard light goes off).

It's not a USB keyboard - it came with the (Dell) computer and plugs into its dedicated port in the back.

As regards the safemode booting: It boots up, and the black screen ("we apologize..") comes up with the option of safe mode, safemode with networking, load windows normally or load windows with the last working settings. I usually do normally or last working settings, and windows will either load (slowly) or will freeze while loading.

When it does load, the networking etc. are working - i can't test anything due to no mouse or kb input tho! When the kb and mouse were working, everything did work properly when windows would start up.

I'd appreciate help with either or both of these problems. Many thanks in advance.

Cheapo way to plug piano keyboard into a mac

singingfish — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:30:15 -0800

What's the cheapest way of plugging a piano keyboard into my mac Nope, not interested in sound quality/keyboard quality or anything like that. I just want to know my cheapo options for plugging a keyboard into my mac.

Forsooth, facilitate fixing my four-fingered typing

perissodactyl — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:53:24 -0800

Help me break some bad keyboarding habits as painlessly as possible. I'm a relatively young guy and a computer nerd both vocationally and avocationally, yet I have somehow (laziness is the most likely culprit) managed to learn how to type with only four fingers. How do I fix this?

I use the index finger of my left hand and the thumb, index and middle finger of my right hand to type. I am remarkably fast, proficient and error-free given the structural inefficiency of my hackneyed technique, and I don't have to look at the keys when I'm typing.

However, I recognize that I much slower than I could be, and also that I am courting repetitive stress injuries. So... how do I fix it? The bad habits are so ingrained that I find it intensely difficult and frustrating to try to involve my "inactive" fingers in the process. I've thought about switching to Dvorak and learning everything anew. Short of this, what are some other things I can do to retrain myself as a ten-finger typist?

Did my underwater keyboard submerge my PC?

pdb — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:15:57 -0800

Did my keyboard try to kill my computer? Last night, ~~some idiot~~ I left a glass of water next to my keyboard, where ~~the spawn of satan~~ my kitty of course thought it was a toy and knocked it over, into the keyboard.

The keyboard is fried (it's an old piece of crap, so I care not, I got a replacement), but when I attempted to boot up the computer this morning to verify that, the computer wouldn't boot up. It froze on the XP splash screen that appears when the machine is first booted, and didn't move. I had to shut down and unplug the machine, let it sit for a while, and then replug and start again.

Once I got it to start, it then ran through a big ol' diagnostic check, because, I assume, it didn't end or start normally. Once the check was completed, the computer booted fine, and now appears to be 100% ok.

Is this all due to the fried keyboard, or is something else going on? I'm running XP on a 2 year old Dell desktop PC that has shown no signs of decay, if that makes a difference.

Bluetooth, ergonomic keyboards?

dmd — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 14:35:16 -0800

Is there such thing as a bluetooth ergonomic keyboard? I want something essentially like the Microsoft Natural line of keyboards - i.e., split layout - but Bluetooth.

Specifically Bluetooth - not just "wireless". I currently have the MS Wireless Natural Multimedia Keyboard, and like every other RF wireless keyboard I've ever tried, it just doesn't work very well. Not only does it take up a USB port, it has to take up a monitor USB port, because the RF receiver can't be more than about a foot from the keyboard before it starts dropping characters, no matter how many times it gets reset or how many fresh sets of batteries are sacrificed to it. Bluetooth keyboards, on the other hand, work across the room for me - but I've not yet found one with a split layout.

Alternatively - is there a way to turn a USB keyboard into a Bluetooth keyboard? I'm envisioning some sort of dongle with a battery inside and a female USB port.

Using 2 keyboards on one XP box...

slavlin — Tue, 09 May 2006 09:48:19 -0800

I want to expand the number of keys available for mapping as hotkeys in some of my games. Is it possible to connect a second keyboard under Windows XP, possibly a USB one, and use it as, essentially, a very large keypad? If so, how would I go about it without causing IRQ conflicts? FYI- I am fairly tech savy but am in the "knows enough to break it REALLY good" category with some items.

Slippery Keys On Keyboard

jak68 — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 21:01:19 -0800

How can I make the keys on my keyboard less slippery? Is it just me, or are computer keys these days quite slippery? I'm thinking its the 'hard plastic' they're made out of, or maybe they're using cheaper plastics. Either way, my fingers regularly 'slip' off my keys and I'd like to stop that.
Does anyone know (ideally) of keyboard stickers specifically made for this purpose? That would be best...
A quick google search on my part produced nothing specifically made for this.

It crunches when I type

bkudria — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 04:16:01 -0800

I'm looking for a new keyboard. My current one is wireless, and I am tired of buying batteries. I have a lengthy feature list, inside. I currently own a Gyration Wireless RF keyboard, and it eats batteries. Sometimes, it doesn't work due to interference. I want a new keyboard, wired, and my prime candidate is the Logitech G15

Things I like about the G15:
- A wire
- Tiltable
- Multimedia Keys, especially volume spinner
- Illuminated Keys
- USB Hub

Things that are nice, but not absolutely necessary:
- The LCD
- The programmable keys
- Cable routing channels

Things I simply detest:
- The size: 21.5 inches across. My brother has one, and it doesn't fit onto the keyboard tray or desk at his dorm, and that's not cool.

So, MeFites, do you know of a keyboard that has as many features from list A as possible, without horrendous size problems? I really want to buy the G15, but I keep thinking about how it will hang over the side of my desk and I won't have room for my mouse. Does anyone know of anything better?

Oh, and I'd feel kind of silly paying more than $80 for a keyboard, but I'd consider it.

Wearable computing and one handed key-boards

Knigel — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:05:44 -0800

I'm interested in wearable computing and am curious if anyone has any resources for information. More importantly, I'm wanting to get a one handed keyboard. I've seen the Frogpad but would like to know all of my options. I'm preferablly looking for something bluetooth that can be used with my Blackberry. Thanks in advance.