4000 ergonomic keyboard DISASTER

[hedera]

I decided to try this keyboard (the USB wired version) and am having problems
I cannot believe. Here's the list:

The scroll wheel on my mouse ONLY zooms text size; it doesn't page up and
down as it did before. (The mouse wheel setting is set to "scroll one
screen." Why does putting on a new keyboard mess with the MOUSE??)

I can't use ALT-TAB to cycle among running programs. All it will do is
cycle among tab sites on the page that's up.

In FireFox (yeah yeah I know) PGUP / PGDOWN cycle among tabs instead of
moving the pages up and down. At least they work in IE7.

I can't click on a program icon on the task bar and bring a running program
to the front. In fact, with this and the loss of ALT-TAB, I can't BRING a
running program to the foreground.

Something is overriding my folder options: when I click on a folder within
Windows Explorer, it pops a new window. My folder options say, open in same
window.

I tried to write up my problems and the ENTER and PGUP / PGDOWN keys didn't
work at all. I hope it isn't because I use OpenOffice instead of Word for
that particular document; a keyboard that only works with Microsoft software
would be useless to me.

I tried uninstalling my old Logitech drivers and it did no good at all.

This can't be the way it's intended to work. Is this a known problem? Do I
need new drivers? Is there some setting I'm missing?? If I can't get some
answers that fix this Real Soon Now, I'm taking the thing back to BestBuy for
a refund, because it is useless in its current state.

 

[hedera]

I was sufficiently fussed by my keyboard issues that I forgot to specify the
system. This happened on a Dell 8400 with a 3+ GHz CPU and 4 GB RAM, running
Windows XP Professional SP2 and automatically updated as needed.

 

[Paul]

I was sufficiently fussed by my keyboard issues that I forgot to specify the
system. This happened on a Dell 8400 with a 3+ GHz CPU and 4 GB RAM, running
Windows XP Professional SP2 and automatically updated as needed.

In a quick experiment here on my machine, that implies the "Ctrl" key
is jammed in the downward position. If that were the actual reason for
your symptoms, try depressing the control key a number of times, in
case it is a contact problem. There are two Ctrl keys usually, so
check both of them.

A second option would be to test the keyboard on another computer.

A third option, is to return the product to your retailer, during
whatever exchange period is available.

I don't know if there is a program available that can monitor
what keys are currently depressed or not.

Paul

 

[hedera]

--
hedera

Nature bats last.

In a quick experiment here on my machine, that implies the "Ctrl" key
is jammed in the downward position. If that were the actual reason for
your symptoms, try depressing the control key a number of times, in
case it is a contact problem. There are two Ctrl keys usually, so
check both of them.

A second option would be to test the keyboard on another computer.

A third option, is to return the product to your retailer, during
whatever exchange period is available.

I don't know if there is a program available that can monitor
what keys are currently depressed or not.

Paul

OK, that's interesting; it hadn't occurred to me that I had an actual
physical keyboard problem, at least partly because I had very similar
symptoms (including a startup complaint from Outlook that my CTRL key was
depressed) the day before with a (PS/2 wired) Microsoft keyboard (not
ergonomic) that someone gave me. In fact, I bought the ergonomic keyboard
partly because I wanted to try it and partly because I thought my problem was
not having drivers. Do ALL Microsoft keyboards have problems with sticking
CTRL keys?? Weird.

I have 14 days to return the thing; trouble is I'm also trying to
troubleshoot an online shopping cart I'm building, and I don't really have
time to mess with this right now. Sigh.

One of my former work colleagues has recommended starting the computer in
Safe mode - but if it's an actual stuck key, I wouldn't think that would
help...

Thanks for the suggestion, now I have to find time to play with the problem.

 

[hedera]

--
hedera

Nature bats last.

--
hedera

Nature bats last.




OK, that's interesting; it hadn't occurred to me that I had an actual
physical keyboard problem, at least partly because I had very similar
symptoms (including a startup complaint from Outlook that my CTRL key was
depressed) the day before with a (PS/2 wired) Microsoft keyboard (not
ergonomic) that someone gave me. In fact, I bought the ergonomic keyboard
partly because I wanted to try it and partly because I thought my problem was
not having drivers. Do ALL Microsoft keyboards have problems with sticking
CTRL keys?? Weird.

I have 14 days to return the thing; trouble is I'm also trying to
troubleshoot an online shopping cart I'm building, and I don't really have
time to mess with this right now. Sigh.

One of my former work colleagues has recommended starting the computer in
Safe mode - but if it's an actual stuck key, I wouldn't think that would
help...

Thanks for the suggestion, now I have to find time to play with the problem.

Paul,
Between you and my other nerd friends, I've fixed this. I'm not sure what
worked, but I'm typing this on the ergonomic keyboard. What I did was
restart the system in Safe mode with the surplus Microsoft keyboard I had,
hooked up. Everything worked perfectly; I rebooted normally and it continued
to work perfectly; I reinstalled the drivers and hooked up the 4000 keyboard
and it all worked like a clock. Go figure. Thanks, though, for giving me
the idea that it might actually be a hardware problem; that surplus Microsoft
keyboard could easily have had a stuck key (you should have seen it), and
somehow the system became convinced that was a permanent state...