Keyboard problem

[Hans]

On my daughters PC's winxp prof is running.

Since this morning when pressing the "D" or "E" key ***ONLY***, it switches
to the desktop and to the explorer screen.

Normally this should only happen when pressing the windows key together with
the D or E key. But now it acts when just clicking the single letter.

I tried another keyboard to rule out hardware problems. As the other
keyboard acts the same, it is NOT a hardware error.

So it seems that (by pushing some key combination???) windows switched to
another mode that causes this problem. But I cannot find a solution. I tried
looking into the accessibily options.... no result.

I am pretty sure (I hope) that this is a simple problem that I just miss
finding the solution for.... PLEASE HELP!

Hans
Netherlands

 

[Hans]

btw,

going back with a restore point to a time before the problem does nOT solve
the problem.

Hans

 

[Hans]

Meanwhile found that I can toggle back to the normal situation by hitting
the righthand windows and Ctrl keys together. But after some time, windows
is going back to the previous (wrong) situation. Please help!

Hans

 

[Hans]

This "error" is driving me crazy by now! I still did not find a solution.
Nobody hear able to help?

Checked for spyware. Had an online virusscanner running the system. Nothing
shows up that could cuase this trouble. Am I really going to need to do a
reinstall of Windows?

Hans

 

[Sharon F]

This "error" is driving me crazy by now! I still did not find a solution.
Nobody hear able to help?

Checked for spyware. Had an online virusscanner running the system. Nothing
shows up that could cuase this trouble. Am I really going to need to do a
reinstall of Windows?

I don't know the answer to your problem but didn't want you to think that
everyone is ignoring you. More likely it is that no one knows what's
causing this behavior.

Normally, I would suspect the keyboard - a stuck key or a piece of
something stuck under the keys shorting the signal that's being sent. But
you've swapped out the keyboard and the behavior persisted.

Toggling the Windows key on/off is not a feature of Windows so I don't how
you're getting that to work or even why it is working. There is a setting
in XP - in secpol.msc or gpedit.msc - to disable that key but no toggle
setting that I know of.

May want to review installed programs - look for one that controls the
keyboard. There's many third party programs that allow the user to change
how the keyboard behaves.

Quite a few years ago, I helped someone who had lost Ctrl+P for printing.
It was caused by a program that stole this common keyboard shortcut away
for a program shortcut. Highly unusual for an app to do this and can't
think of any that implement shortcuts using the Windows key except Windows.
Since it is a recent change, maybe check recently installed programs that
may have "borrowed" the Windows key.

Sorry that I only have suggestions and no pat answers for this one...

 

[Hans]

Thanks Sharon.

I did expect this to be a difficult one. I am a reasonably well experienced
PC user since 1984 and I found it strange that I could not find a solution.
Normally I have to go out a few times a week and help others with their PC
problems

At first I thought it had something to do with sticky keys or so, but along
that way I cannot find a solution either. And of course I also tried several
Dutch language groups for help. Nobody able to help ....

What I find so strange is the fact that resetting the PC to a much older
configuration with restore points, is not helping!

Anyhow, I still hope somebody comes up with a solution. Otherwise I think I
will have to free an evening to reinstall windows from scratch ;-(

Thxs again
Hans
Netherlands