Keys remapped? L to F11, END to 9, etc.

[kujotx]

My wife's laptop (DELL INSPIRON 2200) has been exhibiting strange
behavior recently.

We first noticed it while browsing. Both IE and Mozilla will go into
full screen mode if we press the "L" key. We discovered that in
Microsoft Word and Excel, this behavior results in unexpected editing
sessions. I even tested ALT+L and it, indeed, functions the same way
as ALT+F11.

My wife also reported that the "O" and "R" keys also behave strangely.
Sometimes, "O" maps to INS and switches to OVR mode during typing. I
am not sure about what R is doing.

Weirder still, the letters will still type. When typing L, it's as if
you hit F11 then the L key immediately following.

Things I have checked: Language is US. This has not changed. I have
rolled back to a System Restore Checkpoint one month prior to her
earliest recollections of the initial event.

I even tried using On Screen Keyboard to see if I could duplicate the
behavior, but it did not produce a similar result.

Is it simply a hardware issue? Could a bizarre keyboard source code
have been registered for these problematic keys?

Thanks for reading and for any advice...

Kurt

 

[bojimbo26]

My wife's laptop (DELL INSPIRON 2200) has been exhibiting strange
behavior recently.

We first noticed it while browsing. Both IE and Mozilla will go into
full screen mode if we press the "L" key. We discovered that in
Microsoft Word and Excel, this behavior results in unexpected editing
sessions. I even tested ALT+L and it, indeed, functions the same way
as ALT+F11.

My wife also reported that the "O" and "R" keys also behave strangely.
Sometimes, "O" maps to INS and switches to OVR mode during typing. I
am not sure about what R is doing.

Weirder still, the letters will still type. When typing L, it's as if
you hit F11 then the L key immediately following.

Things I have checked: Language is US. This has not changed. I have
rolled back to a System Restore Checkpoint one month prior to her
earliest recollections of the initial event.

I even tried using On Screen Keyboard to see if I could duplicate the
behavior, but it did not produce a similar result.

Is it simply a hardware issue? Could a bizarre keyboard source code
have been registered for these problematic keys?

Thanks for reading and for any advice...

Kurt

Using shortcut keys that are the same for different programs ? ( One
is * defaulting * )

 

[kujotx]

Using shortcut keys that are the same for different programs ? ( One
is * defaulting * )

Did you mean: are they using shortcut keys that are the same for both
programs?

I think I can answer this by restating that I can use ALT+L in Word in
the same way that I can use ALT+F11 in Word to launch Visual Basic
Editor.

So: no.

Thanks for reading! I am really hoping this is not an hardware issue.
I must admit I am seeing her touchpad button being flaky now, too. It
takes a couple of taps, or sometimes one firm tap, for button press to
register.

The fact that our warranty now reads expired is also a concern.
Wondering now how I can repair this machine without spending more than
is necessary.

I just bought it last year....

 

[smlunatick]

My wife's laptop (DELL INSPIRON 2200) has been exhibiting strange
behavior recently.

We first noticed it while browsing. Both IE and Mozilla will go into
full screen mode if we press the "L" key. We discovered that in
Microsoft Word and Excel, this behavior results in unexpected editing
sessions. I even tested ALT+L and it, indeed, functions the same way
as ALT+F11.

My wife also reported that the "O" and "R" keys also behave strangely.
Sometimes, "O" maps to INS and switches to OVR mode during typing. I
am not sure about what R is doing.

Weirder still, the letters will still type. When typing L, it's as if
you hit F11 then the L key immediately following.

Things I have checked: Language is US. This has not changed. I have
rolled back to a System Restore Checkpoint one month prior to her
earliest recollections of the initial event.

I even tried using On Screen Keyboard to see if I could duplicate the
behavior, but it did not produce a similar result.

Is it simply a hardware issue? Could a bizarre keyboard source code
have been registered for these problematic keys?

Thanks for reading and for any advice...

Kurt

You need to check the keyboard layout of the keys. Since this is a
laptop, some manufacturer's have a "special" function key which would
re-map several standard keys as a numeric keypad. Check with the
laptop's manual to see if this type of function key (or any other)
exists.