On Screen Keyboard: input sometimes hangs PC (until closed)

[Dick Rawson]

While using the On Screen Keyboard with the Hungarian
language layout, pretty soon the keyboard utility seems to
suck up all the cpu time. All applications stop
responding until I manage to kill the keyboard utility
(via Task Manager, and with much difficulty).

I'm using the On Screen Keyboard utility to help me enter
text with Hungarian and Russian keyboard layouts, since my
US English keyboard's key caps don't match the HU and RU
layouts. I'm running Win XP Pro, Office XP, and MS Office
Proofing Tools for XP. Ram is 1 GB.

The problem happens while entering text into Word XP, or
into Notepad, switched to HU (Hungarian) language, with
the On Screen Keyboard open so I can find the keys for
accented characters. After a while, and unexpectedly (I
haven't determined what the trigger is), a keystroke
results in the PC CPU utilization reaching 100 percent,
per the Task Monitor graph in the System Tray. The PC
stops responding normally to the mouse and keyboard. The
key cap icons of the On Screen Keyboard flicker rapidly.
MS Word doesn't redraw its window if anything disturbs it
(see the next paragraph).

Ctl-Alt-Del opens the Windows Security window quickly, and
from there I can open the Task Monitor. But the TM opens
very slowly, and its Applications and Processes pages take
many seconds to fill in--and then they flicker a lot.

Clicking on the [X] button of the On Screen Keyboard
usually didn't kill it; one time, possibly that did it.

Using TM to End Task succeeds after several seconds.
(With the flickering TM display, I'm always worried that
I'll kill the wrong task, but I haven't done that yet.)

I experimented with entering text the same way into
Notepad, and the same problem happened.

I have searched on microsoft.com and using google.com--I
haven't seen any similar complaints.

Dick Rawson

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

First, be sure your antivirus app is up to date and run a virus scan.

Second, does your keyboard require special drivers beyond those included
natively in XP. If it does, check the keyboard manufacturer's website for
updated drivers.

Third, check the error log. Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools,
open Event Viewer, look for errors that correspond to when this happens,
double click he error, the information contained within may give a clue as
to the source of the issue.

Assuming you have an XP CD as opposed to a recovery CD, place the XP CD in
the drive, at the setup screen select "Check System Compatibility." The
report it generates may give a clue as to the cause. If you only have a
recovery CD, this utility, know as the Upgrade Advisor may be downloaded
from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

While using the On Screen Keyboard with the Hungarian
language layout, pretty soon the keyboard utility seems to
suck up all the cpu time. All applications stop
responding until I manage to kill the keyboard utility
(via Task Manager, and with much difficulty).

I'm using the On Screen Keyboard utility to help me enter
text with Hungarian and Russian keyboard layouts, since my
US English keyboard's key caps don't match the HU and RU
layouts. I'm running Win XP Pro, Office XP, and MS Office
Proofing Tools for XP. Ram is 1 GB.

The problem happens while entering text into Word XP, or
into Notepad, switched to HU (Hungarian) language, with
the On Screen Keyboard open so I can find the keys for
accented characters. After a while, and unexpectedly (I
haven't determined what the trigger is), a keystroke
results in the PC CPU utilization reaching 100 percent,
per the Task Monitor graph in the System Tray. The PC
stops responding normally to the mouse and keyboard. The
key cap icons of the On Screen Keyboard flicker rapidly.
MS Word doesn't redraw its window if anything disturbs it
(see the next paragraph).

Ctl-Alt-Del opens the Windows Security window quickly, and
from there I can open the Task Monitor. But the TM opens
very slowly, and its Applications and Processes pages take
many seconds to fill in--and then they flicker a lot.

Clicking on the [X] button of the On Screen Keyboard
usually didn't kill it; one time, possibly that did it.

Using TM to End Task succeeds after several seconds.
(With the flickering TM display, I'm always worried that
I'll kill the wrong task, but I haven't done that yet.)

I experimented with entering text the same way into
Notepad, and the same problem happened.

I have searched on microsoft.com and using google.com--I
haven't seen any similar complaints.

Dick Rawson