Keyboard Weirdness

[ReFLeX]

Sometimes when I turn my computer on, whenever I type in an ASCII text box, after a few letters the cursor will begin to appear to the left of the letter I just typed. This does not stop until I restart my computer. I have discovered no pattern to when this occurs, but it's thoroughly annoying when I have to type in URLs by pressing the right button after every keystroke. For example, if I was having the problem right now and typed the title of this thread without looking up, it would look like this:

KeyssendrieW draob

'Key' would come out normally and then the cursor would just sort of spit out the rest of the letters while remaining static on my screen. This really happens. Does anyone know what could possibly be causing this?


...Also, I remember reading that the qwerty keyboard format as we know it was designed to slow down typists who were jamming manual typewriters. Is this true, and if so, would it ever be feasible to switch back to a more intuitive layout?

[chasing23]

Sometimes when I turn my computer on, whenever I type in an ASCII text box, after a few letters the cursor will begin to appear to the left of the letter I just typed. This does not stop until I restart my computer. I have discovered no pattern to when this occurs, but it's thoroughly annoying when I have to type in URLs by pressing the right button after every keystroke. For example, if I was having the problem right now and typed the title of this thread without looking up, it would look like this:

KeyssendrieW draob

'Key' would come out normally and then the cursor would just sort of spit out the rest of the letters while remaining static on my screen. This really happens. Does anyone know what could possibly be causing this?


...Also, I remember reading that the qwerty keyboard format as we know it was designed to slow down typists who were jamming manual typewriters. Is this true, and if so, would it ever be feasible to switch back to a more intuitive layout?

What Operating System are you using? What sort of computer setup are you using? To help we need more info.

[Wudang]

The only thing I can think of is that you have a bi-directional language like arabian installed and are somehow hitting the change direction key??????

Yep, check out Dvorak keyboards.

[ReFLeX]

What Operating System are you using? What sort of computer setup are you using? To help we need more info.
I guessed this, but the forums kept me up late enough last night without adding all that. I'm at school now, but from memory I have Windows XP Professional on a Pentium 4 (I think) that I bought in 2003. I think the keyboard may be plugged in through a USB adaptor, it is a Microsoft Media keyboard that runs a process called "type32.exe" in the background. If that process is not running, the customizable buttons go back to their default functions.

But it seems such a bizarre problem I wondered if anyone would know off the top of their head. Also, if I type in a Java applet web-based game, text comes out normally, even if I am simultaneously experiencing the problem trying to type in the forums in another window.


Oh, and I have never installed any other languages on it.

[Hellbound]

Sounds more like you have a key sticking. Perhaps the insert key? Hold the insert key down and type and see if it reproduces the symptoms. Many Java applets wouldn't recognize insert, so that could explain the difference there. You can also try tapping the insert key several times when the problem occurs and see if that clears it up at all (might let you know, again, if that's the problem).

Actually, it might be one of your control keys, beacue control+letter combos can often mimic other commands (such as back one or someting similar).

If that's it, then either the key is sticking, the contacts are dirty, or there's an intermitant short in the ciruit (assuming it's not a software problem, try reloading the software for the keyboard using the latest version, as well). For a dirty and sticking key, you can shower your keyboard. Shut the system down and remove the keyboard. Turn on your shower luke-warm, and hold the keyboard underneath. Let the water get in under the keys, etc, etc, etc. Btw, if this is a wireless keyboard, make sure the batteries are out of it as well. Once it's washed, shake out as much water as you can and then ly it out on some layer of absorbant material and let it air dry at least 24 hours. You can also use a hair dryer on the "air" setting. Some people will say use the heat, but I wouldn't risk it.

Once it's completely dry, reconnect it and off you go.

[ReFLeX]

Actually, it might be one of your control keys, beacue control+letter combos can often mimic other commands (such as back one or someting similar).Ok, maybe it's that.
... I didn't know you could shower your keyboard. Thanks for the information!

[Ririon]

Ok, maybe it's that.
... I didn't know you could shower your keyboard. Thanks for the information!
I once spilled coffee on my keyboard at work. I took it to the computer guy, and he rinsed it in the sink in his office, shook off the water, put it on a shelf, and gave me another keyboard from the same shelf. I got the impression that this was routine stuff, but no guarantees of course.

But I have had the same "backwards weirdness" bug. On a 5-ish-year-old win2k-box. But only in the field where you type the URL in Firefox. Never in IExplorer, Opera or any other program. It stopped happening after a while... That helps, right? :p

[Hellbound]

Yep, you can shower em. My wife is notorious for spilling various things on her keyboard. (As an aside, no matter what it is it always seems to tunr into some sticky, unidentifiable bronwish goo...even water! I'm beginning to think the alchemists were onto something...). So I end up showering a keyboard about once every few months. Leave it out to dry for about 24 hours, make sure I can't shake any more water out of it after that time, and plug it back up.

Of course, we have an extra keyboard to swap out with, but after about two dozen or so keyboard showerings, I've yet to have it cause me any problems.

One note, though...you don't want to soak or submerge the keyboard, just let water flow over it.

[ShowMe]

Check your language bar settings. Sometimes the voice recognition will be set to "on" and the microphone will pick up random sounds & garble letters as you type.

[Hellbound]

ShowMe:

I've only seen the language bar and voice recognition as part of Office 2003; so ReFlex, if you're running that, it is a good suggestion. IF you're on earlier versions, though, that's probably not it.

The language bar is usually on the task bar at the bottom, on the right hand side (just to the left of your clock and the other icons, like antivirus).

[Cecil]

...Also, I remember reading that the qwerty keyboard format as we know it was designed to slow down typists who were jamming manual typewriters. Is this true, and if so, would it ever be feasible to switch back to a more intuitive layout? This is true... also I've heard that the reason "typewriter" is found entirely on the top row is so that salespeople could type it quickly to impress people.

And yes, I heartily recommend switching to Dvorak. It's not necessarily any faster (though the world speed champion uses it), but it most definitely eases the strain on your wrists. I can type indefinitely without any pain, and whenever I try to type on a QWERTY-board it's like slogging through mud trying to reach all the keys. Dvorak does away with all the finger gymnastics and makes typing natural.

[Soapy Sam]

ReFleX- I have the same thing happen sometimes, generally in URL boxes or email address boxes in Hotmail.

It's annoying because I am a two finger typist who looks at the keys, not the screen, so I often fail to catch the error till the browser or email client comes back with a protest that the address does not exist.

It has happened to me on Windows 2000 and Win 9X / XP systems. I don't think the OS matters so much as the application- it's always either browsers or email.

[ReFLeX]

But I have had the same "backwards weirdness" bug. On a 5-ish-year-old win2k-box. But only in the field where you type the URL in Firefox. Never in IExplorer, Opera or any other program. It stopped happening after a while... That helps, right? :p
Yes it is in Firefox, but not only in the URL field. I would still be using IE except it stops responding mysteriously on my computer for unknown reasons. Oh well.

There is no microphone plugged into my computer now, my brother has stolen mine.

I've never heard of Dvorak... I don't mind the qwerty one anymore, I just wondered if it actually is slower.

[casebro]

Anybody here ever hear of a 'chord' keyboard? Chord like on a piano, multiple keys at once? It would work like a court reporter or braille keyboard, in that there are only 10 keys, one for each digit. Combinations of only 2 fingers at one time would give 100 'letters', three would make 1,000 possibilities. Perhaps 900 'short hand' words? 4 fingers at ounce could enable Chinese pictographs on screen? I can't type due to genetic muscle stiffness (no musical instruments either, handwriting sucks too). I would probably need sockets for each finger too, due to carpal tunnel probs, but it would be better than this hunt-n-peck....

Even Morse code, one finger for dot, one for dash, would probbably be faster than this, what with the backsapcing I do to fix typos. I could stick 2 fingers to their keys with some tacky glue to prevent wandering.....

[Ririon]

Anybody here ever hear of a 'chord' keyboard? Chord like on a piano, multiple keys at once? ...

Something like this?

http://www.nanopac.com/Keyboard.htm