Problem with characters showing up twice

olvi289,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

Can this be adjusted by changing the keyboard repeat rate in the Control Panel?  If these are the only keys, you may want to consider reseating the keycap.  Instructions can be found on the keyboard FAQ.

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your message.

The keys mentionned are indeed the only keys generating this problem but I do not think it is a physical problem that could be solved by reseating the keycap. There are several reasons for that:
1. While ~ is returned twice, the very same physical key on my french keyboard containing 2 and é will return these other characters as expected, only once (so it is not a repeat rate problem either).
2. I booted up my Inspiron with a DOS boot disk loading its own driver and I am perfectly able to type the designated characters without the problems encountered in Windows 2000.

So my preliminary conclusion is that it is a software issue, and more precisely most likely a keyboard driver issue... but I don't know what to try next.

Any further idea or comment?

Cheers,

Oli.

I should have added that I have also tried to connect an external keyboard (to the PS2 connector) in order to check if I had the same problem... and yes, I had the very same problem.

So it is definitely a software issue rather than a physical problem with the built-in keyboard.

Cheers,

Oli.

Oli,

Thank you for telling me that you have tried to use an external keyboard.  That is one of the suggested steps.

The following are suggestions you should take to correct the problem:

2. If the system is connected to an port replicator or docking station, undock the system. Does the keyboard work when it is undocked?
4. Press the reset button and reboot. This would be a hole that looks like the hole on the floppy drive. Use a straightened paperclip to press the button.
6. You should also check for any debris in the contact.
8. If the keycap has come off of the keyboard or is stuck down, try reseating it. There are typically two rocker arms and a rubber spring which need to be fitted back onto the keyboard. Instructions are on the Keyboard FAQ, #5.
10. Boot to DOS using a DOS diskette. Test the keys in a program such as EDIT.
12. Reset or update the system BIOS.
14. Remove the keyboard entry from the Device Manager and reset the computer. When it restarts, it will reinstall the keyboard driver.
16. Run the Dell diagnostic test on the keyboard.

17. Place the System Software CD in your computer. Reset the machine and when the Dell logo appears on the screen, press and release [F2] several times until you are in the BIOS. Press the right arrow key to go to the BOOT menu or hold [Alt] and [P] simultaneously to progress to the second page. Change the boot sequence to CD/DVD drive, Floppy drive, Internal HDD. Now press [Esc] or [F10] to save and exit the BIOS.

    The following knowledge base article can help you with this:

    How to run the Dell diagnostic test knowledge base article.

    The program should automatically load. Choose to run the test on the keyboard.

If none of these help, you may consider contacting Dell Support for a solution.

Hi,

I just wanted to post this message to close the issue I had raised.

My problem with some characters showing up twice has disappeared, and it seems very likely the problem came from a VIRUS! After a recent upgrade of my anti-virus signature file, a trojan called Avstral (creating a fake svchost.exe in C:\WINNT) has been detected... Considering that this bad boy captures the keys you type and that the issue disappear with its removal, it is very reasonable to say that it was culprit.

Maybe this will help some other people in the same situation.

Cheers.