Strange Alt key function (I7500/Win2k)

Question

Every now and then (I haven't found a pattern yet) I have a strange mode with my Alt key: the keyboard acts (almost) as if the Alt key was pressed, even though it wasn't. To explain it a bit more:

Say I'm in Notepad. All of a sudden, when I type a letter, it activates a menu (say I type "f" which would activate the File menu) or some other Alt function (e.g. typing Tab would switch to another application). BUT the menu bar is NOT activated, as it would be if I actually had pressed the Alt key. (When I actually press the Alt key, the leftmost menu option gets the appearance of a button.)

So somehow a part of the system thinks I have pressed the Alt key (and activates menu options and all other Alt key combinations), and another part does not think that I have pressed the Alt key (and does not activate the menu bar). I'm pretty sure I did not press the Alt key when this happens, though.

I can switch back to "normal" by pressing the Alt key (which in this case does not activate the menu bar; only a second press would activate the menu bar). Anybody any ideas?

Thanks,
ge

Cynthia · Answer

Go into the Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel) and check Accessibility Options -- make certain that StickyKeys is not enabled.

gerhardf · Answer

Thanks for your suggestion, but there are no sticky keys enabled. It's also not consistent, it's just every now and then. Ultimately less often than it used to be. ge

Cynthia · Answer

gerhardf:

I would recommend running diagnostics on that system to verify the functionality of that hardware. To run the diagnostics, boot the system with the Dell Diagnostics diskette in the floppy drive, select Run Specific Test, and run the keyboard test by highlighting that test and pressing Enter twice. If the test fails, the hardware may be nonfunctional and need to be replaced or repaired.

If the test does not fail, boot back into Windows and click on Start|Find|Files or Folders. Find all instances of the file named keyboard.sys and rename this file to kbdsys.old. Close the Find window and reboot the system once more. Test the keyboard in Windows Notepad or another editor to verify its functionality.

JonathanRogers · Answer

Hey, I have a Inspiron 7500 and I've been having the EXACT same problem.. I tried all of the troubleshooting as well. This doesn't happen all of the time, and when it does, I can correct it by simply tapping the ALT key a couple of times. I am running Windows 2000 as well. It's just kinda wierd because it is so inconsistent, like the key may be sticking or something. Thanks in advance,
Jon

charles_75006 · Answer

I've got EXACTLY the same problem which makes my keyboard very hard to use - if not unusable. 'File' blinks permanently as if the Alt key had been pressed, sometimes once, sometimes permanently. The bug comes randomly for period of a few hours. I have an Inspiron 5100.

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Strange Alt key function (I7500/Win2k)

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