Hi everyone.  I have created a utility to filter out keybounces like the ones you are experiencing.

I have a new Dell 1470, and you could certainly add me to this list... keybounce issues from the start.  The problem persisted, even after three keyboard change-outs along with an OS wipe/ factory restore and also a motherboard swap-out.  A thorny problem, indeed.  My utility cleared up 99% of the issues on my laptop.  Now I can type whole paragraphs without having to go back through them with a fine-toothed comb.  Woo-hoo!!!

To help with visibility, I started a new thread over here.  See if this uliltiy can help you... hopefully it can.

Blessings!

Just thought that I'd bump this thread since I have found a solution and some may have missed my earlier post.  Look here

Thanks for the link to the poll. I voted.

Did you try my utility to see if it would help?  (Please see two posts back.)

Hello p,

Thanks for the feedback. Please check back over in my script thread again. The script has been updated to no longer grab the Alt- or Win- keys.

The repeat rate limit is an understood limitation of this method. If you tweak around, you may be able to strike a moderate balance between the repeat rate and the programmed gating time that you need for your keyboard (you can certainly try lower values than the default 40). 

Yes, the real fix would need to be performed at the driver level.

Script updated today. Corrected side-effect where "+" and "^" were not coming through the filter.

Except for this issue, Dell has been a great company for laptops/notebooks.  My notebook (Inspiron 1470) would be just about perfrct were it not for this multiple-keystrike problem.  If the only fix was in hardware, then Dell would indeed be in a tough position.  It would require a motherboard redesign and a recall, like the Xbox Ring of Death problem, i.e. very expensive.  That said, the cost in reputation can spiral upward very quickly and badly, which is the very reason why manufacturers issue recalls in the first place.  That said, there are a couple of points to be made to the decision makers at Dell:

1) Their current MO (modus operandi, mode of operation) is to have customers go through their standard support system (repair/replace at service centers or on-site).  This is already costing them a lot of money - a lot.

2) I believe that a tweaked keyboard driver release could fix the problem.  I already have a script-based utility that goes a long way to eliminating the problem, at least eough that my laptop is usable again.  All they have to do is to increase the gating time for the keybounce filter.  I don't know what expertise Dell has in-house to develop a custom-tweaked keyboard driver, but in my experience as a developer, it would be a tiny fraction of the cost of their current path of option 1).  By attackign the problem at the source, they would simultaneously increase their profits and make their disgruntled customers happy about their Dell laptops again.

Seems like a simple decision to me.

I'm having the same problem of duplicate characters with my brand new XPS17 (L701X)  (value: US$ 2800, in Argentina) I can't believe DELL isn't able to solve this problem since 2008.... really a shame. This is my LAST DELL purchase EVER.

A new remedy was recently posted here. Look near the middle of Page 2.

It uses a keybounce filtering feature built in to Windows, so it does not require any new software. To enable the feature, you will need to know how to edit the Registry (use regedit). But it is a known method that could work for you today.

Not sure if Dell has started providing keyboards without the problem (it would be great if they did - for them and everyone). For what it's worth, my keyboard is not backlit and does exhibit the problem, as did the other two before it, which were replaced under warranty.

falessi, it is unfortunate that the Autohotkey utility (thread link is two posts back) did not run correctly on your Dell. Yours is the only case that I have seen where it did not work. Thanks for listing the FilterKeys approach, which also works well. For reader reference, that approach is also listed in detail in the other thread.