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9293
November 14th, 2002 21:00
Arrow keys on the external keyboard send extra characters
I have a problem with my Dell Inspiron 8200 that I received late August.
I am running running Windows XP and using it with a docking station and an external keyboard. At some point while I am using it, some of the keys act strangely. The arrow keys seem to send extra characters. I know it is system wide and not application-specific. I tried switching the external keyboard, but the problem still occurs.
When I use Notepad to test the arrow keys, the arrows will move the cursor and also add the letter 'b' to the edit field. This occurs in other edit fields as well.
The only way I can stop this problem once it starts is to reboot.
I figured that since this behavior would appear to start randomly, that maybe I was activating the Accessibility features by mistake. However, even after I turned off those features and disabled the shortcuts, I still see this problem.
I suspect that the shift key is somehow involved, because when I opened up a directory Explorer, I had strange problems selecting files. It acted like I was holding down the shift key even though I wasn't.
I've searched the web for a solution, and have been unsuccessful thus far.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
-- Steve
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Rollie_R
2 Intern
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2.2K Posts
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November 18th, 2002 14:00
Steve,
Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.
Please run the keyboard test in the Dell Diagnostics. Please perform the test with two different external keyboards. If you get errors in the Dell Diagnostics with two different keyboards, then please contact Technical Support.
If the Dell Diagnostics shows no errors, and you continue to have the problem with more than one keyboard, then there must be a problem with the keyboard driver. If you have installed any software or drivers for the external keyboard, please uninstall them, and then remove the keyboard from the Device Manager and then reboot the system. The keyboard driver should be reloaded.
IntrepidHeroSte
3 Posts
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November 19th, 2002 02:00
Rollie,
I ran the diagnostic utility for the 2 external keyboards, and for the internal keyboard. The internal keyboard appears to be fine. Both external keyboards refused to recognize the "Scroll Lock" key. I am not sure if this is a problem with my keyboards, or is a known limitation of the diagnostic utility. If it is a known limitation, then I can rule this out as part of the problem.
I modified the testing options to allow more than one error, so I was able to exit the sequential test and proceed with the other tests. The keyboards were fine other than the scroll lock key.
I have not installed any drivers for the external keyboard; I just plugged it into the docking station assuming it would work. There is only 1 entry in the Device Manager for Keyboards. It reads, "Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard"
So I need to know:
1) Is the "Scroll Lock" key problem a known bug in the diagnostic utility, or is it my keyboard(s)?
2) What should I do next?
Thanks,
-- Steve
Rollie_R
2 Intern
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2.2K Posts
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November 19th, 2002 17:00
Steve,
One of the options in the BIOS is for the Scroll lock key on an external keyboard to replace the Fn key. If that option is selected in the BIOS then the Scroll lock key might not function correctly in the diagnostics.
When you are in the keyboard test, each time you hit a key your should get a number-letter code at the bottom of the screen. You may need to run the test again. First test the build in keyboard, and see what codes appear for the arrow keys. Then test the external keyboard and make sure that the arrow keys give the same codes.
It appears that the keyboards are working correctly, and that only leaves a software problem in Windows. There may be a problem with the keyboard driver. You can try removing the keyboard from the Device Manager, and then reboot your system, and let Windows reinstall the driver.
IntrepidHeroSte
3 Posts
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November 21st, 2002 02:00
Rollie,
I decided to try removing the keyboard from the Device Manager, as you suggested. After two nights of normal use, I've not seen the problem again. I think it is fixed, but I can't be sure until I use it more.
Thank you for helping me fix this problem. Tech support doesn't get the appreciation it deserves.
-- Steve
scantor
1 Message
0
November 22nd, 2002 14:00
Don't count on it being fixed. It goes away for me periodically and always comes back. I also tried removing the driver and it's back already.
Obviously it's probably Microsoft's bug, but uh...I have news for Dell. It's up to you guys to fix it. If the default driver doesn't work, then you need to provide one that does.
-- Scott
Scott Lanin
1 Message
0
March 5th, 2004 01:00
Did anyone ever fully resolve this issue? I have the same problem now w an I8200 and an external keyboard - the arrow and delete keys type a "b" at times
a dell tech support guy told me to reinstall windows and to update the bios to A11
I did the bios update so far but am skeptical anytime a techie says to reinstall the OS
in my experience that tells me that they have no idea how to deal w a problem
anyone know if this was a driver or a microsoft windows problem?
thanks
Scott Lanin
scott@laninlaw.com