Computer Hope

Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows Vista and 7 => Topic started by: Frejoh466 on August 19, 2011, 10:47:58 AM

Title: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on August 19, 2011, 10:47:58 AM
One of my buttons is not working on my keyboard as the title says, but there is nothing wrong with it, instead there something wrong with the win7 account. When I'm at the log in screen or a test/guest account the button works, but when I log in on my "main" account the button just wont work, the button works if I hold it down, but then it is spamming it.

First i thought there might be something wrong with the registry but the button can work if I'm fast enough I can type it after I log in. There is no unknown startup program, and nor in the processes tab, I don't know what services should be on, so haven't check there.

If I boot in safe mode the button works, but if I turn on Selective start up and uncheck Load system services, Load startup items and Use original boot configuration then the button won't work, I think the computer still boot some of them, It reactivate some items that I can't disable.

Anyone with a guess on what it could be? I got a updated virus program and I have scanned my computer, so the possibility on a virus is small, no strange files that I can see, I even cleaned the registry witch CCleaner, tho I know you shouldn't do it, but it was wort a shot.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on August 22, 2011, 05:19:39 AM
Which button?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on August 22, 2011, 07:43:34 AM
It's the "Ö" button.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on August 24, 2011, 06:47:46 AM
That's very... odd.  I'm not sure what the fix might be, but it sounds like a possible registry corruption is involved.  This may not satisfy you as a solution, but how about creating a new user account on the PC and migrating to that?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on August 24, 2011, 12:29:30 PM
Well... It's would take a while to get all of my configuration to the new account, but if it now might be a registry corruption can't I just take and export the keys where the keyboard is saved on a other account and import to this account? if so do you possible know where the keys are saved?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Salmon Trout on August 24, 2011, 12:47:51 PM
Can I just say that the things that you press on a keyboard are called 'keys', not 'buttons', in English? (That's why it's called a keyboard.)
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on August 25, 2011, 07:23:23 AM
Can I just say that the things that you press on a keyboard are called 'keys', not 'buttons', in English? (That's why it's called a keyboard.)

By all means say that if you must.  They are, however buttons.  ;)  (Also, some of those fancy-schmancy buttonboards have extra keys around, that look more like... buttons... than... keys...)

Meanwhile back on topic - I don't see why copying profile items needs to take that long.  With most programs it's just going to be drag-and-drop.  But the real reason for following my suggestion and creating another profile, is to see if this confirms the theory that it's a registry issue.  If it is, you could be on a hiding to nothing selectively fixing it - who knows what else might be screwed up?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: BC_Programmer on August 25, 2011, 07:30:01 AM
I agree, just create a temporary profile and see if that fixes the issue with your buttonboard, and if so we can be sure it's a profile-specific issue and work from there.

Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on August 25, 2011, 12:22:40 PM
instead there something wrong with the win7 account. When I'm at the log in screen or a test/guest account the button works, but when I log in on my "main" account the button just wont work[...]

First i thought there might be something wrong with the registry but the button can work if I'm fast enough I can type it after I log in.

The Test/guest account is a new profile, and I have "tried" to just copy my User profile but it took to long for all of the files and I had trouble to get access to my main folder from the new account so I kinda gave it up quite fast...

So it is a profile-specific issue.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on September 02, 2011, 05:58:11 AM
What's your region/language set to?  Are you using any macro tools like AutoHotKey?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 02, 2011, 07:19:36 AM
My region is set to my country and it is right keyboard layout, I have Autohotkey installed but I haven't used it sins I got Win7.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: patio on September 02, 2011, 07:21:30 AM
Uninstall it...and re-boot.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 02, 2011, 07:39:01 AM
Nope, didn't work.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on September 06, 2011, 01:47:07 PM
Drawing a blank here.  Something's trapping that key code, I think.  I wonder if you change your keyboard layout in Regional Settings, does that key spring back into life?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 06, 2011, 09:19:42 PM
Well then it works just fine, so I guess it\s something wrong with the region keyboard layout, I will see if Microsoft have a fix for it on their forum.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on September 07, 2011, 07:07:24 AM
Looks like we're narrowing in on the solution.  Try removing the language completely and re-adding it.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 07, 2011, 11:35:43 AM
Didn't work.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 08, 2011, 06:09:34 AM
And by removing it completely you mean that I just remove it from the list then add it again? If so it's not working. But can I get the keyboard layout I got in the welcome screen ot a other account to my main account?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on September 08, 2011, 07:09:15 AM
That was a shot in the dark to be honest.  I suspect removing the language doesn't remove the underlying files.

Do you have GuardedID from Comcast installed?  (That does weird things with keyboard mappings, apparently.)

I've found a lovely little program that might be able to help you out by working around the problem: SharpKeys (http://www.randyrants.com/2008/12/sharpkeys_30.html).
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: quaxo on September 08, 2011, 11:16:35 PM
That was a shot in the dark to be honest.  I suspect removing the language doesn't remove the underlying files.

That's absolutely correct. It just removes it from the cycle of buttonboard (I like that term) layouts that can be switched to, but doesn't actually remove the files. Prior to Vista, I think the only language files that could be removed were the Asian and right-to-left ones. They are manually installed during Windows XP and prior installations, or could be installed later from language and regional options. They were by default left out of the normal installation of the English version of Windows XP and prior versions because of size (200-300MB if I remember right, just to enable them). With newer versions (Vista and 7) I believe they're all installed as there's no option to add/remove the Asian and right-to-left languages that I have seen.

Frejoh, what language is this we're talking about? And is this a Vista or 7 machine?

I know Microsoft does provide methods of replacing corrupt or missing language packs for Windows Vista (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947506), not sure about 7 though.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 09, 2011, 07:43:08 AM
Well the key is working now, but I didn't do anything. I have no clue why it's working but it does, if it still works until next week I'll mark this as solved and hope there won't be any more problems with it.

@quaxo
You got the OS under my profile name, but the language is Swedish and I have Win 7
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: quaxo on September 09, 2011, 08:17:29 AM
@quaxo
You got the OS under my profile name, but the language is Swedish and I have Win 7

Just checking.  :P

No telling how many computers you've got. I've got many running XP, Vista, 7, and two versions of Linux.  ;D
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on September 13, 2011, 07:23:01 AM
Well the key is working now, but I didn't do anything.

Aaaaarggghh!  Deeply unsatisfactory.  ;)

Glad it's working though.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 22, 2011, 10:20:46 AM
I really don't like that button now, but I have no clue why this is happening. I haven't done anything that I don't usually do, so I don't know why it's not working now.

And I can't use SharpKeys because it's an unknown key, but when the button was working I took a look on what number the key was, but I still can't replace it because if I press the key nothing happen probably because the key acts like a dead one, but it is working on a different account. So if anyone got any ideas please post them.   
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: quaxo on September 22, 2011, 05:18:38 PM
Not the funnest thing to do, but you might just have to move everything over to a new user account.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 24, 2011, 04:34:32 AM
Well, we do know that it might be something wrong with the keyboard layout, if I change it to a other layout the button works, so even if I would change account the problem might still be there after a while. So can I create my own keyboard layout somehow? or see where the buttons information is stored?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on September 29, 2011, 07:04:58 AM
Ok I did a search in my regedit and took all keys witch the key value "keyboard" and got 30 keys, then I went to a new account and took all keys there and got 26 keys, while 5 of them I could not import to my main acc, but it didn't help.

So there might not be any problem with the registry, but there might be something wrong with the keyboard layout, because if I change to, let say US the button works, but it types a different letter, if I then change to Finnish, the button stops working. But it might be because it use the same keyboard layout as my main does (Swedish) because it looks the same, so unless I get a way to replace it I think I'm stuck, if not anyone can think of something.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on October 03, 2011, 10:00:05 AM
Now I got Microsoft keyboard layout creator 1.4 and somehow something is overriding it, I can create a new one from scratch, but then it goes back to the layout I had before. but when I test it in the test window of the program it work just fine. so there must be something wrong with the keyboard layout thingy... and now I'm out of ideas.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on October 04, 2011, 02:19:10 AM
I'm guessing you'll need to ask this question in a forum where the participants are deeply familiar with the guts of Windows.  MSDN would be a good place to start: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: rock100 on October 04, 2011, 08:45:59 AM
It conscionable removes it from the interval of buttonboard (I equivalent that period) layouts that can be switched to, but doesn't actually disappear the files. Preceding to Vista, I judge the exclusive communication files that could be distant were the Eastern and right-to-left ones. They are manually installed during Windows XP and preceding installations, or could be installed ulterior from communication and regional options.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: patio on October 04, 2011, 09:14:59 AM
Posting priveledges revoked...
But i'll leave this up til someone can explain it...
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on October 05, 2011, 05:23:48 AM
Yes, I would be very interested to hear if we get a resolution.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on December 22, 2011, 08:59:49 AM
Yes, I would be very interested to hear if we get a resolution.

Well it seems like the guys over there can't help me ether... I got like five replays but then it died, and because AutoHotkey can't write the key ether I guess it's a problem somewhere in the windows files/registry, I guess the only way right now is to reinstall Win7  or if a simple repair with the windows CD could work...

But just to let you know that there seems like not many people knows why windows won't let me use that symbol.

Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on December 23, 2011, 05:06:18 AM
I thought early on we established that other user profiles on the same computer didn't have this problem?  It would be easier to swap profiles than the reinstall Windows.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on December 23, 2011, 05:19:10 AM
The "error" did occur on the new account after a while.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on December 27, 2011, 08:39:34 AM
Oh man, that's frustrating.  Must be O/S corruption then - which is what you suspected all along.  I forget - have you run "sfc /scannow" from a privileged command prompt?
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Frejoh466 on December 30, 2011, 04:32:28 AM
Yea, should have mention that at the start, but it didn't find any errors. So I guess I have to reinstall whole Windows then, but I think I'm going to wait for Win 8 instead.
Title: Re: Keyboard button not working.
Post by: Rob Pomeroy on December 31, 2011, 01:02:54 PM
If sfc found no errors, I wouldn't be terrifically confident that a reinstall would fix...  Meh.