Comments for Help! My Shift key is stuck!

Comment from vasko on 2009-11-12

2009-11-13T00:31:49Z

when i press ctrl or shift key it's like it toggles it or something like that and its like im still pressing it when im not actually and it realy anoys me...ive tryed pressing the two shft keys but it doesnt work...please reply to my E-mail and sorry for my english its not very good

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Comment from pramod on 2009-10-27

2009-10-27T15:30:38Z

i have a sony vaio laptop with windows vista in my laptop now suddenly i notice my shift key has stoped functioning. now yr suggestion of Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Accessibility Options is also not helping as i dont have accessibility options in my control panel kindly help pleaseeee..........

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Comment from Raine on 2009-09-23

2009-09-23T15:27:47Z

I need help!!! I read the article but I have no answer for my problema...

I have a DELL inspiron, brand new (bought it 3 months ago) and I have a problem with my keyboard (which came up yesterday)... everytime I hit CAPS LOCK to change between lower and uppercase , I can't continue writing!! It kind of gets blocked, so I have to click in order to continue typing...
HELP PLEASE!!!

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Comment from BEHZAD RouHANI on 2009-09-14

2009-09-15T03:21:44Z

HEY WHEN I TYpE HALM OF MY LETTERES GO INto LOweRCASe AND HALF OF THEM GO INTO UPPERCASE BUT If YOU DELETE The LetTER ANd KEEP RETYPING IT IT MiGHT GO LOWER\upPER CASE PLEASE HELP

Sounds like you have a physical problem with your keyboard. Try a different keyboard and see if the problem goes away. (Just plug in a USB keyboard for this test if you have a laptop.)

15-Sep-2009

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Comment from sophie on 2009-09-07

2009-09-07T22:16:16Z

i turned my computer off before reading this (im on a friends computer) and cant access my own computer because the shift key is stuck and i cannot enter my password correctly (its all numbers)!

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Comment from Marie on 2009-09-04

2009-09-04T14:58:50Z

Thank you thank you thank you.
I've tried so many things to fix this issue, but yours was finally the answer. Much better than closing everything and restarting my computer everytime this happened. I will try to be nicer to my keboard too!

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Comment from Roger Heathcote on 2009-08-28

2009-08-28T17:59:50Z

To all those still struggling...

Often 'Sticky Keys' is hard to disable, it says it's not on when it quite clearly is. The solution is to press any two alphabetic keys simultaneously - Hey Presto! normal service is resumed :)

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Comment from Connie on 2009-07-27

2009-07-27T16:35:02Z

I have a Dell w/ Windows XP. I cannot type numbers. It's as though the shift key is held down. It types lower case letters when the CAPS LOCK is on, and vice versa. I've tried rebooting, I've unchecked all the boxes for sticky keys and toggle keys, and even held down both shift keys (many times...once for 20 minutes!) It still doesn't work and i'm ready to throw the laptop against the wall! It's not like I can replace the keyboard on a laptop! HELP!

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Comment from shana on 2009-07-16

2009-07-16T17:38:06Z

hi, i just installed firefox 3.5 and it messed up my shift key. now it doesnt work at all when i want to toggle between the numbers and special characters. the only way i can get the special characters out is when i press both shift key and then shift the key character i want to get the upper chacters to show. can u advice how can i get my original keyboard setting back/ am using windows xp with sp3, logitech cordless keyboard. i swear my hardware is perfectly fine until ff 3.5 completed its installation and even after i uninstall and deleted all related folder in regedit, my keyboard problem remains.. hope u can help me. thanks1

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Comment from Liza on 2009-06-16

2009-06-16T14:35:44Z

To turn off the toggle keys (or whichever one you can turn on by accidentally holding down the right shif key too long) just press both shift keys simultaneously.

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Comment from Shania on 2009-06-04

2009-06-04T19:52:59Z

i have a Toshiba Laptop ,& my capS lock is stuck ....... i always have to push ShifT to make them litte again .... its anoyying & Sometimes my backSpace doesnt work . Can SOmeone HELp me!!!??? >:( ,im 13 o_O

Sounds like a hardware issue. Try an external keyboard, and if that helps you'll know you need to get your laptop keyboard repaired.

- Leo
05-Jun-2009

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Comment from Ken Pukenis on 2009-04-22

2009-04-23T02:29:48Z

Same thing happened to me when I accidently held my shift key too long. Difficult to navigate w/some keyboard features inop & w/"sticky keys" & "filter keys" enabled. I wound up using "system restore" to an earlier restore point by navigating w/a partial mouse and lt/rt/up/dn keys. It worked.

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Comment from Lisa on 2009-04-21

2009-04-21T18:54:23Z

To unlock Shift Key : First verify that Control Panel Accessibilities to Sticky keys and the like are turned off. Second press and hold down left shift key. DONE

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Comment from Pree on 2009-03-10

2009-03-10T21:26:03Z

I have a PC with windows XP but my problem is that somehow my shift key combination of Shift +2 or +3 have now different signs. It now shows double quotes and the pound sign respectively. There are other combination errors too. And I don't know how to correct them to the default settings. Tried everything. Help. On screen keyboard through accessibility option, too, shows the erratic key combination

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Comment from Jake on 2009-02-02

2009-02-02T21:50:00Z

fraser, my bet is that you have both the shift key locked (with either sticky keys or some other way mentioned on this site) AND caps lock on... Caps lock and shift would cause the letters to be lower case (they cancel each other out), but shift would cause the numbers to be the corresponding symbols.

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Comment from fraser on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T12:05:28Z

not sure what do to now. My shift key appears to be "on" when i try to type numbers or symbols, but off for letters. I am using XP with SP3.

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Comment from genienez on 2009-01-12

2009-01-12T13:50:18Z

none of these solutions worked for me,i'm using vista and a few days ago my shift keys stopped working, i had to open msn messenger and copy and paste my email address here, its very frustrating, please help me, i tried to change from vista back to xp but apparently you can't do that, i'm having nothing but trouble with vista.

Sounds to me like this has nothing to do with Vista. Sounds to me like your keyboard is broken. Try plugging in a different one.

- Leo
11-Jan-2009

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Comment from Elaine and Patch on 2008-11-04

2008-11-04T21:20:17Z

Yes, it seems to be a cat thing! Mine shifted backward onto Right Shift key in a moment of indecision in transition from counter to my lap and suddenly I was lost in cyberspace. Restarting the computer worked but knowing the Left Shift cancel trick will outsmart her and be much faster next time. Thanks!

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Comment from nadav on 2008-11-02

2008-11-02T13:13:44Z

Just press the Left Shift key for about 8 seconds!

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Comment from Sian Posserr on 2008-10-23

2008-10-23T17:24:36Z

Thanks this really helped. It was my cat that started the whole thing! he decided to lie on top of the laptop because it was warm ;)

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Comment from David on 2008-09-25

2008-09-25T15:28:17Z

See if you check check your laptop documentation. I know on my laptop there was a "feature" to turn some of the keys into a number pad that would come on at random and was relatively simple (but not easy to remember) to shut it off. Good luck.

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Comment from Leo on 2008-06-08

2008-06-09T04:35:24Z

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That sounds like a keyboard hardware issue. I'd get/try
another one.

Leo

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Comment from Barb on 2008-06-07

2008-06-08T05:12:09Z

|I have a problem with my right shift key, everytime |I try to use it letter it drops a line if front of the letter. |I can't figure out how to turn it off, but it interfers terribly with entering passwords and such, can anyone help|?

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2008-03-07

2008-03-07T18:25:45Z

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Replace your keyboard.

Leo

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Comment from Christian on 2008-03-05

2008-03-05T22:31:19Z

Due too liquid spill ; many different key problems have occured. For example hittin '.' would reslut in this situation : .,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Many other keys are malfunctionning but know my main problem is the page dwn button ... it is really annoying, as if i was always pressing that button. Does annyonne know what I should doo ?

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Comment from Rei on 2008-01-19

2008-01-19T10:39:10Z

EDITED...

Hello,

I have a rather annoying problem with my left Shift key. Opposite to most of the posters, my problem is about a "shortcut". My keyboard has these buttons on the Upper Left Corner, from which one of them access my E-Mail Web Site.

Tonight all of a sudden (I don't know if I accidentally pressed a combination of keys or what not) when I press my Left Shift Key, it would now work as if I was pressing that "Take me to my E-Mail Web Site - Button", it works both ways now at the same time:

1. As an upper casing key for letters and symbols: "A,B,C,D... ! @ # $... etc".

2. As my E-Mail Web Site button.

This is rather annoying, because if I'm working on Word, Excel, on Full Screen in a Game or what not, it will minimize EVERYTHING and take me to my E-Mail Web Site.

I tried uninstalling the Keyboard driver and reinstalling it, unplugging it, using a restoring point, turning my computer off, etc. Nothing seems to take my Shift Key back to normal...

Can anyone please tell me how to fix this problem? I know there's another Shift Key on the right side, but I just want to know the root cause of this.

Thanks.

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2007-09-19

2007-09-20T00:45:45Z

Dirty or broken keyboard?

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Comment from Sam on 2007-09-19

2007-09-19T12:58:10Z

For some reason, whenever I type the letter "a" it results in 2-3 "a-s" appearing instead of just 1. Any ideas?

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2007-07-12

2007-07-13T01:50:09Z

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Sounds like you need to get your keyboard repaired if the key is physically
stuck, but that seems too obvious - what am I missing about your question?

Leo

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Comment from jerome on 2007-07-11

2007-07-11T14:59:23Z

my D key is stuck in my sony vaio notebook everytym if i wanna use the letter 'd' i hav to copy and paste it.
sometimes without typin the letter the letter'd' keeps goin on and on .............. its frustrating when i browse through the net or using word
HELP ME out guyz...........................

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Comment from gustav on 2007-06-01

2007-06-01T16:05:47Z

System - HP dv1000 - XP
Probelm -

Had stuck shift problem for a while -> tried everything Leo's article suggested along with comments from others -> no result -> added an external keyboard and tried pressing duble shift -> it worked -> for the time being....

Now everytime I press any of the four key to the right of left shift key (zxcv) or left of right shift key (m,./) or space the stuck shift gets activated again on my laptop .... I tried this with an external keyboard but there is not problem with that.

Has anyone experienced such a thing? I have some testing background so I captured some of these scenarios as well -
1. The pressing of two shift keys does not activate the left shift on my laptop (external KB is fine)
2. If I have pressed any of these keys (zxcvm,./) or space the above mentioned solutions will not work... I have to press some other key first in order to use external KB
3. You can also use onscreen keyboard to get rid of this ... press any key other than mentioned above and deselect on onscreen KB (again this wont work otherwise)

Also realized than you can use

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Comment from Ola on 2007-05-13

2007-05-13T17:17:42Z

or hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift

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Comment from Leo Notenboom on 2007-02-27

2007-02-27T20:44:15Z

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I'm not sure why everyone immediately assumes a virus when individual
keys start acting up like that.

MUCH more likely is that your keyboard is broken, has a loose connection
within it, or - even though you can't see it - some dirt. Try another
keyboard. (If on a laptop, plug in an external keyboard and see if it
works any better.)

Leo
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Comment from kryst on 2007-02-27

2007-02-27T19:03:03Z

my S key is stuck for some reasons. it's not stuck because it has dirt or something..it just goes sssssss when you are not doing anything on the keyboard. it irritates the hell out of me because it'll start highlighting whatever that begins with S on my desktop and the desktop icons go crazssysss snow sit' cosming agsains. si it a virus? pls help!

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Comment from John on 2007-01-24

2007-01-24T22:16:29Z

Found another blog that said to press both shift keys at the same time. This worked for me.

It is frustrating that XP has been out for 5 years and MS still can't fix the "Cancel" button on filterKeys to work correctly.

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Comment from Ryan on 2006-12-18

2006-12-18T22:17:55Z

Ok So I Had This Problem,
Lmao It Was Driving Me Crazy..

When Ure Computer Acts Like Shift Key Is Held In All The Time..

ive Found No Other Way But This one.. And Trust ME Its A Hard Way Around It.
Simply Un Prlug Ure Keyboard.. Then Plug It Back In..
Lol Sorted Not hard At All.. :)
hope I Could Be Of Help.

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Comment from jake on 2006-12-03

2006-12-03T19:29:59Z

I had this problem too. I think I might have had something stuck in my keyboard that originally turned on the sticky keys. I cleaned the keyboard with compressed air but still couldn't get it to stop acting as if the Shift Key was pressed. I unchecked all the boxes in the accessability options in control panel...still no help, UNTIL I followed the suggestion to try an external keyboard! For some reason, after I connected the external, the problem "fixed itself" and now my notebook keyboard is also working correctly...go figure!

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Comment from Leo Notenboom on 2006-11-05

2006-11-06T01:50:42Z

If the problem happens with the replacement keyboard, then no, I would not suspect the keyboard as the problem. Unfortunately in your case, if the steps in the article didn't help I'm stumped.

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Comment from Troy Parfitt on 2006-11-03

2006-11-04T07:35:52Z

hEY LEO IT"S ME AGAIN> I CLEANED MY KEYBOARD WITH COMPRESSED AIR AND THEN GOT A HOOKED UP ANOTHER KEYBOARD AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS> DOES THIS MEAN MY ORIGINAL KEYBAORD IS BROKEN OR IS IT SOMETHING MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT?

TrOY PARFITT

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Comment from Leo Notenboom on 2006-10-20

2006-10-21T03:16:08Z

try blowing it out with compressed air

Try another keyboard - it sounds like yours might well have been broken.

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Comment from BARB MEMORY on 2006-10-20

2006-10-20T15:42:39Z

my cat sat on my keyboard. now I, J, K, L, M, O, and some of the numbers on the right are not working. Sticky keys and all other options theretofore are off.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

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Comment from Leo Notenboom on 2006-09-25

2006-09-25T15:37:36Z

Key might be broken. Try an external keyboard and see if that works. If so - take the laptop in for repair.

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Comment from kylie on 2006-09-24

2006-09-25T06:11:11Z

ps im on a compaq laptop does that make a differnce on how to fix it?

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Comment from Sathya Pillutla on 2006-09-15

2006-09-15T14:54:32Z

A Quick workaround to this problem is to use the On-Screen Keyboard which is a Graphical Keyboard located at Start-All Programs-Accessories-Accessibility-On-Screen Keyboard. This would help you if happen to be in the middle of a project and if the shift key isnt working like it should.

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Comment from nag s on 2006-09-06

2006-09-06T19:43:10Z

I had as similar problem. If stickykeys stays on even though it says it is off in the assecibility panel then do Ctrl + shift to unlocked it. it worked for me a lot of times.

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Comment from jenn on 2006-09-04

2006-09-04T19:14:36Z

I finally figured this out... when your Shift key locks... hold down the right-hand shift button and then press the CAPS lock key... this should stop it.... I had written to HP and they told me it wasn't possible and that my keyboard was defective...

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Comment from Brett on 2006-08-23

2006-08-23T07:39:02Z

If stickykeys stays on even though it says it is off in the assecibility panel, just unplug, and then reconnect your keyboard

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2006-06-22

2006-06-22T20:26:56Z

Yes spilling water on it could certainly damage it. If it was just water, you might let it dry for a few days and try again. You could get lucky :-).

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Comment from phil on 2006-06-22

2006-06-22T20:21:59Z

Ok, i tried the other key board and look: OSBHAKJSF it works! BUT, this keyboards cord is WAY too short. i have to put it on y lap, plus its a keyboard for Macs so the alt and control buttons dont work the same.. im really bummed, my other keyboard was the best.. i spilt a lot of water on it esterday, could that have done some damage?

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2006-06-22

2006-06-22T20:01:33Z

Have you tried another keyboard?

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Comment from phil on 2006-06-22

2006-06-22T19:59:37Z

this isnt working, my shift key will not work anywhere.. i tried re installing it but im stuck with the same problems, i turned off all sticky key stuff but nothing works.. help1

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Comment from Patrick on 2006-06-17

2006-06-17T11:49:17Z

Sadly after 10 minutes it came back. So I researched more and found this.

http://magicsynthesis.com/download/disablestupidkeys.reg

Its a registry editor file to totally remove the stickykey option from your machine. hope this solves it. I guess I just have a bad keyboard or something that's why it is activting itself every now and then. I'll keep you guys posted.

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Comment from Patrick on 2006-06-17

2006-06-17T10:48:35Z

Ashley!!! Yo the man!!! I followed your proposed solution and it worked!!! I'm just hoping that it would never come back! I'm still open to the possibility of a virus infection. I'll be observing my laptop and do some research about this. I'll let you guys know if ever i found out something ! Ciao!

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Comment from Leo on 2006-06-11

2006-06-11T22:28:31Z

It does sound like a hardware problem. You might try plugging in an external keyboard for a while and see if the problem is there as well.

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Comment from Chance on 2006-06-11

2006-06-11T21:34:12Z

A few days ago my shift keys would mysteriously stop working for hours at a time, which wouldn't let me type characters like the question mark, exclamation mark, and percent sign. Now, they won't work at all... I have to press the caps button to even get capital letters. It's been really irritating, because I NEED those characters. I have no idea why the shift keys won't work, but it's a laptop keyboard.

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Comment from bien on 2006-06-10

2006-06-10T16:29:01Z

this xp irritant (well it is irritating for me) always comes up when i happen to be thinking of the right words to say, and my pinky is pressing on the Shift key for more than 8 seconds. The stupid Filter Key menu comes up.
No matter what you check or uncheck in the stupid thing, my caps lock becomes reversed. The only way to get my keyboard working normally again is by restarting my computer. Good thing Ms didn't create a "memory" for this utility or else even a restart won't help. But it has interrupted my work and that is a big time irritant. Why not put the default button somewhere else, like the useless Pause/Break key? Duh...

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Comment from Olivier on 2006-05-04

2006-05-04T15:03:07Z

Shift Key Problem Resolved

I had I weird problem with my keyboard. It happened after I had that Filterred Shift Key window from windows XP coming up because I was pressing since a while the shift key button. Since I was thinking about something else, I am not quite sure what I have done. I just wanted this window who just came-up to get out my sight. But after that, I coudn't help myself but think about this pop-up window; all the letters were writing fine when I was using them, they were all normal except the special keys such as @ ~ { }. It was like I was holding the shift key all the time for those. When I was clicking on an Icone on the Desktop, Windows was selecting all the icones. If I was opening a icone, Windows was starting all the icones of that window.

To resolve this problem, I went in Control Panel [Press right click to open a window instead of opening as we normally do] -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> Keyboards -> [Select your keyboard],{new window come up} -> Select Driver Tabs -> Update Driver -> Install from a list or specified (Advanced) -> Select your current keyboard. After the installation, Windows reboot, so make sure all your works are saved. After reboot, my keyboard was fine again, and I could finally forget about this pop-up window "Filterred Shift Key" and come to what I was thinking.

Hope this help !!

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Comment from Leo on 2006-04-14

2006-04-14T20:18:08Z

Sounds like a bad keyboard. Try borrowing another to confirm.

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Comment from Andrew on 2006-04-14

2006-04-14T14:30:23Z

when i hit shift "N" my key board types "NB" automatically....

it only happens with my left shift key and not the right one....i have looked at sticky key function with no luck...please HELP...thanks

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Comment from Gary on 2006-03-12

2006-03-12T14:44:07Z

As I found on in this forum "Pressing both shift keys at the same time will turn off all caps". I didn't have to hold for 5 seconds, just press both at the same time. I also noticed the problem only occurs if you're in the middle of typing a document or email and you hold the shift key for 8 seconds. Thanks for the advice Leslie.

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Comment from snir on 2006-02-10

2006-02-10T14:36:04Z

contril panel >accessibility option>stiky keys>setting>turn stiky keys off

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Comment from Leo on 2006-02-04

2006-02-04T18:36:06Z

You'll need to check with Toshiba, I think.

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Comment from Leo Giavino on 2006-02-04

2006-02-04T17:54:20Z

Hello, I have a Toshiba Satellite P25-S507 Laptop, and the SHIFT key is broken, I mean is loose, I would like to know if can I buy only the plastic key? and where can I buy. Thank you. Leo

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Comment from Leo on 2005-12-15

2005-12-16T06:04:16Z

Offhand is sounds like a broken keyboard. I would plug in an external keyboard, and if that works properly, that pretty much nails it.

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Comment from zach on 2005-12-14

2005-12-15T02:31:18Z

please reply, i need help desperately

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Comment from zach on 2005-12-14

2005-12-14T15:32:34Z

first of all, i am on a presario x1000 laptop with windows xp home edition. for some reason, my shift, alt, ctr, and the windows keys dont work. ive tried messing around with stick keys, ive turned it off ive changed the settings, ive tried evrything. also when i follow the directions of sticky keys, like how ur supposed to type shift then a letter to get a capital letter this is what i get kl12sdff56
see i cant get anything. please email me some help at thisisntzach at hotmail.com remember i cant press shift so i couldnt put the at symbol. pleeeeeease help my mom is mad

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Comment from TJ E on 2005-12-03

2005-12-03T21:39:19Z

NM I fixed it (Im sorry to bother you I should have waited and tryed mroe things its seems both of the keyboards i tryed had the shift key stuck literaly so im using this 3rd one and the lesson learned is take time and calm down dont hit sensative equipment)

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Comment from Leo on 2005-11-30

2005-12-01T06:38:30Z

NO! Please don't do that with the power on. On some computers you can damage your keyboard. It's also likely that your keyboard won't work again until you reboot. Rebooting (including turning off the power) will do everything that unplugging would have.

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Comment from Dan on 2005-11-30

2005-12-01T03:24:36Z

For anyone who has their SHIFT key stuck on, causing you to highlight text when clicking on it (such as in a word processor), just unplug the keyboard and plug it in again.

It worked for me.

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Comment from xargo on 2005-11-26

2005-11-26T13:38:24Z

I had my two shift keys not working, and the XP short cuts, too (windows_key+e = explore, etc).
All the short cuts they were opening the start button menu.

I connected a PS/2 keyboard and all working normally.

I disconnected my normal keyboard (creative wireless 8000) three times, but no joy.

All the accessibility options not selected.

I selected the Use Stickykeys and I did the next test.

On the notepad, I hit the shift, I release it, I hit any letter (a for example), and bingo! I had A on the notepad!

What was happening on my PC? My keyboard wasn’t able to manage two keys at the same time. Why? BECAUSE THE BATTERIES!!!!

Yes, I change the batteries on the wireless keyboard and all working perfect.
I’m using the little Creative’s program who tell me if the caps lock is activate, or the num lock is in use., And this program need to tell me if the battery is low (putting in yellow the keyboard icon. But it didn’t!!)

Thanks to Microsoft for the Stickykeys program, it helped me to find the problem
And this proves me, one more time that hardware, or not Microsoft software, causes almost all the problems on PC. But is so easy to blame Microsoft because we don’t find the causes of our problems. True as well, that sometimes is MS fault but one time in hundred?

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Comment from Bo on 2005-11-14

2005-11-14T16:47:43Z

Related weirdness:

Without explanation, my XP system went into full "sticky keys" mode just last night; and turning them all off through Control Panel/Accessibility options has no effect. Swapping keyboards has no effect.

Many of the letter keys shortcut to their respective Windows system screens, as mentioned above and described on this page:

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Windows-XP-Keyboard-Shortcuts.html

I did not turn this on and cannot seem to turn it off.

Makes it real interesting when you try to type in your Windows user login, or anything in the URL address field in IE! Had to log this question from another computer, even!

Is there any other place in XP this stupid feature can be accidentally/intentionally turned on, and, hence, turned off?

Thanks!

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Comment from Leo on 2005-11-01

2005-11-02T05:26:18Z

Is is both, or just one? I would try borrowing another keyboard. It sounds like the keyboard itself, perhaps.

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Comment from rajeev on 2005-11-01

2005-11-02T05:11:22Z

i have windows xp and please advise my shift key is not working rest all are working fine i tried uncheking sticky keys and all other stuff..

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Comment from jason on 2005-10-29

2005-10-29T20:51:04Z

i was wonderin if you can help me, the at key on my keyboard will not work ,the key im talking about is the one that you use for email adress e.g. bobthornton(AT)hotmail.com, the actual key is working when i dont hold the tab key down and the tab is ok but i have to hold down the tab to use the AT key and when i do nothing happens.this means that i cant enter my email adress anywhere except when it is allready in the adress history box

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Comment from chris hargrove on 2005-10-05

2005-10-05T18:57:04Z

Well, by "get another keyboard", I meant an EXTERNAL keyboard, which is what I've done as a workaround. Thanks for the advice.

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Comment from Leo on 2005-10-04

2005-10-04T23:50:28Z

Well, it does sound like a hardware so getting a new keyboard is an appropriate response. In a laptop that's a pain, I know, but you may not have another option.

You could try *carefully* popping off the m key from the keyboard and seeing if there's something stuck in there that's keeping it from workinf properly. It should then pop back on. Naturally, this could cause more harm than good if you're not sure about it, so only do this if you are. If you have a repair technician available to look at the machine, that might be a safer alternative.

Good luck!

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Comment from chris hargrove on 2005-10-04

2005-10-04T19:08:46Z

Okay, I found this searching for MY problem. I have a Sony laptop (mistake #1). The "m" key seems to be stuck...when I boot up, I have to hit space-m-space-m-space-m over and over to get rid of a black screen w/ blinking cursor and a loud beeping noise. Then, when the machine boots up, the first time I try and click on a desktop Icon w/ the mouse, all the icons start blinking rapidly followed by the same loud beeping noise (w/ the volume up, of course). I have to then click back to the desktop to make that stop. Then I can't type an "m" at all. It just won't work. The "m" key, either lower or upper case, is completely inoperable. NO ONE has been able to tell me what to do to fix it. Help! (And don't say "get another keyboard"...that's just a workaround and I want my problem fixed.)

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Comment from Leo on 2005-09-17

2005-09-17T21:53:01Z

Thanks for posting that! That's actually a very good thing for people having similar problems to be aware of ... several programs allow you to configure system-wide hotkeys that can then interfere with normal usage of that same key.

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Comment from IZZO on 2005-09-17

2005-09-17T21:47:18Z

ok i do feel a little stupid now.. i found out the problem was that i had skype binded to mute when i pressed m and i guess when u have a key binded with skype it makes it so u cant type that letter at all... :P

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Comment from Leo on 2005-09-11

2005-09-11T16:21:55Z

I would start by trying another keyboard.

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Comment from m3atalia on 2005-09-11

2005-09-11T13:42:59Z

I_have_prolems_with_my_keyoard_ot_typig_certai_letters _or_spacig_...I_have_o_idea_how_to_fix_it....Typig_like_this _drives_me_crazy_&_I_cat_get_ay_work_accomplished _PLEASE_HELP!

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Comment from Leo on 2005-09-08

2005-09-08T15:54:36Z

This "feels" like a couple of lines crossed within the keyboard itself. I don't know how old the laptop is, but I'd have the keyboard checked out - or contact the manufacturer if it's still under warrenty. If you can, plug in an external keyboard and see how that behaves.

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Comment from Ken M. on 2005-09-07

2005-09-08T05:49:05Z

Leo, Found your site via google search. I, too,have a keyboard problem which I suspect is caused by the Microsoft accessibility program.
Below are the problems that appear on my laptop. Have you ever seen this happen, and how can I cure it? I have unchecked all the shortcut boxes as you recommend but it still keeps happening with frustrating regularity. Microsoft support could not offer a solution.

Left shift key + letter a key results in a Capital A but also lights up the caps lock.

Left shift key + quotation mark key results in “ at the beginning of the next line as if the quote key and the return key were pressed at the same time.

Right shift key + letter c key results in a capital C being placed at the beginning of the first line of the document.

Left shift + letter x key results in ~X.

Right shift + v key results in $V.

Left shift + m key gives a capital m but at the beginning of the lime immediately above the intended line.

Right shift key + m key results in a popup menu appearing just as if you had right clicked your mouse on a blank area of document.

Left Shift + m key results in a capital m but places it one space back.

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Comment from Leo on 2005-08-13

2005-08-13T16:19:31Z

I would try another keyboard.

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Comment from SaraBelle on 2005-08-13

2005-08-13T16:17:22Z

Right here's the thing. My shift key simply won't work. I've tried all this 'sticky keys' business but it's just not helping. I've taken the key out and cleaned it and it is still not working. Neither of the shift keys work and I am going to get very angry. Please help. Gracis

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Comment from Leo on 2005-08-12

2005-08-13T02:24:25Z

I'm with Loi on this one ... it seems like a configuration issue. Check out Control Panel, Regional and Language options, Languages, Details, Settings, and make sure that they keyboard selected matches what you have.

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Comment from Loi on 2005-08-10

2005-08-10T21:41:54Z

@ g kerr,
Have you tried pressing the " key to see if you get @.
If you get @ by doing that it means your keyboard is set up as an american keyboard.

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Comment from g kerr on 2005-08-10

2005-08-10T07:12:31Z

Thanks for responding, Leo.

I tried different keyboard but it is the same so I assume it is a prog fault? When I had to wipe the hard disk I wonder if the keyboard is now set to a different language? I tried to check in control panel but got lost.

I've checked every single key and find that the only keys that it affetcs are the ¬,@ and the #.

Grateful for any thoughts.

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Comment from Leo on 2005-08-08

2005-08-08T16:09:28Z

My first reaction would be to try another keyboard. It's odd that only that one key would be affected that way.

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Comment from g kerr on 2005-08-08

2005-08-08T12:38:44Z

Leo,

Could you help witha keyboard problem I have. I've looked at the articleabove but don't see the answer.

I recently had to wipe my hard drive after some fatal error messages. I now don't appear to be able to use the @ key - when I press the shift button and the @ key I get " (Not on this computer but another one!)

Grateful for any suggestions as I can't get downloads as I can't specify e mail account without @ key.

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Comment from Michelle on 2005-08-01

2005-08-01T13:34:59Z

Thank you all! A combination of these suggestions fixed my annoying keyboard/mouse problems when sticky keys turned itself on. I did not even hit ok...just the X to get rid of the dialog box! But it was automatically turned on regardless. MS really should make it easier to turn these options off...at the very least! Because unchecking these boxes did not turn it off for me. I had to check and uncheck a bunch of stuff and then hold both of the shift keys down simultaneously before it actually reset. Among other random things I did while I was freaking out trying to turn these options off. And the current default should not be what it is (with shortcuts to these options turned on) but rather that a person should have to go into the options and select them instead. I mean, the majority of PC users are not going to be using these sticky, filter, and toggle key options. What were they thinking?! How annoying!! Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Comment from jake on 2005-07-29

2005-07-29T07:50:59Z

this 8 seccond shift holding has troubled me many times. specialy if you accidently turn it on, i was not able to turn it off. now i know how to do that. thanks everyone.

that information window that open with ok, cancel and setting buttons does not work or at least it does not have enough information how to use that function. few times when i have clicked cancel filter keys have still turned on, then i have hold shift down another 8 seconds and then clicked ok to make it go off. well after that didnt work i have restarted my computer. that is use full function when you know how to use it, but pain in the ass when you have no idea what it is all about.

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Comment from Dave on 2005-07-28

2005-07-28T13:37:48Z

Great write up, my wife/kids computer had this irritating Sticky Keys issue. I went through all the steps to cut it off... yet it still kept coming on. I then discovered the chunk of Granola jamming the right shift key down... unchecked all of the shortcut keys so it never gets cut again and all is good! Nice article and find... although the food stuck shift key is a new twist. ;)

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Comment from jen on 2005-07-18

2005-07-18T19:17:26Z

I got the all caps and> for period problem after I held down the shift key for a while, and then selected cancel when the filter keys option came up. I tried removing the key and making sure that the key was not sticking. I made sure caps loc was off. I made sure in control panel>>accessibility options that all filter keys, sticky keys, etc. were off, and I still had the problem. I even tried turning each option off and on again and it would not go away. I disabled the shortcut for these filters too. Finally, I fixed the problem by holding down the left shift key for while instead of the right. Go figure.

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Comment from Robert Moody on 2005-06-30

2005-06-30T21:47:53Z

Microsoft HAS to know that MORE people do NOT use this feature than do. I hope they fix this annoyance in the future. I just got finished dealing with it and had come to this page seeking a solution. Thanks Leo for being out there for us.

My solution ended up being pressing the OTHER shift-key once turned off the "STUCK CAPS" effect. To clarify, I was stuck in the "sticky keys" mode with the shift constantly on. I turned off the "use shortcut" as Leo suggested and tried other things. Finally, I simply tried pressing the left shift-key once (holding the right one down as I thought for a second was what got me into the mess) and it appeared to toggle the "sticky keys" back to normal mode.

Again, this is an annoyance more than a help for most people who use the system. If Microsoft can do anything, they should make the "annoyance" for the fewer rather than the bulk of the users. Better yet, fix the damned problem so the regular user does not have to search the web begging others who have figured out how to deal with the people to show them.

Again, thanks Leo for being out here.

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Comment from Leslie on 2005-06-22

2005-06-23T04:47:51Z

Just got some good advice for the filterkeys problem (holding down the shift key for 8 seconds produces all capitals and >>> for period). Hold down BOTH shift keys to turn it off. Worked for me! Good Luck

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Comment from Leo on 2005-05-30

2005-05-30T19:44:46Z

My first suggestion would be to try a different keyboard. Borrow one if you have to, just to make sure, or rule out, that the keyboard itself is the problem.

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Comment from viv on 2005-05-30

2005-05-30T19:40:36Z

my0 space0 key0 keeps0 putting0 a0 00 in0 front 0so0 when0 ever 0I 0type 0a0 space0 a 00 gets 0inserted.0 How 0do0 i 0stop0 this. 0alse0 all0 my0 number0 keys0 are 0being0 stupid. 0If0 i0 press 0five0 a0 fifty0 four0 appears.0 help

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Comment from samta on 2005-05-16

2005-05-16T20:33:50Z

To put sticky keys off:
1. Check if Control Panel-Accessibility options-'Use sticky keys' is ON. If yes turn it off.
2.Then go to Settings-Options.
Turn off 'Press modifier key twice to lock'
Turn on 'Turn sticky keys off if 2 keys are 'pressed at once
And then press any 2 keys simulataneously.

The problem goes...and then you can turn off the use shortcut to avoid this in future

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Comment from mr_goodvibes on 2005-05-07

2005-05-07T10:38:47Z

Hi, I'd just like to thank you for posting this helpful article. Its saturday morning, and I'm in work trying to get some stuff done. i was using excel, and it was behaving as if a phantom shift key was somehow depressed. i couldnt use auto-filters, and it made using outlook a pain in the ass as well. terribly frustrating. i took a stab through google and found this. problem solved. thanx!

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Comment from Graham on 2005-04-21

2005-04-21T09:33:15Z

I live in a very humid area of the world and it seems as though this has caused a short in my keyboard - specifically the 'alt'. The laptop thinks that I am pressing my alt key repeatedly. This is very frustrating as whenever I am in a window and trying to type, the laptop bring down all sorts of various menus from the menu bar. It's taking me a ling time just to write this. I have slowed down the repeat key option in the control panel / keyboard window and have even tried blow-drying my key board on a low temp. These things help temporarily, but the problem persists... Is there an option to just turn off the 'alt' key? Thank you for your help!

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Comment from Snyder on 2005-04-13

2005-04-13T20:37:54Z

There is a bug in the Microsoft mice that have the extra buttons that cause the computer to go to SHIFT LOCK if you press an arrow key wheile clicking button 4/5 on the mouse (which is very easy to accidently do). It has been there since 2003 and not been fixed yet! (see Microsoft article 266140)

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Comment from Leo on 2005-04-08

2005-04-08T22:56:58Z

That sure looks like a hardware problem to me. I'd borrow another keyboard and swap it out. See if that helps.

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Comment from Sam on 2005-04-08

2005-04-08T18:52:31Z

Hi there,
|Everytime I press shift, |I am getting this: ||||. How do |I get rid of it|?

|Thanks!
Sam

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Comment from Leo on 2005-03-22

2005-03-22T19:00:49Z

That actually sounds almost exactly like what's described in the article you just commented on. Did those steps not help?

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Comment from Dustin Baker on 2005-03-22

2005-03-22T18:30:30Z

I was working in a word document and held the left mouse key along with another shift or cntrl or alt on the keyboard down for a few seconds and windows popped up a dialog that I just disregarded by selecting 'ok'. Now my computer is acting weird. When i am in a word document, I select with the mouse a point in the file and the behavior that i see is that word is highlighting from the beginning of the document to the point in the file that i clicked on with the mouse. Do you have any suggestions on how i can undo what i didn't know that i did?

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Comment from Leo on 2005-03-15

2005-03-16T05:23:04Z

Sounds like your keyboard might be broken. I assume you've actually powered the machine down? That can often reset a keyboard problem.

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Comment from david on 2005-03-15

2005-03-15T12:36:14Z

alright, i think i too held down the shift key too long while in excel making a formula and now my keyboard is locked up, although it types the numbers as characters as if the shift key is held down, but it does not type any other characters. The real problem is that i rebooted trying to fix it and my boot up screen is password protected and the key board is still not entering any characters, so i can't log on to fix the problem.
Help!!

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Comment from Leo on 2005-03-13

2005-03-13T20:32:47Z

Sounds like what the article above addresses. Have you rebooted since? That would be my other suggestion.

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Comment from Marisa on 2005-03-13

2005-03-13T20:22:33Z

Hello,
My computer mouse was stuck and wasn't moving. I attempted to fix it with the control setting on windows, but that didn't work. So I got frustrated and pressed too many keys on the keyboard. I think I pressed the shift key a couple times or held down on it for a couple of seconds. Now my keyboard is not working, there are sounds when I try to hit ANYTHING on the keyboard and my mouse is not working either. The only time something does happen when I hit the keyboard, is when I hit the function button and F3 at the same time, and that just refreshes the page. Please help.

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Comment from Paul on 2005-03-02

2005-03-02T13:44:09Z

Victor, you've got your keyboard set to 'UK' instead of 'US', you can fix it from regional settings in control panel.

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Comment from Victor on 2005-02-17

2005-02-17T12:43:23Z

well this is my proble Shift + 2 = @ BUT I GET THIS " AND VISSA VESSA when I click Shift + ; to get " I get @ can some body tell me what is the problem.

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Comment from woohoo18 on 2004-12-26

2004-12-27T04:38:31Z

RE: the Fn key...

Hit Fn+Num Lock. That's what worked on my Dell Inspiron 2600 with XP.

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Comment from Leo on 2004-10-31

2004-11-01T02:46:03Z

What version of Windows?

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Comment from Aurora on 2004-10-31

2004-11-01T02:41:12Z

everytime i press any key,i hear a beep,at first i didnt mind the noise,but then it got worse,its so annoying,i dont know how to turn it off,ive been to control panel>accessibility options>filter keys>settings>beep when key is pressed box.it is unchecked but still makes that annoying beep,i am about ready to pull my hair out,can you please help?i would greatly appreciate any help!!!!!

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Comment from TaihXe on 2004-09-20

2004-09-21T03:42:15Z

I just got the solution...it took me about 5 minutes. Go into the StickyKeys settings and check the "Turn off StickyKeys if 2 keys are pressed at once" Apply the changes then hit 2 keys of your choice. Now disable the damn thing altogether. Enjoy.

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Comment from Leo on 2004-09-16

2004-09-16T15:25:24Z

I'm thinking bad keyboard. Sounds like the numlock key is literally stuck.

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Comment from Mr C on 2004-09-15

2004-09-16T05:49:49Z

I have windows XP on my laptop and the filter keys immediately pops up. I also notice that the Numlock key stays ON and I cannot disable it. Do you think this is still related to the sticky keys or probably a bad keyboard?

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Comment from Maurog on 2004-08-28

2004-08-28T11:28:54Z

To get rid of StickyKeys for good go to Control Panel - Accessibility Options - Keyboard - StickyKeys - Settings and uncheck the box called "Keyboard shortcut" which if checked monitors for shift pressed five times.
There is a similar box to be unchecked in FilterKeys section which monitors pressing shift for 8 seconds.

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Comment from Matd on 2004-07-31

2004-07-31T09:18:55Z

Well, i've turned Sticky Keys off and even removed it by Add / Remove Programs, Windows Components. Its now stopped working in Windows itself, but when i play a game like Counter-Strike or Hitman, i have Shift assigned as duck and the bloody pc still beeps at me as i hold the shift key down!!!

How the hell do you get rid of Stick Keys for good, its a real pain in the ass!

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