These problems all started happening about the same time, the past three weeks or so; I don’t know if any or all of them are related to each other.
Keyboard. Left Shift key + some characters fails to produce any character on the screen, but it is fine with most characters. Right shift key does not have this problem. My typing style is to use the left shift key almost exclusively, but if it were worn out why would it only be worn out with a few letters on the keyboard, and not all letters? I’ve pulled up the key and checked for muck, and there isn’t any.
Focus on monitor. Using Windows XP, I am accustomed to clicking on applications in the Taskbar to bring them to the front so I can work on them. Many times now when I click on the application in the Taskbar, the application maximizes but it does not come to the front. I can see a sort of ghost of the application window as it maximizes and minimizes, and the other application that is in the front does not have the focus, but I can’t see the active application unless I manually minimize the one that was in front.
Mouse. Right-clicking on an application on the Task bar does not bring up the right-click menu (or anything else).
I have been using a wireless keyboard and mouse for years. The current mouse is fairly new, but the problems did not start when I got the mouse. It is a Logitech Performance MX. The keyboard is a Microsoft Wireless Natural Multimedia Keyboard, maybe three years old or more.
All suggestions welcome. Even the ones I don’t want to hear.
Roddy
That’s a pretty odd set of symptoms, I have to say.
There are some apps that will interfere with the rt-click context menu, but the other stuff wouldn’t hang well with that theory.
My guess would be corrupted mouse/keyboard drivers, but for the max/min issue on windows selected from the task bar, that sounds more like a video driver issue.
How old is your installation of XP? It’s fairly common for things to become corrupted over time since the occasional system crash is inevitable. If it’s more than a couple of years old, I would suggest doing a fresh install after a thorough scan of the hard disk (including a search for bad sectors).
I know it’s a royal PITA, but it might be the only way. However with XP, it’s fairly easy to an “upgrade” type install that will preserve your existing software. Windows7 isn’t as accommodating. I don’t remember exactly how to do it though since I’ve been on W7 for a while now, but it shouldn’t be hard to track down.
Thank you, dzero, for responding. I did some diagnostic work of my own, and the problems all appear to have to do with the keyboard. When I swapped in a wired keyboard, all the symptoms disappeared, including the right-click and focus problems. My guess is that, as this older wireless keyboard was going south, it was doing something to interfere with the wireless mouse signals. But that’s a fairly uneducated WAG.
Of course, I also re-booted, but I don’t think that was the solution since the problems have persisted for 2 or 3 weeks and I re-boot every day.
Anyway, problem resolved. I just have to find a better wired keyboard, I need one that is more ergonomic than a Microsoft Wave.
Roddy
I’m not sure how familiar you are with NE, so I’ll just mention the following: their prices are usually competitive but not always the cheapest - especially if you live in a state where they have to collect sales tax. But they almost always have the best selection and once you find what you like you can look for the best price via the usual channels.
That doesn’t necessarily rule out the keyboard driver. See if there’s an updated version, before going to the trouble to get new hardware. If not, at least try uninstalling and reinstalling the existing drivers.
Also, it’s somewhat possible that interference can be dealt with, if that is definitely a problem. Some wireless devices can change channels.
It’s the focus problem that seems odd to be hardware related–it sounds more like a software issue. Heck, I know specifically how to make active programs not take focus–it’s a setting in Windows XP’s TweakUI’s mouse panel. (Ultimate Windows Tweaker seems to be the Vista/Win7 equivalent.)
This is probably far too obvious, but since you didn’t mention it…I’ve seen some weird symptoms from wireless keyboards/mice when the batteries were running out. I’m sure you’ve checked this, but even if they’re rechargeable, I’d try a different set before you bin the keyboard.
I’m sure you checked this, but perhaps someone else finding this thread might not!