# Does my computer keyboard have a mind of its own? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474 "2003-05-21T02:51:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/1 "2003-05-21T02:51:44Z")
Something tells me I will have an answer to this in about 2 hours, thats why I am posting here! 🙂 I have a Gateway laptop with Windows XP. On it, there is this annoying problem that I noticed on some other Gateway laptops at work: there are times when the cursor suddenly jumps to a few lines above where I am typing, and whatever I am typing ends up there! Is there any way to correct this? It’s EXTREMELY annoying. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/2 "2003-05-21T02:54:06Z")
disable the touchpad. the typing activates it ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/3 "2003-05-21T03:00:59Z")
I like my touchpad . . . ☚ ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/4 "2003-05-21T03:07:48Z")
Get smaller hands 😉 I plug in a mouse when using laptops because whenever I type my gigantic palms always interfere with the touchpad. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/5 "2003-05-21T05:36:32Z")
heh… Looks like touchpad technology hasn’t improved one whit since 1996, which is when I had a (please don’t laugh) Sharp laptop with a touchpad, and it was, well, touchy. Back then, the offered cure was to replace the pad with a revised unit that was less sensitive, or disable it entirely and plug in a regular mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/6 "2003-05-23T02:40:24Z")
I should add that I re-installed XP on my lape this problem; I didnt have this problem with the touchpad before . . … . ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/7 "2003-05-23T21:18:42Z")
I knew it was a Gateway before I even opened the thread! Gateway keyboards+computers have this cute feature. There’s a button on the keyboard, I forget what it’s called, but it remaps keys. You click the remap key, then the next key you type becomes “selected”, and the third key you type takes on the function of the second key (the “selected” key). What _useful_ purpose it served, I could not tell you. But it is easy to hit the damn remapping key by accident and as yot cobtibte to type yoxr ttpibg gezs worsj abd worsj… Call Gateway and ask them how to reset the damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-computer-keyboard-have-a-mind-of-its-own/176474/8 "2003-05-23T21:26:58Z")
Hello? What the hell!!! That was obviously unrelated to the rest of the thread, other than “Gateway” and “keyboard”. How the hell did I misread it and misconstrue what you were saying so badly? Well, I had the right answer, you just asked the wrong question 😛