# Help! Myspacebaris actingerratic! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 1, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-myspacebaris-actingerratic/306352 "2005-06-01T12:50:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-myspacebaris-actingerratic/306352/1 "2005-06-01T12:50:13Z")
Myspacebar is not always working. Sometimes Ihave tohit it reallyhard, which I know isnotgood. I am leaving for a businesstrip andcannot gettothe repair store in time. Is there a way to ‘hotkey’ or reprogram my right ALT or CTRL buttonsto act as a space until Icanget this looked at? Any othersuggestions? Thisis a Dell Latitude D600notebook. Thespacebar feels weird, so something mightbeout of whack… -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-myspacebaris-actingerratic/306352/2 "2005-06-01T13:08:36Z")
Fixed it. Was able to depress the surrounding keys and lightly lift the spacebar to see what was in there…a tiny black pebble! I managed to use a toothpick to dislodge it and it promptly fell into the body of the computer. :smack: I turned the thing upside down and shook as much as I could, but…At least I can type now. I’ll get a cleaning done when I return. Is it possible to change the functions of keys on a WinXp system like my ALT or CTRL idea? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-myspacebaris-actingerratic/306352/3 "2005-06-01T13:53:08Z")
I’m glad you solved it, and now I can tell you when I saw your title I thought you’d come down with some weird disease.