# Keyboard types wrong letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818 "2006-01-20T14:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sdstudent1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sdstudent1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdstudent1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/1 "2006-01-20T14:41:48Z")
I have a Dell Inspiron 2200 with Windows XP. A few weeks ago, it started typing the letters next to the letters I press as well, like I am mashing the keyboard. The symptom goes away from time to time, but it is still a major inconveniance. Now, this is possibly a trojan horse or a worm causing this, and it all started about the same time I accidently downloaded the WinFixer popup. I have downloaded several troman horse finders, and they find mazny things on the computer, but they cost money to delete them. Here is a sample sentence for you. The quidck, brown fvosx jmujmpsx ofver the l.azazy dcogl. Thanks for any help ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/2 "2006-01-20T14:44:30Z")
turn the keyboard upside down and shake it; there might be some bit of conductive debris in there, shorting something out. Usually, it’s a staple or a paperclip. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/3 "2006-01-20T15:17:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > turn the keyboard upside down and shake it; there might be some bit of conductive debris in there, shorting something out. Usually, it’s a staple or a paperclip. Also, try turning your computer off for a little while (or at least rebooting it) if you don’t regulalry. Many a strange things happen when the computer starts to get a little to warm. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/4 "2006-01-20T15:19:58Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > Also, try turning your computer off for a little while (or at least rebooting it) if you don’t regulalry. Many a strange things happen when the computer starts to get a little to warm. :smack: But probably not that. If shaking out the keyboard doesn’t yeild results, try a different keyboard, maybe someone spilled something on it. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/5 "2006-01-20T15:50:23Z")
Looks like a hardware problem to me. The pattern of what keys you get by accident is significant. Keyboards organize their keys into a pattern of rows and columns. Since a keyboard is a lot wider than it is tall, the “columns” end up snaking their way down the keyboard in kind of a pattern. What you are seeing is that when it tries to read a particular column, it’s picking up more rows than just the one key you are pressing. For example, where you typed “quidck” instead of “quick”, the C and D are in the same column on the keyboard, so I can tell that the D came out when you clicked on the C, and not the I. Similarly, F and V are in the same column on the keyboard, so when you typed “fvosx” I can tell that the V came out when you typed the F, and the X came out when you typed the S. When you typed “jmujmps” the keyboard read the first JM when you pressed J, and the second JM when you pressed the M. It looks like an intermittant short between the bottom two rows on the keyboard. Hopefully, there is something conductive floating around inside the laptop, like Mangetout said. The alternative is that the keyboard hardware has a problem, or worse, the keyboard controller on the motherboard is shot. ---
**Author:** ![sdstudent1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sdstudent1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdstudent1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/6 "2006-01-20T16:27:05Z")
I shut down the computer every night, and have blown the keyboard out with airl. I am fairly sure I haven’t spilled anything on it. This laptop was purchased last fall, and of course I didn’t get the extended warantee, so I hope engineer comp geek is wrong or else I am going to have to take it to a computer place to get it fixed. Any more ideas would be appreciated. ---
**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:** [January 20, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/7 "2006-01-20T16:29:32Z")
My first guess would be that someone spilled coffee into your keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/8 "2006-01-20T16:33:47Z")
> [@sdstudent1](#): > > I shut down the computer every night, and have blown the keyboard out with airl. I am fairly sure I haven’t spilled anything on it. This laptop was purchased last fall, and of course I didn’t get the extended warantee, so I hope engineer comp geek is wrong or else I am going to have to take it to a computer place to get it fixed. Any more ideas would be appreciated. It definitely sounds like a hardward problem. This happened to my Toshiba laptop last year, after lots of years of dropping crumbs and stuff on the keyboard since I mainly used it while eating in the kitchen. Don’t get too down though, notebook keyboards aren’t very hard to swap in. I ordered a replacement keyboard online for $35, Googled up a diagram detailing where the hidden screw was to open the front (it was hidden under a plastic piece), pulled out the keyboard (it’s attached to the motherboard with a ribbon cable) and plugged/screwed in the new one. It took about 15 minutes and that was it. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/9 "2006-01-20T16:48:20Z")
> [@sdstudent1](#): > > I have downloaded several troman horse finders, and they find mazny things on the computer, but they cost money to delete them. You don’t have to pay for computer security, [a-squared Free Trojans, Dialers, Worms and Spyware](http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/) [Ad-Aware SE Personal Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components](http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) [ewido anti-malware Hijackers and Spyware, Worms, Dialers, Trojans, and Keyloggers](http://www.ewido.net/en/) [SpywareBlaster Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.](http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) [WinPatrol Spyware. ADware. Viral infections. IE Add-Ons. Detect & Restore File Type Changes. Automatically Filter Unwanted Cookies. Avoid Start Page Hijacking. Detect changes to HOSTS & critical system files. Kill Multiple Tasks that replicate each other, in a single step! Stop programs that repeatedly add themselves to your Startup List!](http://www.winpatrol.com/) [BitDefender Anti-Virus](http://www.bitdefender.com/) [avast Anti-Virus](http://www.avast.com/) [AVG Anti-Virus](http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1) everything I linked to is freeware! ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/10 "2006-01-22T10:21:30Z")
I had exactly the same problem with a Dell Inspiron 2200 a few weeks ago. I had to remove and reseat the keyboard ribbon connector inside the laptop. Dell tech. support took me through the procedure. While I was a little surprised that I was expected to perform my own repair, it was straightforward enough. Opening the case and removing the keyboard is easy, no tools required, but getting the ribbon in and out is slightly fiddly. ---
**Author:** ![sdstudent1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sdstudent1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdstudent1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keyboard-types-wrong-letters/340818/11 "2006-01-23T02:59:48Z")
Well, I got on Dell Online support chat and they gave me a link that showed me how to remove the keyboard. It looks like Usram was right, all I had to do was disconnect and reconnect the ribbon, and now it works fine. Thanks for all your help.