Laptop - Word - Firefox Help... Hand slipped - Accidentally reprogrammed keyboard

Oops! I was using Microsoft Word with my Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop in my lap. It slipped and I caught it in part by my left hand applying pressure to the lower left side of the keyboard, near the Ctrl button.

Now, everything is screwy. I think I reprogrammed my keyboard or accidentally hit Ctrl-Something.

I ask for your help in fixing the changes I have noticed:

MICROSOFT WORD 2003

  1. When I click on a word, instead of moving the cursor to that point in the document, it activites some kind of “research” function, looking the word up in the dictionary and displaying the results along the right side of the screen

  2. The keyboard does not work properly. When I hit some keys, nothing happens. When I hit other keys, like “F” it automatically activates the “File” menu option. When I hit “E” it automatically activates the “Edit” menu, etc.

  3. When I click on the “File” menu with the mouse or click on any other toolbar function, such as the “Open File” folder icon, instead of activating the item selected and performing the usual function requested, it sort of “highlights” the item and allows me to drag & drop the “File” menu or other button elsewhere on the toolbars.

DESKTOP SHOTRCUT ICONS

When I double click on an icon on the desktop, such as Word or Firefox, instead of launching the program requested, it opens the “Properties” menu and displays the properties box for the shortcut icon selected.

FIREFOX

  1. Again, the keyboard does not work to type. All it does when I hit certain keys is activate things in the toolbars, such as “F” for “File”.

  2. On my home page, which is Google, I can click on the links shown, such as “Images” or “News,” but instead of activating the link requested, it activates the download function and then downloads the link somehow. I then get a “Downloads” page showing me the download is “Done” and giving me the options to “Open” or “Remove.”

What have I done and how do I undo it? Thanks!

It sounds like your <Alt> button is permanently pressed. All I can think to try, in order, are: press and wiggle alt button(s), restart, or shut down and power off, then reboot.

It’s also a possibility that you’ve managed to activate StickyKeys. Check the Control Panel under Accessibility Options to turn it off.

OK, we are close to figuring this out. Thank you. It seems the <Alt> key is now toggled ON and OFF by pressing it and releasing it instead of having the <Alt> functions activated only when pressing and holding the <Alt> key down.

How can I fix that?

I looked, but the StickyKeys box was not checked.

Try checking it and see if it changes anything. Then uncheck it again. Can you tell if any other keys like <Ctl> are sticky? Other than that, I’d still try shut down/restart.

Hmm. No luck, and it looks to be only the Alt key affected.

bump

My only guesses are it’s some Toshiba-provided software feature, some option specific to your laptop involving the “Fn” key, or a BIOS feature. The last two involve RTFM, the first… checking around.