Before I order and install a replacement keyboard, just wanted opinions. If this was a hardware problem, why would a reboot fix it? So any software issues that could cause this? Dell L502X w/ Windows 10.
Sometimes a bit spontaneously changes from 0 to 1 or vice versa. Maybe hit by a cosmic ray or just a quantum leap. Only cure is reboot, soft if you can, hard if necessary. That is why every computer has the possibility of a hard reboot (hold the power button for five seconds; wait ten seconds then power on).
It seems unlikely (a series of identically-aimed) cosmic rays would be causing that specific problem again and again, unless you’ve got a co-worker with a cosmic ray gun aimed right at your keyboard.
Sure, it could be a software issue. If you have a spare USB keyboard handy, you could try plugging it into the laptop. If the problem happens with that too, it’s unlikely to be in hardware. If it doesn’t, it could be either.
You might also try a clean boot to see if some background program could be at fault. You might be able to narrow it down to a specific program that way. That’ll be harder if it happens rarely, though.
My guess is it’s hardware, though.
It could be sticky keys / ease of accesss / short cut keys/ program specific settings.
But in answer to your question, “how could it happen”, it could happen when your keyboard controller (hardware component) gets confused, and is cleared by a reset of the component. On an ordinary keyboard, you can see the lights flash when you reboot. that’s not just the computer flashing the lights: it’s the computer doing a keyboard reset.
Thank you, gentlemen.
I have ordered a replacement keyboard.