# Windows remote keyboard issue
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 22, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734 "2008-06-22T00:16:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/1 "2008-06-22T00:16:38Z")
For two days a week at my job, I have to remote in to my PC running XPpro from another PC running Vista (I think it’s pro, also. I can check tomorrow.). Some of the keys on the keyboard do not work on the Vista, like _shift, alt,_ etc. I am doing quite a bit of data entry, and to not have these keys available is a pain in the neck, literally. Is this just Windows weirdness (I’m a Mac person at home)? Is there a fix available? I know my boss installed two other keyboards and had the same exact issues. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2008, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/2 "2008-06-22T12:09:38Z")
Bump.
Anyone?
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### Author:  [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/3 "2008-06-22T15:09:12Z")
What are you using to remote into the office? Remote Desktop? VNC? Timbuktu?
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### Author:  [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/4 "2008-06-22T23:38:03Z")
It’s probably whatever setup comes with Windows. The Boss set it up, not me.
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### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/5 "2008-06-22T23:49:11Z")
There’s not a whole lot to go on here…
So, you’re connecting to an XP box from a Vista machine? Does the keyboard on the Vista machine act oddly for every application, or just when you’re running RDP?
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### Author:  [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/6 "2008-06-23T02:48:48Z")
just a shot in the dark, but there’s a couple accessibility modes in Windows for people that can’t press two keys at the same time. These can definitely mess up your modifier keys and act in unexpected ways. On XP, go to Control Panels-\>Accessibility Options, and see if any of the keyboard modes are activated and turn them off. Do this on both machines (I don’t know where the option is on Vista).
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### Author:  [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/7 "2008-06-23T03:15:41Z")
Apparently you’re not the only person who’s seen this. [Here’s a guy describing the same problem](http://www.vistax64.com/vista-networking-sharing/29589-remote-desktop-keys-ctrl-alt-shift-do-not-function.html), also using Vista to control XP. Unfortunately, nobody had a decent suggestion.
Here’s a [similar thread](http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/it-IT/winserverTS/thread/cbaae74e-8311-4a46-a842-31dcdd6878dc/) where the Windows key gets ‘stuck’ going Vista to XP. This exchange says there’s a fix in Vista SP-1. Have you tried installing Vista SP-1?
[Here’s another similar knowledgeBase note](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938080), that also recommends Vista SP1 as a fix.
I’d definitely try installing Vista SP1. Two of the three articles above are not the exactly same problem, but it sounds like Vista had some big keyboard issues with non SP1 installs.
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### Author:  [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/8 "2008-06-23T04:04:34Z")
Thanks! I will get this information over to my boss. You guys are great!
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### Author:  [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-remote-keyboard-issue/453734/9 "2008-06-23T04:07:03Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda]
There’s not a whole lot to go on here…
So, you’re connecting to an XP box from a Vista machine? Does the keyboard on the Vista machine act oddly for every application, or just when you’re running RDP?
[/QUOTE]
Sorry, **Nanoda** , I missed your post. It only happens on remote.