HELP !.......my CTRL keys do not work.

IKE

IKE

Well-known Member
Location
Oklahoma....U.S.A.
They worked fine earlier this morning but now both my left and right CTRL keys don't work.....I did not change any settings.

Being computer illiterate the only thing I've done so far is a Defrag, complete virus scan and I read something on Google that said hitting CTRL, FN and ALT at the same time might solve the problem but of course that did nothing.......I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium.

I use the CTRL key a lot to enlarge the screen size.......any suggestions ?
 

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Steve LS said:
Hmm, if Windows try System Restore.Do you need instructions on ow to do that?
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Yes I will need very explicit instructions I'm not joking when I say that I'm computer illiterate........I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium.
 
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I'm still running XP but not the Pro version. However.

Go to Start>Settings>Control Panel> Keyboard.

Click on Hardware. It will tell you if the device is working properly and also there is a Troubleshoot box to click on.
 
Ike, Is it clean? Was something accidentally spilled on it : coffee, food etc.?

They are sensitive to dust, food, liquids etal.

I have a paint brush (artist's) that I periodically brush in and around the keys. I've never had any "stuck" like that.

How old is the keyboard ? If it can't be fixed, you might need a new one; they're not that too expensive.

I have a cover for mine but usually forget to use it.

Keep us informed, as we might run into the same problem.
 
Falcon said:
Ike, Is it clean? Was something accidentally spilled on it : coffee, food etc.?

They are sensitive to dust, food, liquids etal.

I have a paint brush (artist's) that I periodically brush in and around the keys. I've never had any "stuck" like that.

How old is the keyboard ? If it can't be fixed, you might need a new one; they're not that too expensive.

I have a cover for mine but usually forget to use it.

Keep us informed, as we might run into the same problem.
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It doesn't sound like stuck keys or anything like that because they were working previously.

It sounds like something got reset during the Defrag. It might be a hardware problem that can be checked by switching keyboards on a desktop.
 
It's been years since I used XP, but something like the keyboard, and its basics hasn't changed much with the various Windows versions. Find your Device Manager, click on Keyboard, and you should have a screen telling you that the keyboard is a "Standard PS2 keyboard", or words to that effect. Then, click on that line, and a new window should appears with "Driver" being one of the options. Click on that, and you should see an option to "Update Driver". Clicking on that should reload the keyboard driver, and any updates, and with a little luck you will be back to full function.
 
Don M. said:
It's been years since I used XP, but something like the keyboard, and its basics hasn't changed much with the various Windows versions. Find your Device Manager, click on Keyboard, and you should have a screen telling you that the keyboard is a "Standard PS2 keyboard", or words to that effect. Then, click on that line, and a new window should appears with "Driver" being one of the options. Click on that, and you should see an option to "Update Driver". Clicking on that should reload the keyboard driver, and any updates, and with a little luck you will be back to full function.
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Don. Windows XP is no longer supported. There may be no update driver available. Before doing anything I would try the restart because the operating system will be reloaded. I'm still running XP. Always assume that any thing you do like a defrag prior to the problem appearing caused the problem. Same with updates especially with Windows. Many changes require a restart for them to take effect.
 
Yeah, I would turn the computer OFF at the switch -- not restart command -- and then leave it about 30 seconds and turn it back on and let it reboot. While the computer is off, I'd turn the keyboard upside down and shake it just to see if something might be stuck in there -- I had a dead moth get stuck in mine once. Then I would check my settings and see if something got accidentally changed (sometimes happens during updates or for no apparent reason, or you might have struck a key by accident).
 
Camper6 said:
I'm still running XP but not the Pro version. However.

Go to Start>Settings>Control Panel> Keyboard.

Click on Hardware. It will tell you if the device is working properly and also there is a Troubleshoot box to click on.
Click to expand...

I completely turned off the computer for four hours and the CTRL keys are still not working........I did what you suggested Camper and it says that every thing was working properly.

I now also notice that when I hover my cursor over any of the icons like the smiles, reputation star etc etc I no longer see the text pop up to tell you what that icon means.

I made a mistake.......I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium not XP.
 
IKE said:
I completely turned off the computer for four hours and the CTRL keys are still not working........I did what you suggested Camper and it says that every thing was working properly.

I now also notice that when I hover my cursor over any of the icons like the smiles, reputation star etc etc I no longer see the text pop up to tell you what that icon means.

I made a mistake.......I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium not XP.
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Do me a favor. Do a restart. If that doesn't fix it you may need to try another keyboard. And if that doesn't work the you might have to have Windows reloaded. You should then take your unit to a technician. It's not for a non knowledgable person.
 
Butterfly said:
Yeah, I would turn the computer OFF at the switch -- not restart command -- and then leave it about 30 seconds and turn it back on and let it reboot. While the computer is off, I'd turn the keyboard upside down and shake it just to see if something might be stuck in there -- I had a dead moth get stuck in mine once. Then I would check my settings and see if something got accidentally changed (sometimes happens during updates or for no apparent reason, or you might have struck a key by accident).
Click to expand...

Why are you recommending off at the switch instead of restart? I never turn my computer off at the switch. When you do a restart everything gets shut down first. If my computer gets stuck I always use the Control Alt Delete keys but the Ctrl key is not working.
 
I turned the system completely off, with the power button / off at the switch, and went back to bed for a few hours and got up just a bit ago.

With everything still off I turned the keyboard upside down and shook it pretty hard and added a few taps......you wouldn't believe the little pieces of whatever that came out.....yuck. :)

I just turned the system back on, came here, read the posts, did a RESTART and nothing has changed......still no CTRL button.

What I'm using is a Gateway package system (monitor, mouse, keyboard and tower) that I bought new six years and six months ago on Jan. 31 2011 for $647.82 and up till now I've not had a bit of trouble with it.

If you were in the mood to guess what do you think the average lifespan of a 6 1/2 year old computer is ?......where I'm going with this is do you think it's time to just bite the bullet and purchase another new system or continue to try to fix my current problem and wait for something else to happen ?

I'm by no means made of money but I do have a little 'stash' built up from selling off some of my gun collection so a complete new system, around the same price or a little more, as my current system is doable.
 
IKE said:
I turned the system completely off, with the power button / off at the switch, and went back to bed for a few hours and got up just a bit ago.

With everything still off I turned the keyboard upside down and shook it pretty hard and added a few taps......you wouldn't believe the little pieces of whatever that came out.....yuck. :)

I just turned the system back on, came here, read the posts, did a RESTART and nothing has changed......still no CTRL button.

What I'm using is a Gateway package system (monitor, mouse, keyboard and tower) that I bought new six years and six months ago on Jan. 31 2011 for $647.82 and up till not I've not had a bit of trouble with it.

If you were in the mood to guess what do you think the average lifespan of a 6 1/2 year old computer is ?......where I'm going with this is do you think it's time to just bite the bullet and purchase another new system or continue to try to fix my current problem and wait for something else to happen ?

I'm by no means made of money but I do have a little 'stash' built up from selling off some of my gun collection so a complete new system, around the same price or a little more, as my current system is doable.
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Before you spend money on a new system. Can you take the keyboard somewhere and plug it into another computer?

My desktop is about 15 years old running Windows XP. I have replaced the keyboard three times.

For lifespan? It depends on the usage. Eventually all computers will succumb to the rigors of the internet.

Go to one of those places that fix computers and buy another keyboard. Take your keyboard with you they can test it. They usually have plenty of them on hand and very inexpensive. What have you got to lose? I bought the last one for $10.00 and it's working just fine.

You use the CTRL key and the mouse to enlarge your text? It could even be the mouse.
 
Well I'm going to assume it's not the mouse.......I have a used spare Kensington mdl. K72222 mouse that is known to be in good working order that I'm using right now and that did not solve the problem.

So It's probably either the keyboard or some sort of glitch......I think I know where I can go get the keyboard checked out later this morning.
 
I loaded up my tower, keyboard and mouse this morning to have everything checked out at a local computer shop and everything I have works fine.....found out that after them doing a upgrade it ended up being a AOL glitch.

I'm not exaggerating at all, I spent four solid hours on the telephone with four different people with AOL in the Philippines only to end up with them saying, "we're working on it."

It's something to do with the AOL browser also because when I pull up and surf with MSN or Internet Explorer, as opposed to AOL, my CTRL key works just fine.

I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to reply and offer suggestions.
 
IKE said:
I loaded up my tower, keyboard and mouse this morning to have everything checked out at a local computer shop and everything I have works fine.....found out that after them doing a upgrade it ended up being a AOL glitch.

I'm not exaggerating at all, I spent four solid hours on the telephone with four different people with AOL in the Philippines only to end up with them saying, "we're working on it."

It's something to do with the AOL browser also because when I pull up and surf with MSN or Internet Explorer, as opposed to AOL, my CTRL key works just fine.

I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to reply and offer suggestions.
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How do you like that? Have you tried Firefox for a browser.? That's what I am using now. Do not like Internet Explorer. Have never tried MSN.

Anyway thanks for the update. It's something that I would never have suspected in a hundred years.
 
It's almost always a software glitch, not the hardware. I spent about 4 hours on the phone with McAfee the other night trying to find a glitch that was making my system act funky. Turned out to be a software glitch that resulted from a faulty update install.

I use Firefox, too. I had too much trouble with IE.
 
Butterfly said:
It's almost always a software glitch, not the hardware. I spent about 4 hours on the phone with McAfee the other night trying to find a glitch that was making my system act funky. Turned out to be a software glitch that resulted from a faulty update install.

I use Firefox, too. I had too much trouble with IE.
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Back in the days of mainframe computers IBM . We kept a diary of changes to refer to. Updates cause glitches. I turned off automatic updates and prefer to update if I want the update. Most of the time it's a security patch with Windows. I'm still running XP and I'm not going to play the Windows game. I have an I pad and an android tablet to access the Internet as well as my cell phone all wireless connections and I can print remotely if I want to. My tower computer can't update to Windows 7 8 10 so I'm just playing the Windows game for now. I might pick up something used if I have to use the keyboard. I used to do accounting . My grandson only 10 years old is into 3D printing. Amazing stuff. Keyboards can be a problem with sticky keys etc. Don't ever take the keys off to clean them. A vacuum cleaner is the best.
 

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