Besides the mouse, the keyboard is probably one of the most important accessories for your PC, so it is important that you do not experience any problems while typing. Do you still encounter the necessary problems, while the keyboard is in principle not physically defective? We give some tips to find a solution.
Is the keyboard defective?
Before we get started with symptoms and how to combat them, it is first useful to check that the keyboard is not physically defective. Are any keystrokes detected at all? If that is not the case, you can rule this out by connecting a second keyboard to the system via USB.
Suddenly different signs
It may have happened to you that you were typing and your keys suddenly seemed to have a different function. The question mark acts like one = and a backslash has turned into one <. The cause is very simple: the keyboard has switched to a different language version.
This often happens by accident because the key combination for this is located where you often rest your hands on the keyboard. The combination Ctrl + Shift causes a different language version for the keyboard to be selected. The solution is therefore just as simple: by pressing Ctrl + Shift the keyboard will function normally again. You can avoid this problem altogether by keeping only one language and one keyboard layout. The combination Dutch as language and United States (international) the most common is the keyboard layout (see also the Keyboard layout box).
To change this setting, go to the Control panel and click below Clock, language and region on Change keyboards and other input methods> Change keyboards. Click here Dutch below Keyboard and then on remove. That way, delete any format except United States (International). The keyboard can no longer switch to another layout.
Keyboard layout
Keyboards have two characteristics under Windows: one input language and a keyboard layout. This is not entirely logical: the input language has little to do with the keyboard itself, but mainly with functionality. For example, Word recognizes certain languages ​​and adjusts its automatic correction functions accordingly. An annoying side effect is that you sometimes suddenly end up with a different keyboard layout: if you type in English, Word also selects an English keyboard, and if a different keyboard layout is linked to it, strange things suddenly happen.
If you have your settings in order, the selected input language does not matter. The point is that keyboard layout: if it doesn’t fit the keyboard you want to use, the keys won’t do what you expect. For example, a Belgian keyboard has an AZERTY layout and a real Dutch key layout has the plus sign (+) next to the L key. Confusingly, almost everyone in the Netherlands nowadays uses a keyboard with the key layout that comes from the United States (QWERTY with the semicolon next to the L key). There are only multiple versions of it.
Special punctuation marks and ‘dead keys’
You can generally enter special punctuation marks such as umlauts and accents (the so-called diacritics) by typing double or single quotation marks, followed by a vowel. After the punctuation mark the keyboard pauses (the so-called ‘dead key‘), to decide what to do depending on the subsequent keystroke. Not everyone likes that. For example, if you type a lot of texts with quotation marks, you should always be aware of what the computer will make of it, depending on the test that follows: a punctuation mark or an accent. You think to type a quotation mark and an e (‘e) and get an é. Therefore some people still use Alt key combinations to recall special characters (such as Alt + 130 for é).
The ‘secret’ of the dead key is in the keyboard layout (see also box Keyboard layout):
- The keyboard without dead key you get with the format: United States
- The keyboard with dead key you get with the format: United States (International)
You can change these language and regional settings via the Control Panel, or as follows: go to Start , typ to carry out‘ Press Enter and tap: control intl.cpl ,, 2 followed by again Enter.
Go to the tab Keyboards and Languages and press the button Change keyboard. Go to the tab General.
below Installed services you will now see which keyboard settings you already have available. Add what you may be missing – and most importantly, delete what you don’t need! You can always reinstall them if you miss them.
Check whether the language / format combination you want to use is selected under Default input language and click Apply / OK.
Shortcuts
Sometimes it can be useful to have multiple services installed, and sometimes you just suddenly end up with them for inexplicable reasons. Fortunately, if you want to switch between different installed ‘standard input languages’, you do not necessarily have to use the above route – you can also do this via shortcut keys:
- Switch input language: left Alt + Shift
- Switching the keyboard layout: left Ctrl + Shift
NB: Often it is precisely those shortcut keys that, when pressed unnoticed, are responsible for strange keyboard behavior – this can also be a reason to limit the number of installed ‘standard input languages’ to one.
Shift key remains active after one press
Normally you keep the Shift key when you want to type a capital letter. However, if you use the Shift key once pressed, also produces a capital letter if you have long released Shift. Do you also hear a short beep, then the function Sticky Keys enabled. This happens automatically when you press the Shift key (you still have to press Yes click, but in the heat of battle you could have accidentally done that). The solution is very simple: press five more times Shift and the function is turned off again. This feature is included in every Windows version, from XP to Windows 10. You can also disable the feature permanently.
You turn the function off by scrolling to Control Panel / Ease of Access / Ease of Access Center / Make the keyboard easier to use. You remove the check mark there Enable Sticky Keys.
Multimedia keys do not work
You have Windows reinstalled or updated and suddenly the keys to control the volume, start your mail program, etc. stop working. The reason for this is that there are probably specific drivers associated with your keyboard that define the functions of these keys. Go to the manufacturer’s site and download the keyboard drivers again.
It could also be that other programs or drivers related to keyboards are interfering with the operation of your keyboard. Uninstall them if the problem persists.
Sometimes multimedia keys only work when using specific programs. Especially if you already have a somewhat older keyboard, this can often occur. Sometimes the keyboard manufacturer provides some program tips for optimal compatibility.
Keyboard (and mouse) does not respond after connecting
This problem is becoming less common because almost all mice and keyboards nowadays have a USB connection, instead of the old PS / 2 system. However, if you still have a PS / 2 mouse and keyboard and they stop responding after reconnecting them, make sure you haven’t plugged the mouse into the keyboard jack and vice versa. Except for color, they are identical plugs.
The first thought: a virus! The reality turned out to be a lot more innocent …
Missing letters
You suddenly make a striking number of typos in the texts you produce. Upon further investigation, it appears that your skills have not decreased, but that the keyboard does not register certain keystrokes. If it is always the same key, then either the key is defective or there is dirt in between (just flip the key out if possible and clean it). If it is always a different letter and you have a wireless keyboard, then it is most likely time to replace the batteries.
Wireless troublemaker
Problems can sometimes have causes that you really couldn’t have come up with. For example, there is an example where all kinds of strange characters suddenly appeared on the screen without the user typing anything. The first thought: a virus! However, the reality turned out to be a lot more innocent. Two wireless keyboards on the same frequency, one of which was in the closet. An object that fell on the keyboard and thereby pressed keys did the rest.
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