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Thread ID: 39452 2003-11-06 22:11:00 Equals sign popping up at random in typed text! Billy T (70) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
189862 2003-11-06 22:11:00 Hi Team

I switch my keyboard/mouse between a W2K box and Old Faithful (W98) and of late W98 has occasionally thrown = signs in front of random characters. It doesn't happen on W2K which probably eliminates the keyboard. Seems to happen in Word and Metapad (Notepad on steroids) but I'm not sure if it occurs in any other program.

As luck would have it, the effect hasn't happened when typing this post but it looks like =this when it does.

Any ideas on =where to look?

Cheers

Billy 8-{)
[b][pre]Sounds like a case for the godfather!
Billy T (70)
189863 2003-11-06 22:27:00 How are you switching k/b & mouse between the boxes? CYaBro (73)
189864 2003-11-06 23:09:00 A DSE KVM switch CYaBro.

It has been in place for some time now but this problem only started recently so although I considered the switch, i didn't think it could cause random characters to be corrupted with the = sign.

I am wide open to suggestions though. :)

Cheers

Billy 8-{)
Billy T (70)
189865 2003-11-06 23:29:00 Haven't played with any of the language settings or keyboard drivers? -=JM=- (16)
189866 2003-11-06 23:49:00 What about swapping the keyboard cables around. Could be a dodgey keyboard cable from the KVM to the Win98 box. CYaBro (73)
189867 2003-11-06 23:53:00 Nope, but I doubt that they would cause this anyway, the effect is not specific to any letter.

Currently my thinking is along the lines of corruption of the file that converts key codes into letter instructions for the program. Keyboard/computer interface software is what I would call it generically, but doubtlessly there is a correct technical name for it.

Cheers

Billy 8-{)
Billy T (70)
189868 2003-11-07 00:11:00 Unlikely to produce two for the price of one. I often get odd characters, but that';s because I'm a lousy (but fast) 4½ finger typist. As a sponaneous example see the word that's in the last sentence. B-)

Gee, your fingers must be big Billy, the "=" and "t" are a long way apart. :D
Graham L (2)
189869 2003-11-07 00:26:00 I'm pretty sure the BIOS takes care of the keyboard instructions so what about a BIOS upgrade?? CYaBro (73)
189870 2003-11-07 00:30:00 No, CyaBro, the keys are scanned by a 8048 (or similar) micro in the keyboards, which talks to another 8048 on the motherboard, which produces scan codes. Some of them can be intercepted by BIOS routines ... but modern OSs do the translation of scan codes to ASCII (more "modern magic cocde") themselves. Graham L (2)
189871 2003-11-07 02:08:00 > Gee, your fingers must be big Billy, the "="
> and "t" are a long way apart. :D

Uh-oh :O

Maybe I should stop typing with my feet. I lack a prehensile big toe so that could be the problem.

I'll keep a log of affected keys. Who knows, a pattern might eventually emerge.

Cheers

Billy 8-{) :)
Billy T (70)
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