Random keyboard key assignment corruption in Windows XP

Question

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Random keyboard key assignment corruption in Windows XP

This isn't a programming question but I'll try to get away with it. WinXP SP3 machine. Every so often (sometimes several times a day) my keyboard (or Windows, or something) decides that it is going to translate the keys I am typing. It's always the same behaviour : specifically

• Q and A are transposed.
• W and Z are transposed.
• the digit keys (the row below the F1-F12 keys) become random punctuation characters.

and several other random shufflings of keys occur. Interestingly:

• the numeric keypad still works
• the corruptions are always associated with a particular application. Exiting the application (e.g. Delphi, or Chrome), and restarting the app. cures the problem.
• the same problem occurs on my laptop at home, I guess because I run the same apps.
• Ctl-Q and Ctl-A are also transposed

I'm convinced that something I'm running is trashing something but I have no idea where to look. I'm hoping someone reads this and says "oh yeah..."

Yes, I have AV software running.

Answer 1

The application may have been (accidentally) setup to use either a different locale, a particular IME (Input Method Editor) or a different keyboard layout.

Do you have the Language Bar showing? (under Keyboards and Languages in the Regional and Language Options in Control Panel on Vista).

Make sure its visible, check out the current settings. Checking the Show additional language bar icons in the taskbar option may be useful too.

Then launch the offending application and see if the selected locale/keyboard/IME changes. If so change it back to the usual one.