Mad keystrokes I think - cursor keeps going to different places!

[SHsheff 10]

I can only think I've accidently switched on some keystroke function - when I'm typing, I must accidently press something because without warning I find that the cursor has nipped back randomly into the text I have just typed, and I'm overwriting rather than continuing in the text as I expect.

 

Help! It also acts to post (on SF) - I was happily responding to a post and next thing I found that a keystroke - or several - had been received by the computer as meaning 'post this message' and the half-finished message was there, posted.

 

It's driving me crazy. A complete waste of time, as well as resulting in weird typos as I don't always see what has happened. It jumps lines, back into sentences...

 

Any ideas, please?

[medusa 16]

Are you using a standard keyboard or a laptop?

 

I've got a strange thing that happens only with this laptop keyboard which is quite similar. I've been using a laptop with a touchpad of one brand or another for just about 10 years now and I'm absolutely certain that I'm not touching the touchpad and making my cursor disappear further up into the text, but when I type anything with the letter 'y' in it my cursor disappears either up one paragraph or, if the document doesn't contain any earlier paragraphs, it jumps back one level up to where it would go if I held the shift key and the tab button.

 

I've got no idea why or how it does it, and when I type the text in slowly it doesn't happen so it must be something to do with the speed that the characters are entered that makes it happen too, but it only happens on this computer and not on a very similar one of the same make which belongs to a friend.

 

It can be rather frustrating to find myself not making any sense at all because all of a sudden I'm typing in the middle of a different paragraph and need to start pithering about with cutting and pasting things around, but it's so bizarre and random I've yet to find anyone who knows the error I'm talking about, let alone someone who would know how to avoid it.

 

I work with keyboard shortcuts and I know it's none of the obvious ones of them, and it happens when I'm using office applications, emails and with websites too, so it's obviously something to do with the keyboard rather than an individual program.

[SHsheff 10]

 

It can be rather frustrating to find myself not making any sense at all because all of a sudden I'm typing in the middle of a different paragraph and need to start pithering about with cutting and pasting things around, but it's so bizarre and random I've yet to find anyone who knows the error I'm talking about, let alone someone who would know how to avoid it.

 

I work with keyboard shortcuts and I know it's none of the obvious ones of them, and it happens when I'm using office applications, emails and with websites too, so it's obviously something to do with the keyboard rather than an individual program.

 

Ahah. This seems to have been worse since I reinstalled Windows, but I also suspect it is to do with storing the laptop on its side in a 'hidden' location since we got burgled.

 

So, I wonder if it's actually not a software issue but rather a crumb or similar that has become dislodged due to the constant storing on its side!

 

I'll give the beast a gentle but firm tap/shake once it's turned off. I'll let you know, medusa. Thanks for your comments, at least I'm not alone with this, but you've helped to shed new light. It's a bit like Tourette's, in that all of a sudden you've said (because of the delete/add aspect) something that was nothing like you meant to say! I'm a competent touch-typist, so it's somewhat unnerving to say the least to find that my keystrokes have gone amok.

[segasonic 11]

My eee PC 701 does similar. No idea why but it's bloody annoying. I don't even type particularly quickly.

[swarfendor437 14]

My HP Mini210 does exactly the same thing - I suspect it is a driver/keyboard hardware issue - work colleagues who have different make of netbook also have similar experiences.

[SHsheff 10]

My problem is much worse when writing on here.

 

No idea at all why.

[Greengeek 10]

Turn off tapping.

 

You're catching the touchpad

 

Mine's the same, Even being in the vicinity of the touchpad makes it move. Just turn off tapping and all will be well.

[segasonic 11]

Turn off tapping.

 

You're catching the touchpad

 

Mine's the same, Even being in the vicinity of the touchpad makes it move. Just turn off tapping and all will be well.

 

... unless you want to use tapping. I'll just have to mind my clumsy thumbs.

[medusa 16]

Turn off tapping.

 

You're catching the touchpad

 

Mine's the same, Even being in the vicinity of the touchpad makes it move. Just turn off tapping and all will be well.

 

Mine is most definitely not caused by being in the vicinity of the touchpad or tapping. Sorry, but I've been using a touchpad rather than a mouse for over 10 years now and do not catch the touchpad whilst typing- it's something that you just train yourself out of with practice.

 

Quite apart from anything else, why would it occur on specific keystrokes if it was due to catching the touchpad? The 'Y' key is on the top row of the keyboard!

 

The issue with the pointer moving around when I'm actually using the touchpad is hardly likely to be me 'catching the touchpad' either, are they? There's one finger on the touchpad (or one finger and thumb for using the advanced features for scrolling or right clicking) and I'm very sure of where my fingers are as it's taken me years to train my gammy hand to do it properly.

 

These issues have only ever occurred with THIS computer- not any of the other computers or touchpads I've ever used. I spent years teaching touchpad use to other adults with a disability. I think I'm more than qualified to tell when I'm fouling the touchpad thank you.

[Organgrinder 1,946]

Check the batteries in your mouse & keyboard.

Mine behaves like this when the batteries are running low.