Solved Dell laptop keyboard skipping letters when I type

Davidw April 18, 2016 at 13:18:52

Try a new keyboard for your model there not that hard to replace first try a know working external to see if that fixes problem. Davidw

Brian W April 18, 2016 at 15:09:26

Davidw, Thank you for your response; however, since it is a laptop I do not have an external keyboard to try. Brian W

Derek April 18, 2016 at 15:28:21

Maybe you can borrow a USB keyboard from a friend. Mostly keyboard issues turn out to be the keyboard itself, that's why it is important to see if an external does the same. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Davidw April 19, 2016 at 04:48:59

Derek sorry just getting back to the post and thank you my feelings also. Davidw

Brian W April 19, 2016 at 10:06:25

Derek, Thank you for your suggestion. I borrowed an USB keyboard but still had the same problem of skipping letters. Any other suggestions? Thank you. Brian W

Derek April 19, 2016 at 12:01:36

Unusual. Does this happen on a specific program or on any program, such as NotePad or Word? Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Jeff Root April 19, 2016 at 12:48:43

Are you certain the touchpad is disabled? Touching it accidentally while typing is an easy way for the cursor to move unexpectedly. Bumping the cursor keys accidentally is another possibility. But I have seen what you describe happen for no obvious reason. -- Jeff, in Minneapolis

Brian W April 19, 2016 at 14:07:27

Derek, The skipping of letters happens regardless of the program that I am using. It has hapened when using Word, Excel, and rewriting emails via AOL and gmail. Thank you. Brian W

Brian W April 19, 2016 at 14:11:39

Dear Jeff Root, Thank you for your response. I am sure that the touchpad is disabled as I get a message that the touchpad is disabled whenever I turn on my computer. I verified this by trying to use the touchpad to move the cursor and it did not move. Thank you. Brian W

Johnw April 19, 2016 at 14:49:05

Make sure ALL your Regional and Language Options settings are Ok. They will be something similar to this, the main point being, you should have at least 3 places to make sure you have your country displayed. Windows 10: Change or Add Another Language or Region. http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/5633... http://i.imgur.com/gkPnT4j.gif http://i.imgur.com/8J4WO6U.gif http://i.imgur.com/gtwlzJo.gif http://i.imgur.com/vSWwH00.gif

Derek April 19, 2016 at 14:55:43

There is one other thing that you might care to try, although it might be too hopeful: Go to "Device Manager > Keyboard" and find your device. Click on Uninstall ignoring any warnings. If by chance it asks whether you want to remove "Software" then DO NOT let it. This is not like a normal uninstall, it just releases the settings. Restart the computer and it will find new hardware and set the software up afresh. At odd times this has helped drivers to function properly again. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Brian W April 21, 2016 at 17:15:59

Johnw, Thank you for your suggestions. I checked Language or Region and they were correct; however, the keyboard still skips. Brian W

Brian W April 21, 2016 at 17:17:37

Derek, Thank you for your suggestion. I used Device Manager as described. However, the keyboard still skips. Brian W

Johnw April 21, 2016 at 17:18:43

Keyboard troubleshooting: is “Sticky Keys” on? https://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007...

Johnw April 21, 2016 at 18:05:55

I should add, in my post above, make sure you scroll through the readers comments, the latest comments are at the bottom. To isolate the problem, try working in a live Linux environment. This allows you to boot into Linux from a CD or flash drive, without installing the operating system. If the problem persists in Linux, we know it is your keyboard. Puppy Linux http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Syst... http://i1-linux.softpedia-static.co... http://www.puppylinux.com/ http://www.puppylinux.org/home http://puppylinux.org/downloads http://puppylinux.org/wiki http://puppylinux.org/wikka/PuppyLi... http://www.puppylinuxfaq.org/softwa...

Johnw April 21, 2016 at 18:23:22

Also, go into Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard. All of mine are set to > Off. http://fs5.directupload.net/images/... http://fs5.directupload.net/images/...

Brian W April 22, 2016 at 07:06:29

Johnw, Thank you for your suggestions. I checked the keyboard settings and all of the Ease of Access settingsare Off. I do not know which Linux to use in order to check the keyboard. Brian W

Derek April 22, 2016 at 08:26:34

Any Live Linux version on CD or USB will do. I have used Puppy Linux in the past for this sort of thing. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Brian W April 26, 2016 at 05:45:22

Derek, I tried Linux and the keyboard did not skip. So, I think the problem is with the keyboard. If this is true, what should be my next step? Thank you. Brian W

Derek April 26, 2016 at 13:02:17

If it's OK on LInux then I think it proves the keyboard is OK and that the trouble lies with Windows. The only thing I can think of is some obscure driver issue. Did you get the keyboard driver from your laptop manufacturer? If an individual keyboard driver is not shown then there might be a chipset driver. General driver websites you see on the internet are best avoided because they can be untrustworthy. Did this problem just come along out of the blue or was it after doing something or other? Better let us have the model number of your laptop. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks message edited by Derek

Brian W April 26, 2016 at 16:06:24

Derek, The model number is Dell Inspirion 5737. The problem has been happening sporadically for awhile but now it is happening quite often. Thank you.. Brian W

Derek April 26, 2016 at 16:28:01

Thanks. Did you get your drivers from the Dell website? Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Johnw April 26, 2016 at 17:16:52

✔ Best Answer

"I think the problem is with the keyboard" I think it's the opposite, as per my post #15 Try this tool. Run Tweaking.com - Windows Repair Disable your antivirus program before running Windows Repair. How to Temporarily Disable your Anti-virus http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/for... http://www.techsupportforum.com/for... Start at Step 1 ( very important ) do all the steps until you get to the final step ( Repairs ) Reboot when finished. Right click on the exe & click on > Run as administrator. http://i1-win.softpedia-static.com/... http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/... http://www.tweaking.com/ http://www.tweaking.com/content/pag... http://i.imgur.com/Xc9NBsk.gif http://i.imgur.com/VajIQFA.gif http://i.imgur.com/TLWWxuk.gif message edited by Johnw

Brian W April 27, 2016 at 05:48:23

Johnw, Thank you for your suggestions. Before I start, I want to clarify your directions; is this the correct order? 1.Disable ant-virus software 2. Do Power reset 3. Run tweaking.com Thank you. Brian W

Brian W May 1, 2016 at 06:24:23

Johnw, I followed your suggestions and tried Tweaking.com. It appears to have worked as I have not had keyboard skips. Unfortunately, however, it has been a random problem so I need to just wait and see. Thank you. Brian W

Johnw May 1, 2016 at 07:03:07

"Unfortunately, however, it has been a random problem so I need to just wait and see" Fingers crossed Brian W. message edited by Johnw