I have an Inspiron 1525 which has a US keyboard but it is set up for UK use so the @ is in the " position and the backslash gives you # but the # gives you £ so how do I get a backward slash
I am guessing the keyboard type is either set to the wrong type (number of keys) or you have the wrong country selected. Look in control panel to change the settings.
I'm on a 98 machine right now but I assume it's the same for vista. Go to control panel and open 'keyboard'. Choose to add a language and choose English (British). Then 'apply' and 'OK'. It puts an icon in your taskbar that allows you to switch between the two types. Real men don't use AntiVirus; they just reformat