CTRL-ALT-DEL works but nothing else..

[contink]

This is a weird one and it's hard to know if it's a hardware or windows OS issue but I thought I'd better ask.

 

Scenario:

PC being worked on suddenly dies in the midst of some typing (presumably working on Word). Reboot brings up usual login screen but:

- CTRL-ALT-DEL works

- No other keys work at all aside from the '4' key which brings up a euro symbol.

- caps lock doesn't respond either

 

Anyone got any ideas at all?

 

Possible vectors include:

- power tripped out thanks to a smartboard install in the room

- the install may have caught or caused something but that'd be a bit odd

 

Things tried:

- replace keyboard with a USB one (no joy)

- power off (at socket) and power back on (yes, Roy I tried that )

- standard reboot, etc...

 

So, thoughts?

 

This one is pretty weird tho' I'll say that...

[WithoutMotive]

I've had something similar and, strangely, pressing Ctrl a few times seemed to "release" the rest of the keys. I don't know why or how it happened or why or how that was the solution. Still, something to try.

[Gatt]

You haven't got sticky keys enabled have you?

[bizzel]

Isolate the problem with a linux boot disc. If it works in linux and not in windows, it's a software issue. If it fails in linux too, it's a hardware / BIOS issue.

[greenfieldsupport]

Sounds like your ctrl + alt keys are stuck down...

 

 

makes sense, it could cause the machine to reboot when someone tries to press delete, and also euro chars on A E I and O come up when u hold ctrl + alt down.

 

 

Id replace the keyboard for if problem continues...

[contink]

Isolate the problem with a linux boot disc. If it works in linux and not in windows, it's a software issue. If it fails in linux too, it's a hardware / BIOS issue.

 

Presumably booting up with a DOS disk would be pretty much the same thing..

 

@Paul: I'll try the CTRL suggestion tomorrow when I'm in... would be odd if it worked though

 

@Galway: I can do a RIS install for this unit if needs be it's just annoying as it's a nursery class machine and there's a number of packages that'll need reinstalling if I have to go that route...

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions folks... I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

[contink]

Well I thought I'd update you on this one as it's gotten a little weirder but I think I have it nailed down.

 

I'm on the system now and managed to get it all booted up... and the original USB MS keyboard appears to be the vecor.

 

The strange part is that this machine has had 2 keyboards in it for a while... a PS2 (lowercase) and USB (standard). The lowercase works just fine (that's the one I'm using now, but as soon as I plug in the USB kb the whole thing goes weird and it's only by powering down, removing the power cable (and usb kb cable obviously) and the rebooting that I can get the PC back up again. Oh and the problem extended to BIOS too...

 

Very odd that it should suddenly just go whappy like this but I suspect something like a hair or something conductive that has created a short in the usb keyboard. We'll see...

Edited January 18, 2008 by contink

[Sirbendy]

I had a USB KB at home until last week...it would lock up totally until you hit ctrl-alt-del, at which point it would come back. Only ever locked up when my cat ran across it..

 

Put it down to a USB-ism, and changed it for my "natural" PS2 KB..no probs since.

[contink]

Final point on this...

 

I noticed when I finally was able to pull the whole USB keyboard out of the tangle of wires that the ALT GR key seemed to be held down. I hadn't noticed this before and believe me I looked so I don't know if it could have been the culprit all along.. It's one of those classic cases of "I thought I did, but the more I think about it, did I?.. Eeek!"