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Seemingly out of nowhere, my Dell Inspiron 13 laptop keyboard starts behaving in the following way:

  • Frequently and randomly, all number keys except 5 and 6 fail to register when holding shift (that is, when I want to type the symbols for those key). No character appears when I try to type them, it is just like I am not typing anything. I can still type the number key itself, just not the symbol.
  • To remedy it, I can most of the time type the desired number key without the Shift key, backspace the number I just typed, and then use Shift again with the number key to type the symbol. e.g. if I notice I cannot type the ( key, I type 9 (it types it), I press Backspace, and then I type Shift+9 again.
  • Sometimes this remedy does not work and it results in duplicates of the number when typing it, and so I have to try to remedy a few other symbols before trying my original one again and it usually works again. e.g. in the previous example, instead of typing 9, it types 999 and then I have to try the above remedy on a different key before trying Shift+9 again.

What I have tried:

  • Uninstalling and reinstalling the keyboard drivers.
  • Restarting my computer.
  • Changing language settings.
  • This solution: some keyboard keys not working properly
  • looking at the on-screen keyboard while typing (it shows that I am pressing the shift key, but not the number key).

Are there any diagnostics I can run to determine what the problem is?

EDIT: I couldn't get Linux to boot from a USB, but I did try an external keyboard and it resolves all issues, so it's likely just my laptop's keyboard is broken. Rest in peace.

Jackdaw
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user1218820
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1 Answers1

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The dead keys are the apostrophe ('), quotation mark ("), accent grave (`), tilde (~), and caret (^). If these are pressed the system waits for the next key. If it is in the list below then it enters the symbol character else it enters both keys separately. These work with uppercase where appropriate. Press Space to insert the dead character.

This applies with international English keyboard or any non English keyboard for all Windows' programs. Office also has it's own implementation of this independent of Windows.

user1218865
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