Keyboard problem: Strange web-browser problem caused by a faulty keyboard keys
Faulty keyboard keys can cause some strange computer problems.
The keyboard is a minor component that seldom goes wrong after many years of use, but, when it does go wrong, it can cause some very strange symptoms that can be attributed to the major components, such as the motherboard, hard disk drive or RAM memory, because the data is not being entered properly. Here is a good example.
The following strange browser problem was caused by a faulty keyboard keys. Pressing the Ctrl-Shift-h key combination brings History up in Firefox and Internet Explorer. One or two of those keys were stuck or defective and only the non-defective key(s) had to be pressed to bring it up. Replacing the keyboard fixed the problem.
“All of a sudden the Firefox web browser I was using developed strange behaviour – started switching between the History toolbar on the side and no toolbar, its normal state. Internet Explorer 8 behaved in the same way.
“Thinking that it must be a virus or worm infection, I ran the usual malware scans using two scanners – Panda and Security Essentials – without success and then uninstalled Firefox, removed its folder and all of its entries in the Registry and installed the latest version in vain. I updated IE8, but the problem remained.
“Next, I got rid of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit by wiping the hard drive and installed the latest Ubuntu Linux 64-bit. No success – the same problem with Firefox, which is the browser that comes with Ubuntu. So now I’m of the opinion that it must be some sort of peculiar hardware problem.
“But what kind of hardware problem only affects browsers? Everything works just fine until I start up a browser. Even then, it takes about 10 minutes until the browser starts its strange behaviour.”
Note that keys can be replaced on some keyboards, but it’s best just to buy a new one unless the keyboard was expensive. If you have a keyboard that becomes faulty within its warranty period, the manufacturer or seller, depending on which of those is responsible for honouring the warranty, is obliged to repair or replace it.
