Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!waikato.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!cc-server4.massey.ac.nz!G.Moretti
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: HELP: My ALT/SHIFT/CTRL keys get APPARENTLY stuck down - Why?
Message-ID: <1991Mar21.225509.10052@massey.ac.nz>
From: G.Moretti@massey.ac.nz (Giovanni Moretti)
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 91 22:55:09 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Organization: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
X-Reader: NETNEWS/PC Version 2.1
Lines: 45

>> WHY DO MY ALT / CTRL / SHIFT keys "appear" to get stuck?

When I type fast on my PC periodically the keyboard seems to freeze
and it appears as though the PC has died - this annoyed me for about
a year.  

Slowly the realization dawned that the PC itself hadn't died but the
keyboard had (?) and this eventually got modified into realizing that
the keyboard wasn't dead but the PC (or keyboard) thought that one of
the CTRL/ALT/SHIFT keys was still depressed (ie stuck down) when it
wasn't.

As I remember, the problem occurs only when I type fast.

Now when the keyboard dies, I:

    press CTRL and try a normal letter key
    press ALT and try a normal letter key
    press LEFT  SHIFT and try a normal letter key
    press RIGHT SHIFT and try a normal letter key

Virtually always this clears the "Stuck"/Frozen problem.  I thought
that it occurred because of the PC having been assembled out of bits
and pieces gathered from many sources.  However when talking to our
software manager I found that his PC (bought as a single unit :-) has
done the same thing.

The motherboard is a LINGO (from Singapore) and the problem occurs
with both Phoenix and Award BIOS's and both 101 and 84 key keyboards
(all using the same motherboard).

What (If anything) can I do about this?  

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Giovanni


-- 
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Giovanni Moretti, Consultant       | G.Moretti@massey.ac.nz, Pkt-ZL2BOI@ZL2BFJ
Computer Centre,  Massey University| Ph 64 63 69099 x8398, FAX 64 63 505607
Palmerston North, New Zealand      | QUITTERS NEVER WIN, WINNERS NEVER QUIT
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