Windows – Ctrl, shift and alt keys stopped working

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The Ctrl, Shift and Alt keys on my laptop—an Acer Aspire 7736ZG laptop running Windows 7— have stopped working; both the left and right sets of keys. I have searched for solutions to this problem but I cannot find anything that works.

What can the problem be and what should I try to fix this?

Best Answer

Assuming that the problem is with software, try the following :

  1. Fully patch Windows using Windows Update, including optional items (except Bing etc.)
  2. Use sfc /scannow to verify system integrity
  3. In Control Panel -> Device Manager, open Keyboards, delete your keyboard device and reboot (might need to use the power button)
  4. In Control Panel -> Region and Language, in the Keyboards and Languages tab, click Change keyboards.. and verify that you are using the correct keyboard. (Have you got more than one?)
  5. Boot into Safe mode and check whether the problem disappears. If it does, then an installed product is causing the problem.
    Use the System Configuration utility, General tab, click Selective startup and clear the Load startup items check box. On the Services tab, click the Hide all Microsoft services check box and click Disable all. OK out and restart the computer.
    If the problem still does not occur, turn on Services back in binary search mode until you find the guilty one.
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