My keyboard intermittently stops working. Sometimes a couple of keys will work, but usually none. Sometimes if I mash the ctrl+alt+windows keys randomly for a bit, the keyboard will let me type one more letter before stopping again. Sometimes the keys will open a program menu but usually not.
I have even completely wiped my machine and reinstalled windows 7; the problem continues.
Specs:
Intel iMac (early 2006, 2.0GHz, 2MB RAM, 240GB HD) running ONLY Windows 7 Professional, 32-bit (NOT through boot camp) and using a USB keyboard (Saitek Eclipse II.)
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Unplugging & reconnecting keyboard does NOT fix it.
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Connecting a different keyboard does NOT fix it. That one won't work, either.
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Drivers are up-to-date. Removing and reinstalling drivers does NOT fix it.
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Restarting the computer does NOT fix it. In fact, when the Windows logon screen appears the keyboard won't work and neither will the icon to pull up the on-screen keyboard. My mouse can click around just fine. I can only log onto a non-password protected account.
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Generally, logging into as different Windows user fixes it. I can then log back on to my main user account and continue work for a few hours until it happens again.
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Clearing my Chrome browsing data stopped the problem from recurring for a week or so.
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I have already REINSTALLED Windows 7 (not just a restore.) The problem returned after 2 days of use.
I use Avira free antivirus software, and repeated scans turn up nothing fishy.
I suspect it is related to something in Google Chrome because I used my google account to reload all my previous Chrome extensions, saved data, etc. (Chrome Extensions Installed: AdBlock, Better Google Tasks, DropBox, FB Photo Zoom, Google Mail Checker, StayFocusd.)
Any ideas? Any at all?
Best Answer
I also have a similar problem. It first manifests itself when I get to the Gmail login page, where it won't let me type a username or password. I can still type into the address bar or into other Windows applications - so my workaround has been to type into Notepad and copy and paste into Chrome. I tried switching to IE after noticing the problem, but I still couldn't type into the textboxes on the login page. I also tried using a USB keyboard without any change. The problem occurs once every few weeks for me.
I found this page: http://www.kongregate.com/forums/60-anti-idle-the-game/topics/194864 which suggests disabling the Flash plugin. I disabled the Microsoft Office, Quicktime Player and Windows Live Photo Gallery plugins so far, and the problem went away, without even restarting Chrome.
I suspect it IS related to Chrome plugins. I suggest experimenting with disabling some plugins and see if that helps. I'll post here if I discover the one culprit plugin.