Member Avatar for j4mes_bond25

I rather doubted (but can't ignore the possiblity) if it's a hardware problem or not & am therefore posting my thread here instead of in a any other suitable section.

Friend of mine called earlier saying every time he types in any key on the keyboard, be it be alphabetical key, numerical key, function key & whatnot, he get 2 letters appearing in his screen, for example type in "a" gives him "letter a AND letter c" & it happens only with few keys at certain times. This happens in all software i.e. Word, Internet, etc.

He tried restarting his PC but as soon as he types in his password in the welcome screen, he's experiencing the same problem & hence can't get his password typed correctly, making the system stopping him from getting into his Desktop/System.

A rather peculiar problem, I've never heard of & couldn't get much help from researching on Internet & wonder if this is a KNOWN problem & if so, how could it possibly get it sorted out.

1) Getting his keyboard work
2) Getting into the system first by breaking the password on the welcome screen, since EVEN when typing the password, he's getting TWO CHARACTERS when all he types is ONLY ONE.

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Good to hear the keyboard is behaving now. A short, practical add-on that wasn't detailed in the replies: when doubled characters stop you at the Welcome screen you can launch the On‑Screen Keyboard from Utility Manager (press Windows+U at the XP welcome screen) to enter your password and get into Windows. (flylib.com)
As and flagged, the root cause can be hardware or software; the checklist below helps separate them quickly and gives reliable next steps.

The behaviour usually falls into two technical classes. One is matrix/ghosting or PCB/contact faults (shorts, contamination or failing traces) where a single press produces ambiguous or extra signals. (microsoft.com) The other is “key chatter” (contact bounce) or firmware debounce issues on modern/custom keyboards — a noisy switch or low debounce can register two events from one press. (docs.qmk.fm) To capture what’s actually happening use an online key tester to watch per‑key events (it will show chatter, stuck keys or ghosting patterns). (keyboard-testing.com) Also, booting a Live USB (try a Linux “Try without installing” session) is a fast way to see if the problem appears outside Windows — if it does, that strongly points to hardware. (help.ubuntu.com)

Concise troubleshooting checklist

  1. If locked out: Windows+U → On‑Screen Keyboard to log in. (flylib.com)
  2. Reproduce the fault with a keyboard tester and note which physical keys and when (video helps). (keyboard-testing.com)
  3. Boot a Live USB; if the issue appears there, focus on the keyboard (clean keycaps, look for spills, reseat connectors or replace). (help.ubuntu.com)
  4. If the problem is intermittent and isolated to a mechanical/custom board, check for firmware updates or debounce settings (QMK and similar firmwares expose debounce tweaks). (docs.qmk.fm)
  5. If it only happens inside Windows, inspect Device Manager and installed keyboard utilities for low‑level filter/drivers and uninstall suspicious ones.

Document findings (which keys, when, video). If the error reproduces outside the OS it is most likely hardware and replacement is the cleanest fix.

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Member Avatar for rasputinj

That is very odd, I am assuming he has tried to setup another keyboard with similar problems? If you boot into bios, do you get the same problem. I would also try to use the XP install disk to get into the repair utility to see if that problem is also there. If not I would do a repair install.

Member Avatar for tayspen

There are numerous viruses, that do that, boot into safe mode, and hit ctrl alt delete twice to access the admin account. Do numerous virus scans. If you cant get into safe mode post back.

-T

Member Avatar for j4mes_bond25

For some unknown reason, his keyboard seems to have started to work perfectly well now. However, I wonder, whether it was virus OR spyware OR adware OR anything else that could've been responsible for that. But then again, it's hard to imagine such problem causing from virus, spyware or adware.

In the mean time, it was rather surprising for me to know he DID NOT have any virus removal software, at all, in this system. He's however, now installed the virus removal system.

Oh well, All's Well That's Ends Well .............. as Shakespeare once said ;)

Thanks to every single one, who took their time in helping me out & is greatly appreciated.

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