Member Avatar for PinoyDev

Good day Gentl'men!

Im having a little problem with my Old NEC laptop.. I can't continue reformatting because even during reformat the filterkeys keeps turning on.. When I press 3, the # sign appears. How can I remove filter keys before reformat? Is there something wrong with my keyboard? And why this filter keys appears during reformat time?..Im using windows XP SP2!

Thank you guys for helping!

Edited by PinoyDev
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

Good pointers already from (alternate key mappings) and (stuck Fn). Both are common root causes; expand the troubleshooting so the fix is deterministic instead of guessing.

Start with quick isolation tests

  • Boot to the firmware/BIOS or a Linux live USB and try typing. If the same odd characters or modifier behaviour appears outside Windows, it is almost certainly hardware/firmware (stuck key, Fn/NumLock overlay, liquid spill, or keyboard controller).
  • Do a full power drain: unplug, remove the battery, hold the power button 30–60 seconds, reconnect and test. This clears many stuck-key latch conditions.
  • If comfortable, temporarily disconnect or reseat the internal keyboard ribbon (or try a known-good USB keyboard) to isolate the internal assembly.

If it looks like Windows-level accessibility is being triggered

  • If you can boot Windows before wiping, turn off FilterKeys and disable its keyboard shortcut in Control Panel -> Accessibility (Ease of Access). That prevents accidental enablement during the next reboot.
  • If you cannot boot into the existing Windows, use a preinstall environment (WinPE or a live CD) to edit the offline installation: either remove/rename the Ease of Access executable(s) in Windows\System32 or load the user hive and clear the accessibility settings. Always back up the original files/registry hives first.

When to repair or replace

  • If hardware tests show the problem outside Windows or after reseating, expect a keyboard replacement or service repair (keyboard assemblies and ribbon connectors are common failure points on older laptops).
  • If none of the above helps, consider asking for model-specific service notes (Fn-lock key combinations vary by vendor) or a schematic so the keyboard mapping and Fn lock can be confirmed.

Caution: editing system files or offline registry hives can make the system unbootable if done incorrectly—make backups and only proceed if comfortable with recovery.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

Some of those laptop keyboards have alternate function keys so when you press keys in te number row, you get the alternate character. Check the keyboard to see if any lights indicate this type of config.

Member Avatar for PinoyDev

I dont see any lights on the keyboard..Even if I use external usb port keyboard still the filter keys seems to appear..Can I remove this filterkeys dll on the setup before I begin the format?

Edited by PinoyDev
Member Avatar for caperjack

perhaps the FN key is stuckin

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