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CTRL key stuck down

post #1 of 8
8/22/12 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, all. I have a problem on a Thinkpad Edge 14, Win 7 Sp1. 8 MB, with keyboard replaced once, a full checkout and install drivers that were out of date, and basically wrung the whole computer out. The problem is intermittant, but is very frustrating. When I open, for example, Word 7, I get a warning saying "The Contol Key is pressed. Do you want to go into Safe Mode?" Then, the computer acts just like the Ctrl key is actually down. When I reboot or cold boot the computer the problem goes away for a while--no specifc amount of time until it fails again--but eventually comes back. A thread on the Toshiba forum describes the same problem, but there have been no replies to the thread. Has anyone seen anything like this? My computer is out of warranty, so I can't get any help from Lenovo.

Let me know if you need any additional information.

Thanks,

Duane
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post #2 of 8
8/23/12 at 1:08am
Lenovo mentioned about Keyboard Customizer Utility and updating BIOS would solve the issue. See if you have the update BIOS version for your model, there is also an Embedded Controller Program.

cheers ...
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post #3 of 8
8/23/12 at 4:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hi qhn. Thanks for the reply. When my tech replaced the keyboard and did the full update on the computer, he updated the bios. It didn't help. Any other thoughts you or anyone else might have would be apprediated. I wonder if it could be a sortware glitch? But, then, if it was, there would be a lot more folks reporting the problem. Then again, since there is a Toshiba on their forum who has the same problem, so it's probably not just my motherboard.

Thanks,

Duane
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post #4 of 8
8/24/12 at 12:28am
What about that Keyboard Customizer Utility and/or Embedded Controller Program? See if you can play with either one of these tools first?

cheers ...
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post #5 of 8
8/25/12 at 7:29am
Thread Starter 
Hi qhn. I already have the embedded controller program with the bios update. Where can I find the Keyboard Customizer Utility? It's not listed on the download page for my ThinkPad.

Thanks,

Duane
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post #6 of 8
8/25/12 at 9:19am
That means you don't need to have it. Have you tried hitting both the CTRL key. left and right, at start up?

cheers ...
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post #7 of 8
8/26/12 at 11:35am

Recently I started having a similar problem on my Samsung Series 9 laptop. I think this is actually a Windows 7 problem rather than a Lenovo problem. Look at these threads, for example:

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/178295-ctrl-key-sticks.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/134183-when-holding-ctrl-left-clicknhold-sometimes-sticky.html

 

I don't know what the cause is, but right now it seems like once I notice the problem I can clear it by tapping the CTRL key a few times.

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post #8 of 8
10/6/12 at 2:17am

Firstly, you can test whether the problem lies inside your Win 7 or not. Try different OS environments and see if the problem is still there.

 

If the OS is not to blame, the problem may lie in some low-level software (BIOS), or it's simply a hardware glitch. Here's something you can do:

Press the Ctrl before or during boot. Try both left/right. Do it several times and see if there's any noticeable difference.

Try a USB keyboard. If no difference, try un-plug the built-in keyboard.

Check your BIOS update again. Even if your tech has done it, something may go wrong.

Use something to display the input of Ctrl on your screen. Play with it for a while, see if you can notice any pattern. Is it always on once started? Does it keep switching between on and off? (I can't think of any handy tool for displaying key status under Win 7 at the moment. Maybe a game or something. Or you can code one yourself if you know how.)

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