keyboard intermittently stops working even after reinstalling windows 7; possibly a Chrome issue?

06
2014-04
  • neverskipbreakfast

    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.)

    • Unplugging & reconnecting keyboard does NOT fix it.

    • Connecting a different keyboard does NOT fix it. That one won't work, either.

    • Drivers are up-to-date. Removing and reinstalling drivers does NOT fix it.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Clearing my Chrome browsing data stopped the problem from recurring for a week or so.

    • 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?

    • Answers
  • Lessan Vaezi

    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.

  • BlueZ

    Is your machine an Acer, by any chance ?

    I recently encountered the very same problem with an Acer Aspire notebook i was tuning up. After uninstalling/re-installing the keyboard driver many times (which would fix the problem for a short while), i was ready to give up... until, for a totally unrelated reason, i had to remove the battery, and simply, on a whim, decided to run the machine without it.

    Lo and behold : the problem vanished.

    Researching the miraculous cure via Google, i discovered that the problem you describe is a common one with certain machines (all of them Acer, as far as i saw) : a defective battery -- for instance, one that won't charge beyond a low percentage -- will cause the keyboard to freeze or otherwise behave erratically. Strange, but true.

    So, my suggestion : run your laptop without the battery, and see if the problem goes away. If it does, then you know what to have to buy next...

    Oops.. i just noticed : Intel iMac. Still, you may want to try this. If it works, make sure to let us know.


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  • dirtycar74

    I've finally found an extension that does what I want for new Chrome windows, called "ResizeWindow". It fixes that problem that new Chrome windows other than the initial one are not opened in the top-most, left-most corner of the viewable area.

    My only further desire is to be able to automatically have the extension activate upon the creation of each new window, instead of manually clicking the extension's icon in the bar after the newly opened window loads in the incorrect location.

    I'm NOT a programmer, but am no dummy either (have some web authoring under my belt from the IIS5 days). Is there a way to either edit the local copy of the extension to do this or to inject the call to the extension into whatever code (whatever makes the right-click context menu) is used for opening a link in a new window (or am I stuck waiting for someone to come up with what I want separately)?

    If I need to supply any specific information, please let me know what you'd need and I will gladly do so.

    Here's a little more detail: I have the Resize Window extension. I've removed all unwanted resolutions from the settings, so that the only one available is the matching my screen real-estate, and set the option to cycle thru the listed resolutions (only one to use means it will be default).

    However, in order to make the extension work it's magic, you have to click the icon in the bar. What I want to do is alter the extension somehow so that the extension fires whenever a new instance of Chrome is opened, for any reason, with no user interaction, using the settings already entered. I doubt I'm alone in wanting this, since Chrome opens new windows in a continuing cascade, instead of always opening at top/left corner, and this alteration would simply automate the resizing without any added clicks.


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  • Sathya

    there a way to either edit the local copy of the extension to do this or to inject the call to the extension into whatever code (whatever makes the right-click context menu) is used for opening a link in a new window (or am I stuck waiting for someone to come up with what I want separately)?

    Yes, the Chrome extension source files are basically HTML/CSS/JS files and you can find them in 

    %localappdata%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\kkelicaakdanhinjdeammmilcgefonfh

    folder. Examining the manifest.json should tell you what source files are used, and you can alter them as you need. Once the extension gets updated by the author, however, the local copy will be updated, so you might want to use a different name and use the Developer tools to pack the extension on your own..