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Periodic Phantom Keystrokes

Anonymous
2023-01-23T16:15:32+00:00

For about a month now I have experienced random keystrokes occurring periodically. It is usually "j" but sometimes "b" and can occur as frequently as every 60 seconds up to about 15 mins. I have keyboard and mouse through a switch box to the computer. I am running Win11, 32GB RAM, 1TB SDD (C:) plus other spinning disks for additional drives, MSI MAX X570S Tomahawk. The problem doesn't appear more frequent or less regardless of which app I may have open. I have tried the following things:

  1. Keyboard Troubleshooter.
  2. Removing device manager identified drivers for old keyboards.
  3. Replacing keyboard.
  4. Ensuring updated keyboard drivers (3 references showing MS 10.0.22621.1 6/21/2006). I pulled steelseries driver install tool, but it doesn't seem to change the driver reference.
  5. Updated to the lastest MB BIOS version.
  6. Unplugged the keyboard and switch box from the computer. Issue was not resolved/stopped.
  7. Upgraded from Win10 to Win11. There were not patches deployed at the time this issue started.
  8. Full A/V/Malware scan showed nothing.
  9. SFC flagged and repaired mscormcc.dll but had no affect.
  10. Checked that all ease of use settings were off per 100 different YT videos.

Based on my understanding this should move the culprit to either a MB issue (shorted USB, firmware/chip issue, or similar), software incompatibility/bug, or signal interference.

Any additional thoughts on potential causes or how to troubleshoot the 3 potential culprits above?

Anyone know of a way to capture keystrokes and determine which process sent the keystroke?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-01-24T10:48:51+00:00

    Hi ames Macomber，

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    It's a very strange question indeed. I've noticed that you've tried a variety of methods.

    I think you are right to try to capture the keyboard keys to confirm which process is sending the key commands.

    Unfortunately, Windows 11 doesn't have its own Settings to do this, so you'll need some advanced method like python or VB.

    Since the methods above are beyond the scope of Microsoft community support, I'll direct you to Microsoft Learn (English only), which aims to support more advanced users like you.

    Here is a link to the forum where you can raise specific scenarios and share your idea to help solve the problem.

    I won't be able to help you, but I'll leave that question open in case one of our amazing volunteers has ideas for you.

    Thank you for your understanding and patience!

    Best Regards,

    Manson - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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