Input from keyboard randomly inputting commands.

Question

Hi there! 

So, I recently have been having a problem with my computer when it comes to keyboard input. I use a Windows Surface Pro 4, both with and without a dock, and with Windows 10 Pro. 

Sometimes when I'm typing, my keyboard will randomly change to either typing commands that are usually aided by the Windows key, and other times it will straight up change keyboards while I'm typing. I believe this might be something with my windows key getting stuck, however this makes no sense as I use 3 separate keyboards in my day to day life (I have dock stations set up with mechanical keyboards). 

I have also gone through Ease of Access and disabled all settings in here, and disabled fast start up, and I still am getting this issue on occasion. 

Any suggestions on what I can try to resolve this? 

[Moved from:Windows/Windows 10/ Windows settings]

Answer 1

Thanks for the reply! 

That's weird that it might be something related to remote desktop. I do have to use that for work and school quite a lot, but I've noticed it tends to happen on my home computer more frequently. I've also noticed that it doesn't happen on my machine at work (I don't use my personal machine at work) but I still launch my remote desktop connections there. 

I'd love to know what causes this. I've seen a few posts online, and the only resolutions that I've seen found for it are disabling ease of access and fast start up. I've also noticed that what tends to make it stop is literally locking my PC by pressing L and unlocking it. 

It's such a strange issue. I'm almost wondering if an OS refresh would help fix it, but I'm not currently able to do that with how many files I still need access to until the end of the semester (and of course, they aren't files that are easy to just store elsewhere).

Answer 2

I've had this happen... fairly rarely but absolutely more than just a couple times in my life.  For me I tend to cause it when I'm using remote desktop (I have this bad/weird habit of dwelling/holding function keys like Ctrl or WindowsLogo and then deciding not to finish whatever shortcut I was about to use).  I don't have a solution I just wanted to let you know I feel your pain. Usually the way out of it is to hit escape 3-4 times, although even that can be ridiculous because if the Windows logo key is firing, Escape just opens the Start menu (a carry over from literally the Windows 3.1 days).  Most of the time I end up tapping each stupid modifier key in succession like Ctrl, Alt, Alt, Escape Escape.  So yeah, annoying.

Maybe someone will pop along with a better answer and save both our sanities.

Answer 3

The remote desktop coloration in my case is probably just my dumb behavior.  If I hold or am using a modifier key when I click away from the remote desktop window, the remote computer had received the "logo key pressed" command, but it never gets a chance to receive the "logo key released" command, and so it thinks I'm still holding it when I switch back to that remote window later, thereby causing me grief.