Keyboards

Steve got an old hand-me-down laptop, and he can't log into it with the password. Then he realized that the password was reversed because the monitor was actually "backward." Leo says that some regions in the world read right to the left. What likely happened is that a keyboard shortcut was used (CTRL right shift), which changed the keyboard orientation. It's really easy to do and it makes the text orientation move from right to left.

So, going with CTRL left shift will move it back to "normal" (English/US region). 

Phil plugged in a new Logitech wireless keyboard, but now he has a problem with repeating keys. Leo says it should recognize it as a standard keyboard device. It's most likely a physical defect that's causing the keyboard to be stuck in key repeat. You may want to look in the settings to turn up key repeat delay. That'll be a setting in Windows, under Keyboards. Also, check your accessibility settings to see if Sticky Keys has been turned on.

Dylan likes to play video games, and his new laptop has a broken keyboard. Leo says that sounds like a factory defect that needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. Dylan can plug a USB keyboard into it in the short term, and it will replace the keyboard on the laptop. Dylan tried that, and that's when the keyboard stopped working. Leo says that it sounds like the laptop keyboard got disabled in Windows. He recommends going into device manager (Windows Key + X, device manager). Look for the keyboards section and make sure your standard keyboard hasn't been disabled.

Barbara is having issues with her keyboard. Keys won't display or will stick and display multiple times. She replaced the keyboard on the laptop. But it didn't fix the problem. Dell says the next step is to replace the motherboard. But what happens to her software and data? Leo says that she can make an image backup of the hard drive, and then wipe the drive so that Dell can replace the motherboard. Leo says the good news is, that since it's under warranty, Barbara doesn't have to pay for it. It's the reason why Gold Service with in-house replacement is a good investment.

Evelyn has a Lenovo computer and her keyboard is acting up when she types. Letters repeat when she types. How can she fix that? Leo says that keyboards are pretty cheap now, under $10. So it sounds like her keyboard is ready to be replaced. It's probably the easiest fix for a computer out there.

Carl is having a Chromebook issue where he's typing, the tab and address bars will disappear. It goes full screen. Leo says to use the keyboard combination Alt "-" to reset it. Also check the function keys, like F11. He may strike the wrong one and boom, he's in full screen. That's likely the issue. Carl also powerwashed his Chromebook and he can't log into his network because the keyboards reset. Leo suspects that Carl may have a faulty or damaged keyboard.

Dale wants to know if he can plug in a keyboard and mouse with his Xbox. Leo says he can, but the real question is, does the game support it? It's really going to be game-by-game to see what happens. But the hardware supports it.