Keyboards require great pressure on each key to work

tomtheappraiser · May 10, 2013

Hello all. I've never come across this problem before. The keyboard on my sons computer started requiring him to push REALLY hard on each key to make it work. I switched out keyboards and it still does the same thing. I tested the keyboards on other computers and they work fine.
I have two sets of USB ports on that computer. One is an aftermarket usb port I installed on the front of the computer, the others are attached directly to the motherboard. I tried all of them, still having the same problem. Both of the keyboards are wired USB connected keyboards.
We had to put a new motherboard in about 3 months ago, but the keyboard was working fine with the new motherboard until this just started happening.
I can't seem to find anything through Google with the same problem.
I don't know if it's a software issue or keylogger attack or what. I thought I had my sons computer set up so that if he installed anything it would require my password. But when he complained about it and I went in to look at the problem, his browser had been hijacked by some search engine scam. So for all I know he has tons of crap installed that shouldn't be there. So here's what I'm dealing with:
The 2 keyboards I've tried are an old Compaq keyboard and a newer logitech. Both are wired USB.
Windows 7 OS
2 gig of Ram.
Gigabyte Motherboard
Drivers automatically installed when I put the Logitech in for testing.

Any help you ladies or gents could give me would be much appreciated.

symbolsix · May 10, 2013

Keyboard keys have no analogue sense – they're either depressed or not at any one time. The only credible symptom that might feel like what you're describing would be for the computer to take a second to recognize a keystroke, which you are interpreting as requiring increased force. Try holding keys down with normal force for an extra second or two, and see if that's happening. If not, I'm totally at a loss for ideas; what you're describing should not be physically possible.

Regarding malware, all I can suggest is showing your son how to reformat a machine, and impressing upon him the need to not install random software he finds on giraffe mating video sites (...for example...).

tomtheappraiser · May 10, 2013

Thanks for your quick reply. I tried what you suggested and it wasn't the pressure that was required, but the time to hold it until the character showed up. So you're hunch was correct. Does this indicate anything I should be looking for?
As for the malware. I know, I know, I know, I've tried to impress this on him. He's 11 so he thinks he knows everything. I am going to wipe the system. With all of the stuff he could've put on there it's just not worth it to try and root it all out. And it wasn't giraffe mating...it was Minecraft plug-ins, or something like that. I got that out only after torture (just kidding

)

symbolsix :

USAFRet · May 10, 2013

As for the malware. I know, I know, I know, I've tried to impress this on him. He's 11 so he thinks he knows everything.

Don't give the boy admin rights.
No admin password = no install of anything.

symbolsix · May 11, 2013

tomtheappraiser :

The only thing I can think of is that the entire machine might be slowed down so much that you're noticing it when it tries to register your keystrokes. If other stuff (starting programs, etc.) isn't running much slower than normal then I have no useful thoughts, other than that computers and malware are sufficiently complicated as to sometimes appear intentionally malevolent. I think your plan to reformat & reinstall is good; it's what I'd do, certainly.

Regarding kids and computers: I think the only real solution is to accept that anything given to a child's custody is at dire risk. I don't have admin rights on the system at work, but I'm fairly sure I could do some damage if I tried, and your average preteen is at least as capable as I am at wrecking stuff. OP's strategy of giving his kid his own (I assume inexpensive) machine and being willing to reformat is as necessary seems the most realistic, to me.

mace200200 · May 11, 2013

You could give him a Linux machine, no password and he can't do anything important, no viruses, etc.
Is it a laptop? If not I would try a new keyboard, my brothers is also very slow, switching it out proved it was the keyboard. He says he still liked the slow one better though...whatever.

EDIT: Now I see you said you tried to different ones so never mind then, I don't scroll down all the sometimes.

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Keyboards require great pressure on each key to work

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