Solved! Keyboard randomly shows different symbols

[bmello25]

Hello,
I have a Dell Laptop running windows 7, regardless of the program several of my keys show different symbols. For instance the i key will sometimes show k, p, 4 or the / key will show 7, e, .....

I am running McAfee and have not installed any new programs recently

 

[geofelt]

1) See if you can clean out your keyboard, it might help.

2) More likely, the keyboard has gone defective and needs to be replaced.

 

[clonazepam]

There's a function key on your keyboard. That combined with what usually looks like a 'lock' symbol, enables the key symbols that are typically displayed in an off-color, like blue, above the key's normal letter, number, symbol. This feature usually turns on automatically when you connect a usb keyboard. Sometimes it won't disable itself after removing the keyboard. Sometimes it is just accidentally pressed and enabled. So check that first before anything. That's the cause 99.9% of the time for the symptoms you described. (Edit: if the same key produces random characters, well then its probably fudged)