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Distribution: Mainly Mint and Sabayon but easily led astray
Posts: 25
Rep:
Berserk keyboard on Desktop
Recently I've been unable to login to Mint Cinnamon when firing up because when I type in my password a string of *s appear. Backspacing produces more and pressing enter causes close-down. I've found that enabling keyboard on screen allows me to login using the mouse. Unfortunately the fault returns sometimes when typing, or opening emails, or using the terminal. In these cases a key press can cause a string of apparently random characters. Can anyone suggest where to begin looking please?
Distribution: Mainly Mint and Sabayon but easily led astray
Posts: 25
Original Poster
Rep:
Well that's comforting, thank you both. I do have a little keyboard on my Pi setup. I will switch to that for a couple of weeks and see if the problem returns. If not I have an excuse to treat myself to a fancy keyboard.
From what you describe you have a sticky key. Try cleaning it out by turning the keyboard upside down and tap the edge lightly to free up the key. If worse comes to worse you can buy a new key board as they are cheap.
Recently I've been unable to login to Mint Cinnamon when firing up because when I type in my password a string of *s appear. Backspacing produces more and pressing enter causes close-down. I've found that enabling keyboard on screen allows me to login using the mouse. Unfortunately the fault returns sometimes when typing, or opening emails, or using the terminal. In these cases a key press can cause a string of apparently random characters. Can anyone suggest where to begin looking please?
Is your keyboard going berserk, or is that an actual keyboard brand?
Distribution: Mainly Mint and Sabayon but easily led astray
Posts: 25
Original Poster
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crippled
From what you describe you have a sticky key. Try cleaning it out by turning the keyboard upside down and tap the edge lightly to free up the key. If worse comes to worse you can buy a new key board as they are cheap.
When it happens a large number, if not all, keys malfunction; some have even deleted emails I was working on. It happened briefly a couple of years ago but recently has been far more problematic.
Distribution: Mainly Mint and Sabayon but easily led astray
Posts: 25
Original Poster
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by ondoho
Is your keyboard going berserk, or is that an actual keyboard brand?
Lovely idea. If there were such a brand I would be unable to resist it! In fact it is a humble Aries, the Ram, first sign of the Zodiac - perhaps I've upset one of the gods. It has given about twelve years service but I just like the action.
^ I wasn't asking without reason; my reasoning was "If this is some weird gaming keyboard, it might be that it doesn't work with standard linux dirvers".
Apparently your Aries isn't all that standardanyhow, but since it's been working for 12 years, the obvious question is: has something happened between it working and it not working? hardware-wise, software wise? new cable, different port, new software, new distro, etc. etc.
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