h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

/)I hav*e a 1p,roble*m w/0ith my 7;k*eyboar4'd! /)I s1p,/0ill*e4'd a +/col4'd 4'dr/0in7;k on /0it an4'd /0it4'ds gon*e funny. NOt sur*e how to sort /0it out.
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0.>1P<>o+/c~

You haven't been soaking in soapy water at night again, have you?

Check the cord and the connection to your computer. If there are no chew marks, and the connector seems fine, blow out under the keys with compressed air and tap the frame, upside down, against a table to dislodge any debris.

Good Luck!

Uninstall/reinstall

No use on techie things. Hope you get it sorted.

Websailor

Than7;ks1p, For4'ds1p, W*ebsa/0ilor an4'd GB.
0.
0./)It4'ds a +/cor4'dle*ss 7;k*eyboar4'd. /)I4'dll n*e*e4'd to g*et some* +/com,1pr*ess*e4'd a/0ir an4'd +/ch*e+/c7;k on how to un/0install an4'd r*e/0install. Oh 0i/t /0is a 1p,a/0in!
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/)It /0is qu/0it*e /0int*er*est/0ing to s*e*e that i/0n s1p,/0it*e of th*e e*xtra symbols an4'd l*ett*ers1p, that by an4'd larg*e1p, what /)I wr/0it*e /0is st/0ill r*easonably r*ead4'abl*e.
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0.>Po+/c~

You need someone with knowledge of a Mac, right?

Try Mac Users A690653 and see if anyone there can help. They seem to be very much alive!

Websailor

How come you manage to type just enough for us to understand, ZSF ? You are a truly gifted woman

Isn't she? but not gifted enough it seems. I have been trying to work out what has happened but I haven't a clue.

*waves* to Fb.

Hope you can get some help from the Mac Users

Websailor

It looks to me as if you spilled a drink on your keyboard. If this is the case, then you will probably have to replace it. I have spare keyboards, both Mac and PC varieties, but it would cost a fortune to send them over to you. You'd be better looking around your local PC World, or ordering one from a mail order company. A PC keyboard would set you back about a tenner. I don't know what a Mac keyboard would cost.

Yes Gnomonp, That'ds exa/ctly what has hap,p,ene'd. )It seems to be not as ba'd th0is morn0ingp, but 0it'ds not very help,fulp, nonetheless.

)I th0in;k a Ma/c ;keyboar'd woul'd /cost about 25G"DP for a w0ire'd ;keyboar'd an'd 52 G"DP for a w0ireless vers0ion. The one )I'dm us0ing at the moment 0is a M0i/crosoft ergonom0i/c k;eyboar'd - and' )I really l0i;ke the ergonom0ic/ onesp, but theyd're not ava0ilable for the Ma/c.

Than;ks for th
e sugg
est0ion Websa0ilor - oh 0it'ds 'do0ing someth0ing new now - g0ivi0ng me /carr0iage returns when )I haven'dt ask;e'd for them. )I th0in;k Gnomon'ds suggest0ion about buy0ing a new one 0is p,robably the r0ight th0ing to 'do.

H0i Fb - now 'do )I typ,e just enough to un'derstan'd?C )I th0in;k you have your bra0in to than;k for that - 0it'ds able to see the p,atterns. Won'derful th0ingsp, bra0ins!!

P

>P<>o/c~

One th0ing )I manage'd to 'do to help, 0in the meant0imep, 0if I) really nee'd to be a/c/curate 0is to typ,e out the letters on a blan;k sheetp, ta;k0ing real c/are an'd blan;k0ing out the ex/cess stuff (wh0i/ch you /can 'dop, but ta;kes ages)p, an'd then )I /can /cop,y and' p,aste.

On
e of the
>P<>o/c really funny th0ings 0is that the k;eyboar'd 0is 'do0ing 'd0ifferent th0ings th0is morn0ing to what 0it was 'do0ing yester'day.

That is seriously weird, not just what the keyboard is doing but the fact that our brain can still make sense of what you type. A bit like the thread Prof. put up some time ago.

I learned never to have food or drink anywhere near a typewriter or computer many years ago when a spilled a coffee in to the well of my typewriter soaking the lot. Couldn't clean it properly as it was milky and sticky (I took sugar then!) and it all rusted up.

Ever since the drink has been as far away from the computer as possible. It also makes you get up and move about which is a good thing.

I hope you get sorted soon.

Websailor

I have a glass of at my elbow as I type.

If it costs that much, ZSF, it'll be cheaper if I send you one of my spare keyboards from Oz

Check out small computer shops/firms... they often have second hand stocks for very little money I've used a man who operates out of his garage a few times for things like speakers, mouses (mice?) and a keyboard - all for a serious fraction of the retail price.

Meanwhile, all I can suggest is cut and paste patches of text from previous threads, entries, documents, etc.

That should keep you busy, like a tremendous jigsaw puzzle!

Best of luck,

Wonder of wonders, the keyboard has magically almost completely sorted itself out. There are still odd things that happen from time to time - like when it switched on a sort of talking commentary (something that read out anything I typed in or did) and I managed to shut it off by doing in to system preferences and turning it off.

It's certainly a warning to be careful with drinks around keyboards. Mind, in all the (um-tiddly) years I've been around computers, it's the first time that that has happened.

Phew!

Nigel told me it takes three or four days for the keyboard to dry out, but it should be ok if no permanent damage has been don. I have been so busy I forgot to tell you.

Glad it is behaving itself but it was interesting brain training while it laste

Websailor

It's taken a lot longer than I thought. I did do as Fords suggested early on and tip it upside down and shake it, but not a lot came out (I didn't spill that much - really!).

I can now get rid of the page I created with all the letters and symbols so I could copy and paste. It made doing anything really slow and laborious.

Thank goodness for that!

It's just reminded me of something that happened to me when I was a young teen (or thereabouts). I was sitting in the bath, listening the the radio, which belonged to my brother, and it fell in the bath and horror or horrors, it stopped working. The bath water went red (the radio had a black leather cover which had a red dye on the inside). I got a hairdryer and tried to dry it out. Eventually, it started working again - good as new. My brother never found out and I was *very* careful with the radio after that.