Computer thinks ctrl key is pressed when it isn't

Don't know if this is the right place for this question, but everyone here has been very helpful, so I hope someone can help me with this.

Just got a brand new Lenovo laptop 5 days ago, running Win7 64 bit. The system repeatedly starts behaving as if the ctrl key is being pressed when it isn't. This happens when I am simply typing, and suddenly in midsentence I can no longer type. Any letter I type performs the action it would if I were pressing the ctrl key. This can only be solved by rebooting (and thereby losing data) and will be fine for awhile before recurring.

I have googled this problem and found a lot of other folks having this problem, but have found no workable solutions. Some solutions have included turning off sticky keys (was never turned on in the first place), and cleaning the keyboard (brand new laptop, keyboard isn't dirty, and ctrl key isn't actually physically stuck). Some other folks have suggested a key combo to "release" it, like pressing ctrl-alt-alt-ctrl -- but I really don't want to do this every 5 minutes for the entire life of my laptop. Some other solutions have included some very technical stuff that's way over my head. I'm a very basic user and not savvy enough to start messing around in the guts of my software.

I also read a couple of opinions that this is a USB/mouse issue. I am indeed using an external mouse rather than the touchpad, but don't want to go buy a new mouse unless I'm sure this is the problem.

Some suggested updating drivers, and even this has been problematic, as the Lenovo support website is very confusing and I don't want to start downloading drivers willy-nilly.

Anyone familiar with this problem or have any solutions?

 

I have a USB keyboard that I use at my desk, and every once in a while, I'll be pressing a key when I unplug it, and that key becomes "stuck" until I use it in some way. Coincidentally, it's often the Ctrl key, just because that row is raised up above the others.

Just out of curiosity, does the Ctrl key stick at all when you do not have the external mouse plugged in? It might be a driver issue with the mouse if it only happens with the mouse being plugged in.

 

I haven't used the computer with without the mouse plugged in, so I'll have to try unplugging it.

For the last hour or so, I've been trying to recreate the problem to figure out what might be triggering it. I was thinking I might be hitting a strange combo of keys because I'm not used to this new keyboard and the R/shift key is shorter than I am used to. While typing a sentence, I tried "accidentally" hitting the ctrl key instead of the shift key. It took a few tries, but eventually the computer behaved as if it was stuck. I pressed it again and the behavior stopped. I haven't been able to get it to do it again. Makes me wonder if the key was just stiff and now I've loosened it up a bit.

If the problem continues, I'll try losing the external mouse and see if that helps and report back. If the mouse seems to be the problem, does that mean I need to buy new mouse? This one is only 6 months old.

 

Also, consider removing the keyboard and re-seating the cable.

I had similar problems over the years with new laptops where the small ribbon cable connecting the laptop keyboard to the motherboard was not properly seated in the zif socket.

Lenovo keyboards are usually pretty easy to remove with only a single screw or three screws holding it from the bottom.

 

As a very non-technical middle-aged woman, that sounds like a scary operation, but I'll keep it in mind if all else fails.

 

You could try running a keyboard test program like Keyboard test software - PassMark KeyboardTest. It's free to try for 30 days. You can run this program whenever the keyboard starts acting up. You have your LeftCTRL key and your RightCTRL key so check if they're working properly.

 

starfishtwo, if all else fails, try entering safe mode and see if the problem with CTL persists. Press F8 shortly after turning on the computer, login (everything will be in a large font) then test. If you still have the CTL problem let us know, It may be a hardware issue.

 

I had an issue like this with my old Dell Inspiron 1420. In that case, it turned out that there was a problem with the motherboard and it was only fixed by getting it repaired under Dell's warranty. If Lenovo has a diagnostic utility your computer might be able to run some tests on the keyboard to see if it really is a motherboard-level issue. In my case, I was fortunate to be in China as there are a lot of laptop repair shops here that stock all kinds of replacement parts so I was able to test an identical replacement keyboard to confirm the source of the problem.

 

I've had an issue like that and a keyboard replacement solved it.

 

Doe this happen with everything you are doing (in browser, in e-mail, in office product etc ...)?

cheers ...