Experiencing erratic characters on the keyboard, fixing the keyboard glitch on computers and laptops, troubleshooting keyboard malfunctions

In today's households, it's common for every family to own computers to serve both work and entertainment purposes. Whether it's for work or leisure, the keyboard remains crucial. Encountering certain errors on a computer

Fixing the issue of keyboard characters going awry

Many of you wonder and inquire about certain issues when using a keyboard, such as:
- When using the Shift + 3 combination, it displays the £ character on Word instead of the correct #, Shift + 2 produces ' instead of @
- In some cases, using Vietnamese characters like “d” results in “dđ”
- Another scenario presents strange characters like: hhhhh, mmmmm, …
Mytour will help you address keyboard typing errors, follow this article to explore and find solutions to fix your keyboard issues.

Fixing the keyboard typing errors

Case 1: Typing Vietnamese with accents error, for example typing 'Ôn Tập' but it displays ön têåp 

a. Cause: Choosing the wrong font or input mode on Unikey, Vietkey. This error commonly occurs when using Facebook Messenger
b. Solution: For Unikey, select options as shown below: Telex input method, pre-built Unicode mode, then choose Time News Roman font. For VNI font, select VNI Windows input method.
For Windows 10, refer to: Fixing the issue of unable to type Vietnamese in Windows 10

For win XP, any version can be used, but for win 7 and win 8, pay attention to using versions specifically designed for these two operating systems. Also, use official versions like ”unikey 2.0” , “unikey 4.0” instead of unofficial versions like “unikey 4.0 RC1”, ” unikey 4.0RC2”.

Case 2: Pressing keys on abc... produces numbers 1,2,3...9 on a Laptop

a. Cause: It might be due to accidentally activating the Fn + Numlock numeric input mode
b. Resolution: simultaneously press Fn +  Numlock to deactivate the numeric input mode.

Case 3: Appearance of: hhhh, mmmm, ... while typing on the keyboard.

a. Cause: Mainly, your keyboard has some stuck keys, causing this phenomenon when typing.
b. Solution: This issue is quite simple; you can press the stuck key multiple times to temporarily resolve it. If the problem persists, remove the stuck keys from the keyboard, clean them, and then try again!

Case 4: Typing Vietnamese like the letter “d” results in “dđ”

a. Cause: Error occurs with Vietkey, Unikey
b. Solution: When encountering this issue, exit all Vietnamese input methods such as Vietkey, Unikey and try reopening them. If it doesn't work, completely uninstall the Vietnamese input methods from your computer and then download and install a new set of Vietnamese input methods.

Case 5: When entering key combinations: Shift + 3 on Word displays the character  £ instead of the correct #, Shift + 2 displays ' instead of @.

Moreover, when you type in number areas 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, you don't see numbers but instead, unusual characters like: &, ¢, ®, ¥, ®...

a. Cause: Commonly occurs when your computer's keyboard layout is not correctly set up.
b. Solution: Follow the steps from step 1 to 6 below. I'm demonstrating on my machine with the Windows 10 operating system; readers using Windows XP and Windows 7 can follow similar steps.

Step 1: Access Settings via the Start Menu.

 Step 2: Choose Time & Language

Step 3: Continue selecting Language, in the Preferred language section, click on the first language displayed in the list and choose Options.
 

Step 4: After selecting Options, you will see the table below. Click on Add a keyboard, then choose the new keyboard layout for your device.

For example, the current keyboard layout in use is: United States, and now switch to United Kingdom.

Step 5: Click on the old keyboard layout and choose Remove.

Case 6: When typing numbers on a Laptop, it either displays letters or special characters

This is an issue recently inquired by a user on Mytour. When typing numbers 1, 2, 3, 4... on the keyboard, it shows characters like: ă, â, ê, ộ̀̉̃́.. or !, @, #. $… While this error is rare, those who have encountered it can relate. For instance, when entering 1, 2, 3, 4... in the website address bar for a search, it works normally. However, when returning to type in Word, Excel... this error may occur.

a. Cause: This error results from users selecting the incorrect input language for the keyboard. Instead of choosing ENG, users often select VI or VIE, leading to this issue.
b. Solution: On the Taskbar, click the language icon -> then switch from VI or VIE to ENG as shown below to resolve the issue (you can also use the shortcut Alt + Shift for quicker operation).

Case 7: Computer, laptop keyboard malfunction

a. Cause: This error occurs when you neglect regular cleaning, leading to dust accumulation beneath and above the keys. Proximity between keys may cause them to stick, making pressing difficult. If left unattended, it can result in stuck keys, making typing challenging and prone to character errors.
b. Solution: Clean your keyboard more frequently. If already facing this issue, you need to remove the keyboard and clean it thoroughly using a brush, dry cloth, and consider using a blower to remove dust.

Case 8: Keyboard error due to water or liquid damage

a. Cause: This error may occur due to inadvertent exposure to water or other liquids, causing them to seep into the keyboard's base. This can result in unresponsive keys when pressed.
b. Solution: The solution depends on the amount of liquid your keyboard is exposed to.
- If there's a small amount of liquid, simply flip the keyboard upside down to let it drain, then wipe it dry. This should make it usable.
- If there's a significant amount of liquid, turn off the power immediately. Remove the keyboard from the device, clean and dry the electrical circuits, then reassemble for use.
- If the issue is severe and you can't handle it yourself, promptly take it to computer repair centers for timely inspection and resolution.

Case 9: Keyboard keys not functioning

a. Cause: This non-responsive key issue can be due to long-term dust accumulation or circuit damage... leading to malfunction.
b. Solution: If caused by dust, cleaning under the keys and nearby areas around non-responsive keys can resolve the issue. In case of circuit damage, you need to take it to computer repair centers for inspection, resolution, or possible replacement.

Case 10: Keyboard error due to cable breakage

a. Cause: This issue may arise from prolonged use causing cable oxidation leading to breakage, or it could be due to external damage like a 'mouse bite,' for instance.
b. Solution: To address this error, you should check the precise location of the cable break to reconnect it for usability. If it's a laptop, the complexity increases, and it's better to take it to a repair center for thorough inspection and resolution.

Although the keyboard erratic typing issue is common on laptops, it can be quite troublesome for users. With the guidance provided here, we've instructed you on how to effectively troubleshoot and fix this issue. Now you can confidently eliminate this problem on your computer. For better keyboard protection, you may also refer to the article on fixing water-damaged keyboards that Mytour previously explained if your keyboard got wet from a spilled drink.

Additionally, you can explore how to enable the virtual keyboard on Win 7, 8, 8.1, 10 for urgent situations where a keyboard is essential.

While composing documents, the scenario of users typing but experiencing character chaos is a common occurrence. If you find yourself in this situation, this article provides a solution to quickly fix keyboard character errors on computers and laptops without disrupting your current work. Wishing you success.