Keyboard problem forward slash replaced with é

[LavRaj]

My Acer Aspire 5050 seems to be turning crazy. Don’t know how suddenly few keys on my laptop’s keyboard changed itself. I mean, when I type the Forward Slash key (just next to right shift key), it types é. (See I pressed the same key but it typed something else).

Secondly when I type the apostrophe key, it again types the same è. Am not able to understand whether the problem is with the laptop’s keyboard or the operating system (Windows Vista). Please help.

[Abdulmajid]

Could be the problem with laptop also or with Vista. You need to find it out on your own. To do this, just go to Control panel, click Regional and Language Options. Here see if proper region/language is selected. If not, select the proper once where you stay and the language you speak. Press OK and restart the system. Now see if the problem gets solved. If not, than it’s the laptop’s problem.

Alternatively, are you getting this problem only on any particular program or every program ? I mean is it typing é instead of / in word, notepad, and browser, everywhere? If yes, again it is the laptop’s problem.

Finally, you should also test by running ubuntu live cd on your laptop. This will just give you a temporary operating system where you can browser, use office, notepad etc. Just run the same and see if your can type properly. If it is still not working fine then get your laptop repaired and if it is typing properly than the problem is with Windows Vista itself.

[meeshee]

I am using a laptop with Windows Vista and this same problem has happened to me, especially when I'm madly typing away and not always hitting the keys that I want. I have accidentally hit a random combination of keys and end up with the "french e" where ever I actually need a 'forward slash'. I have found if I hold down left control, the Fn button and right shift for 3-5 seconds, the keyboard resets and I have "forward slash" again. Hope this info is helpful for anyone else in a similar (frustrating) situation :-)