Question I am getting random keystrokes when I am on my computer. Not just a few but occasionally it stops for awhile.

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Hoot29Palms

Aug 29, 2020
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I'm a 75 year old gamer. My computer started throwing out random characters. I removed all of my usb except my keyboard and mouse and then brought up a text editor. Even after I unplugged the mouse and keyboard the characters randomly appeared. The characters are all keystrokes including some complex combinations (like alt tab). I disconnected my bluetooth as well and the problem continued. How would I troubleshoot something like this? Thanks in advance.
 
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SamirD

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Jan 16, 2014
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You might have malware. If you disconnect your computer from the Internet and it stops, then you are infected. If so, you will need to NOT connect your computer to any network and completely reinstall everything from scratch after completely deleting everything.
 
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Turtle Rig

Turtle Rig

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Jun 23, 2020
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SamirD said:
You might have malware. If you disconnect your computer from the Internet and it stops, then you are infected. If so, you will need to NOT connect your computer to any network and completely reinstall everything from scratch after completely deleting everything.
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If someone is typing letters for him then someone is hacking him or what the Mod said and also do run a virus scan if you can. ❤✝☮
 
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Hoot29Palms

Aug 29, 2020
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Ran virus scan with McAfee and Malwarebytes Antimalware. Updated my windows. It does it quite randomly. I'm pretty sure its not external peripherals. Next time it starts up I'll unplug my wifi dongle though I don't think that is it. Have to try everything. It is not a cheap computer so I'm not going to trash it.
 
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SamirD

Judicious
Jan 16, 2014
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Hoot29Palms said:
Ran virus scan with McAfee and Malwarebytes Antimalware. Updated my windows. It does it quite randomly. I'm pretty sure its not external peripherals. Next time it starts up I'll unplug my wifi dongle though I don't think that is it. Have to try everything. It is not a cheap computer so I'm not going to trash it.
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Thank you for the additional information. Definitely not good to trash hardware, but if it's in their deep, like bios level deep, it may cost more to repair it then replace it. :(
Hoot29Palms said:
Any recomendations for a Linux OS I could put on a thumbdrive.
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My go to is the TENS livecd made by the DOD:
https://www.spi.dod.mil/docs/TENS-3.0.2_public.iso

And as far as bootable usb, I like rufus:

Rufus - The Official Website (Download, New Releases)

Rufus is a small application that creates bootable USB drives, which can then be used to install or run Microsoft Windows, Linux or DOS. In just a few minutes, and with very few clicks, Rufus can help you run a new Operating System on your computer...
rufus.ie
 
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Hoot29Palms

Aug 29, 2020
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I guess trying the linux route is the next step. I took off ALL USB peripherals and let it just set. After a random amount if time it started writing characters to a Word document I kept open for the purpose. If it doesn't do it in Linux I figure the problem is software and will reinstall Windows. Otherwise it will be hardware. +
 
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