Question My cat decided to take a stroll across my keyboard! Now,

LeeRex

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....no keyboard! I've tried many suggested solutions (stop filter keys, etc...reinstall drivers and the like) but it seems I'm creating more problems than solutions. Unless I find a way to fix this, then I have two choices; reinstall system files or buy a new keyboard. I tried to use system restore but, as is always the case, it failed! Useless utility! It's fragile and fails at the slightest opportunity, wasting my time!
All that aside, what can I try now?
 

Rokinamerica

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I let my granddaughter (1 year old) play on my keyboard, and on occasion I have to unplug and then plug it back in (wired).

As said above, see if you can try it on another pc, your cat may have actually broke something on / in your keyboard.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
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Cats and keyboards are dangerous as they can press key combos you weren't aware exist and are likely impossible for humans.

Does it happen in safe mode? Though getting to safe mode with no working kb might be difficult.
 

LeeRex

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We don't even know if this was a laptop or a desktop. And it would be helpful to tell us what solutions you've actually tried. This is a bit like giving us a crime novel, but tearing out the first 200 pages, and asking us to solve the case.
It's a desktop, wireless. Given the fact that I did give you my attempts, I wonder how much more you need. I think that Mr. Poirot could have solved this case without the missing pages. But thank you for your response.
 

LeeRex

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Cats and keyboards are dangerous as they can press key combos you weren't aware exist and are likely impossible for humans.

Does it happen in safe mode? Though getting to safe mode with no working kb might be difficult.
The cat story is true, as stated above. I saw what he was getting ready to do but I was too slow.
Tried safe mode once to no avail, but I'll give another go. Thanks for the suggestion!
 

LeeRex

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I let my granddaughter (1 year old) play on my keyboard, and on occasion I have to unplug and then plug it back in (wired).

As said above, see if you can try it on another pc, your cat may have actually broke something on / in your keyboard.
I doubt the cat actually broke anything. I think he just locked it! And I don't have the key to unlock it! Very smart cat, though....
 

LeeRex

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How about try that keyboard on another computer - just to see if there is a fault to the keyboard itself ?

Btw: how cool it is actually being able to blame the hacker cat :hearteyecat:
No access to another computer though maybe the local library is a possibility.
The cat story is actually true, though, truth be known, I've always enjoyed blaming others for my problems. ;)
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
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i have seen cats do similar before.

See if attaching another keyboard makes any difference, maybe a wired one.

So do you have auto logon set up? as logging in without a kb would be difficult.

I would suggest making a new user but difficult if you can't type

what make/model kb? Maybe there is a reset method for it.
 

Rokinamerica

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That is what my Granddaughter does. Hits some combo of keys that change either my lighting, or sometimes even no keyboard detected.

It being wired, usually unplugging the usb and then replugging it, well, it so far has always worked.
 

LeeRex

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i have seen cats do similar before.

See if attaching another keyboard makes any difference, maybe a wired one.

So do you have auto logon set up? as logging in without a kb would be difficult.

I would suggest making a new user but difficult if you can't type

what make/model kb? Maybe there is a reset method for it.
My cat trains all the other cats to do this. I think they have a YouTube channel somewhere.
I'm using the on screen keyboard to type for now.
Create a new user? I like it. Will try it!
 

DSzymborski

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I had a cat who was particularly annoying about walking and sitting on my desktop keyboard when I wasn't there.

Untitled.png



Sadly, he passed away in 2019 at age 20.
 

LeeRex

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its possible there is a channel, camouflaged by the million or so cute kitten channels. We may never find it.

new user at least test if problem is just restricted to one user.
Will try...Meanwhile....
I had a cat who was particularly annoying about walking and sitting on my desktop keyboard when I wasn't there.

Untitled.png



Sadly, he passed away in 2019 at age 20.
I wonder if cats do this deliberately. Sometimes I think I see a sneer on his face.!
 

LeeRex

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I've been using the on screen keyboard through all of this but for some reason, this keyboard won't let me create a new user. It seems to have trouble with key combinations. Ctrl-Alt-Delete comes to mind. Short answer: no, I haven't. But a new keyboard arrives today.
 

ubuysa

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I thionk the comment that this is a wirless keyboard is a clue. My guess is that there is some key combination (that may not be documented even) that the cat has pressed to somehow disable/shutdown/foul-up the keyboard. In your position I would remove the keyboard batteries overnight and replace them with new ones. I'd also consider buying a cheap wired keyboard and see whether that works.
 

LeeRex

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If there was a reset code, I couldn't find one. But problem solved! I am typing this on my brand new wireless keyboard! It didn't work at first, confirming our suspicions about a cat-induced rogue code. So I took the drastic, time consuming job of re-setting the computer. Even though I have a few days ahead of me trying to re-install everything, I've come to the conclusion that it's probably good to re-set things every once in a while. Tabula Rasa....a brand new machine!
 

LeeRex

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Long ago I read that it's a good idea to re-set your computer every year. This seems to make a lot of sense for casual users like me who spend so much time chasing down so many little niggly things. Some of those things never get solved and if they're not in the way, we just put up with them. But they pile up and after a while stop us from staying productive. I'll bet a good hacker could have fixed my cat problem in a heartbeat. But most users don't have those skills and I don't either.

I tried system restore but for me it has never worked. And by never, I mean NEVER! If it had a personality, system restore would be a spoiled whiny little brat that stomps its feet when it runs into a problem. As a utility, it's worthless. It failed me three times and all these attempts totaled six hours of wasted time. Combine that with all the things I tried over several days makes me wonder if a re-set was the best idea right from the start!

I think the future MAY bring a sort of AI program that could be run at any time, running so deeply into the computer so as to fix everything! Wishful thinking as I remember the movie Tron. That would be nice but maybe impossible.

BTW, off topic. I like the pic of your transparent computer. I assume you built it yourself. It's been in my mind to build one myself. Wondering if it's a good idea. It looks like fun but am thinking about expense and other things.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Windows 10 up until last year used to release a version update every 6 months. In it, it essentially replaced the install every time it ran as it would replace windows. AS such, its doing a reset every 6 months so I feel doing another is not necessary.
Win 10 & 11 are on yearly updates now and I think it might be too long for windows update in some cases. I was on the same build of win 11 for way over a year and it windows update broke in that time and I had to do a repair install to fix it.

System restore is a last gap measure. Its useful if you installed a driver and its messed up windows, as it takes a snapshot of registry before you install driver, so you can roll back. But how long the time has been can affect other things, like if you installed things after that date. I wouldn't rely on it.

its not transparent, I just took side glass off to reduce reflections, and I have dark tinted glass meaning you can't see as much inside when its on.