You are here:

Computer Security & Viruses/pressing a key causes programs to open

Advertisement

Expert: - 12/2/2008


Question
My wife's PC has an intermittent fault where pressing certain letter keys causes programs to open. So she may be in Outlook starting to type and as soon as she does other programs open making it impossible to work. Only way to get round it it is to use copy and paste of the words she needs from other documents!

Answer
Hi Chris

First thing to check would be the keyboard itself.  Borrow another keyboard and see if the PC still opens programs on it's own.  I've seen a number of keyboards that cause strange behavior if the wires are kinked or the keyboard is not plugged in all the way.  If the problem still occurs with a different keyboard, we can check for malware.  Use the instructions I have posted on the question page to download the program HijackThis to your PC, then post me the log scan.

Brian

Computer Security & Viruses

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Brian Benosky

Expertise

I will help you in eradicating malware and all forms of virus/trojans/adware. I can answer all PC-related hardware issues. I can also troubleshoot Windows OS errors (all versions) and other software problems. HijackThis logs are a MUST for virus related help. If you do not know how to do this, I have posted easy-to-follow instructions on the Ask a Question page. Every computer infection is different, so I will give you personal instructions on how to remove the malware, not a 'pat' answer. You can be assured of a prompt, polite, and knowledgeable response in all regards.

Experience

I have over 25 years experience in using, building, and repairing computers. I have helped over two thousand people here on AllExperts, with consistent Top Feedback Scores. Please look at my answers here: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Computer-Security-Viruses-1737/indexExp_84308.htm I am also a Top Contributor of General Computing answers in Yahoo! Questions.

Education/Credentials
College Educated Self-taught Computer Skills

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.