Computer and laptop keyboard malfunctions are incredibly frustrating and annoying for users, as typing letters results in numbers, typing numbers results in letters, and pressing key combinations produces special characters. In this article, Taimienphi will point out 10 common errors and provide detailed solutions for laptop and computer keyboards with garbled characters. You can fix these problems at home without having to go to a repair shop.
Nowadays, most families own computers at home for both work and entertainment. Whether for work or entertainment, the keyboard remains very important. And encountering certain computer errors can be challenging.
Fix keyboard errors where characters are jumbled.
Many users have asked about several keyboard errors, such as: - When using the Shift + 3
key combination , Word outputs the character £ instead of the correct # symbol ; Shift + 2 outputs " instead of the correct @ symbol . - In some cases, when using Vietnamese characters like 'd' , it outputs 'dđ'. - In other cases, strange characters appear such as: hhhhh, mmmmm, etc. Taimienphi.vn will help you fix these keyboard typing errors. Please read the article below to learn how to resolve the keyboard issues you are experiencing.
Table of Contents:
1. Typing Vietnamese with accents incorrectly .
2. Pressing the letters abc. results in numbers 1, 2, 3.9 on the laptop .
3. Hhhh, mmmm, . appear when typing .
4. Typing Vietnamese results in 'dd' .
5. Errors when entering key combinations .
6. Typing numbers results in letters or special characters on the laptop .
7. Keyboard stuck keys .
8. Keyboard malfunction due to water or liquid damage .
9. Keyboard keys not working .
10. Keyboard malfunction due to broken wires .
Fixing keyboard typing errors (typing jumbled characters)
Case 1: Typing Vietnamese with diacritics results in errors, for example, typing "Ôn Tập" but getting ön têåp instead.
a. Cause: This is due to selecting the wrong font or the wrong typing mode in Unikey or Vietkey. This error also frequently occurs when using Facebook Messenger
. b. Solution: With Unikey, select the option as shown below: Telex typing style, built-in Unicode mode, then choose the Time News Roman font. With VNI fonts, select the VNI Windows typing style.
For Windows 10, refer to: Fixing the inability to type Vietnamese in Windows 10
For Windows XP, you can use any version, but for Windows 7 and Windows 8, you should use versions specifically designed for those operating systems. Furthermore, you should use the officially released versions such as 'Unikey 2.0' and 'Unikey 4.0', and not unofficial versions like 'Unikey 4.0 RC1' or 'Unikey 4.0 RC2'.
Case 2: Pressing the letters abc. on the laptop only displays the numbers 1, 2, 3.9.
a. Cause: You may have accidentally activated the numeric keypad mode using Fn + Numlock
. b. Solution: Press Fn + Numlock simultaneously to deactivate numeric keypad mode.
Case 3: Sounds like hhhh, mmmm, . appear when typing on the keyboard.
a. Cause: This is mainly due to some keys on your keyboard being stuck, causing the above issue when typing.
b. Solution: This is very simple; you can press the stuck key multiple times to temporarily fix the problem. If the issue persists, remove the stuck keys from your keyboard, clean your keyboard, and try again!
Case 4: Typing Vietnamese characters like the letter 'd' results in 'dd'.
a. Cause: Errors are occurring with Vietkey and Unikey.
b. Solution: When encountering this problem, you need to close all Vietnamese input methods such as Vietkey and Unikey and try reopening them. If that doesn't work, completely uninstall the Vietnamese input method from your computer and then download a new one.
Case 5: When typing the key combination: Shift + 3 in Word produces the character £ instead of the correct # symbol, and Shift + 2 produces " instead of the correct @ symbol.
Furthermore, when you type in the number fields 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, instead of numbers, strange characters like &, ¢, ®, ¥, ® appear.
a. Cause: This often happens when you set up your computer and the keyboard layout is incorrect.
b. Solution: Follow steps 1-6 below. Here, I'm demonstrating on my computer with Windows 10; the steps are similar for Windows XP and Windows 7.
Step 1: Access Settings via the Start Menu .
Step 2: Select Time & Language
Step 3: Next, select Language . In the Preferred language section, click on the first language displayed in the list and select Options .
Step 4: After selecting Options , you will see the table below. Click Add a keyboard , then choose a new keyboard layout for your device.
For example: The current keyboard layout is: United States , and now it's changed to United Kingdom .
Step 5: Click on the old keyboard layout and select Remove .
Case 6: Typing numbers results in letters or special characters on a laptop.
This is a bug that someone recently asked TipsMake about: when you type the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4. on the keyboard, characters like ă, â, ê, ộ̀̉̃́. or !, @, #, $. appear instead. This bug is rare, so those who have encountered it will immediately understand. For example, when you type 1, 2, 3, 4. into a website's address bar to search, you can enter them normally, but when you go back to Word, Excel, etc., you might encounter this error.
a. Cause: This error occurs because the user has not selected the correct input language for the keyboard. Normally, instead of selecting ENG, the user selects VI or VIE, causing this phenomenon to occur.
b. Solution: On the Taskbar, click on the language bar -> then change from VI or VIE to ENG as shown in the image below to fix the problem (you can also use the Alt + Shift shortcut for faster operation).
Case 7: Computer keyboard malfunction, laptop keyboard stuck
a. Cause: This error occurs when you don't clean your keyboard regularly, leading to dust and dirt accumulating under the keys and on top of the keyboard, causing the keys to stick together and making them difficult to press. If left for too long, it can lead to stuck keys, making typing difficult, and when keys do work, the characters may become illegible.
b. Solution: You should clean your keyboard more frequently. If this error has already occurred, you need to disassemble the keyboard and clean it thoroughly with a brush and a dry cloth. Using an air blower is recommended to remove dust and dirt.
Case 8: Keyboard malfunction due to water or liquid damage.
a. Cause: This error may be due to carelessness during use, leading to water or other liquids getting into the keyboard's contacts, resulting in unresponsive keys.
b. Solution: The specific solution depends on the amount of liquid that accidentally
got on your keyboard. - If the amount of liquid is small and insignificant, simply turn the keyboard upside down to let the liquid drain out, then wipe it dry and you can use it again.
- If a large amount of liquid gets on the keyboard, immediately turn off the power, remove the keyboard from the computer, wipe and dry the circuit boards, then reassemble it and use it again.
- If the error is too severe and you cannot fix it yourself, you should quickly take it to a computer repair or warranty center for inspection and timely repair.
Case 9: Keyboard malfunction - keys are unresponsive.
a. Cause: This unresponsive key press error could be caused by accumulated dust or a burnt-out circuit.
b. Solution: If it's due to dust, you need to clean the area under the key presses and surrounding areas of the unresponsive keys. If it's a burnt-out circuit, you need to take it to a computer repair center for inspection and repair, or it may need to be replaced.
Case 10: Keyboard malfunction due to a broken wire.
a. Cause: This error may be due to prolonged use causing oxidation of the wire leading to breakage, or it could be due to damage such as rodent damage.
b. Solution: To fix this error, you should check the exact location of the broken wire and reconnect it to restore functionality. If it's a laptop, it's more complicated as you may not be able to fix it yourself without the necessary equipment; therefore, the best solution is to take it to a repair center for inspection and repair.
Although keyboard typing errors are common when using laptops and cause considerable inconvenience to users, the instructions above have shown you how to fix this error most effectively. Now you can rest assured that you can easily eliminate this problem on your computer. To better protect your keyboard, you can refer to the article on fixing water damage to the keyboard that TipsMake previously provided if your keyboard gets wet from spilled drinks.
Additionally, you can refer to how to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 for use in the most urgent situations where you need the physical keyboard.
During the process of typing, it's common for users to encounter situations where they type incorrectly or get characters jumbled up. If you're experiencing this, this article will provide solutions to quickly fix keyboard errors on your computer or laptop, ensuring your work isn't interrupted. Good luck!
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