Score:0

Laptop keyboard issues with spacebar and 'b' key

mq flag

Recently Ubuntu 22.10 on my laptop has been having issues with the spacebar and 'b' keys. To work around this intermittent issue I click the human symbol (top right) and have enable the virtual keyboard. Spacebar and 'b' function on it. The problem is such that I can login and use Firefox browser to do a Duolingo lesson with absolutely no issues and then suddenly a Google search from Firefox browser (most current version) will be missing the spacebar spaces and the 'b' key will be gone. Is this a virus as there appears no physical problem with the keys (eg. sticky keys) on the keyboard and does anyone know how to permanently get rid of the issue as it is annoying?

I did add some other Keyboard layouts in the process of trying to get rid of the issue eg. en1, en2, es1, and es2. Power down and restart now appears to temporarily get rid of the problem.

pk flag
Usually this kind of problem is simply caused by a faulty or damaged keyboard, or dust on the connector for example. In the latter case, simply taking the laptop apart and putting it back together (unplugging and re-plugging the keyboard) can be enough to solve the issue.
pk flag
One question per question. Questions about Ask Ubuntu itself should be asked on meta.askubuntu.com
Gordon McLeod avatar
mq flag
I checked the keyboard and it doesn't appear to be faulty. It would have been easier to understand if it had been.
pk flag
How do you know the keyboard is not faulty? I am not saying the keyboard is definitely faulty, but it's the most likely and simple explanation.
Gordon McLeod avatar
mq flag
I eliminated the 2nd question. I combined the ones in the earlier paragraph as a virus or bug seems the most likely cause. I've now set the F9 key to enable or disable the virtual keyboard. I did ensure the system was completely up-to-date with upgrades. The issue itself does affect any typed in passwords with a 'b' in them.
pk flag
A bad keyboard connection would not make the keys sticky.
Gordon McLeod avatar
mq flag
True. But I did use canned air to dust off the keyboard (there was no dust but just in case). There is no problem with the keyboard. A bad connection would be a little weird allowing a question and comments plus a language class and then showing up on Firefox.
pk flag
It would be time based, coming and going. Does it always not work in Firefox and always work fine in Duolingo? Because if that's the case then the hardware is fine and you're right, it is something to do with software.
Gordon McLeod avatar
mq flag
I didn't want to chat. But I tend to agree. I use Google search in Firefox and once the problem started had to eliminate it with the virtual keyboard. Once eliminated, Duolingo always works until Firefox and Google search is used and issue appears.
I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.