Keyboard/ Sticking/ Beeps

[Pezzy]

Hi all.

I did some searching, but found no definitive answers.

I have a Microsoft Wireless Comfort Keyboard 4000. I do a fair amount of gaming, and every once in a while (and not on all games), the keyboard will stick. To be specific:

You know how in many action/ first person shooter games, the WSAD keys are your movement keys? For going Forward, Backward, Left and Right? Well, I can let go of the "W" button, but, my character keeps going forward. When I try one of the other keys, I have to keep repeatedly mashing it to finally get it to respond.

And when it finally does respond, my system beeps at me. And I don't mean these beeping sounds come out of my computer's speakers (I have a surround-sound setup), I mean it comes out of the system speaker, the same speaker that beeps during system boot-up.

And using the mouse (also wireless) also has this "sticking" feature, too. Using the left-mouse button is frequently used in shooter games to fire a weapon.

My keyboard and mouse are not LITERALLY sticky, like from soda pop or candy, so they don't need cleaning.

There are also fresh Duracell batteries in them, so that's not it either.

I went into Control Panel/ Accessibility Options and checked to see if the StickyKeys were checked, but they're not.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Pez

 

[VsUK81]

Sounds like a compatibility problem to me. I had the exact keyboard your referring to until a few months ago when snapped it in 2 out of frustration because of the same issue your having.

First things first, i presume you have the wireless version not the wired keyboard & mouse. Is so, then this is the problem i had & got fed up with.

When you hold down 2 or more keys, the beep you hear is your system error noise, basically it dosnt recognise the command your doing, esp if your holding down 2 or more keys for over a few seconds.

As for the sticking, unresponsive problem. This is down to the wireless, some wireless keyboards & mouse dont act well when your pressing to many keys at once, regardless to it saying gaming or whatever keyboard its just overloaded the info to the wireless receiver to cope with. This has happened on various wireless keyboard & mouse sets & regardless to whatever you try, doing to much at once just clogs it up for a while.

I use my keyboard more than my mouse during gaming so i went with a wired Keyboard & a decent wireless mouse, a microsoft laser mouse 5000 to be exact & ive had no problems since.

Some people may disagree with me here, but i dont think wireless keyboard & mouse are the best choice for gaming, 1 wired & 1 wireless is always best & the one you use the most is best to keep wired.

 

[CreatioNz]

G'day mate. Regarding your keyboard error, the called "sticking" of the keys, It sounds to be that yes as VsUK has said, it IS a wireless issue, but it may not be a compatability error. it could be interferance with your receiver. Now microsoft may be known for over charging for there software and having crap support, but there hardware peripherals are actually held in very high regard so i must disagree with VsUk when he says its a compatability issue.

What you should try and so is make sure your keyboard and mouse are both within "Line of Sight" with the reveiver, make sure that your surround sound system is not to close to the receiver (as the magnets in the speakers corrupt wireless signals something feirce).

That has to be the main downfall of wireless techonology, interfernace is just irritating since something as simple as a microwave being used in the house can screw around with it aswell.

 

[Pezzy]

VsUK81 & CreatioNz: Thanks for the replies.

Compatibility problem? Hmmmm......maybe, maybe not. But I'm kind of leaning towards CreatioNz that it's not. Although, I have to say, that this problem only seemed to crop up in recent years when I've gotten wireless keyboards; I don't remember this happening years ago when I had a wired keyboard.

Then again, with the wireless keyboard that I have now, it doesn't always do this "sticking thing" with the system "beeps"; it'll do it with some games, other games are fine. But, it's probably like you said, VsUK81, that it's when a combination of two or more keys that are pressed that it can't recognize the command, that the wireless receiver can't handle it.

And CreatioNz: I do keep things within line-of-sight of the receiver; things are close. And yup, I knew about speakers interfering with wireless devices, so I try and keep it away from that, also.

Maybe in the future when I've got some extra $'s I'll get a wired keyboard and stick with the wireless mouse.

And oh.....I've got the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 also.
Pez