Cleaning keyboard key to fix stuck keys

Q: I have a laptop that suddenly wants to autofill most of the time. It may be a string of numbers or just random letters and characters. Also the Microsoft symbol does not do anything on the keyboard when I press it. What could be causing this and how do I fix it?

A: When the keyboard is functioning normally, you press a key and it quickly closes and then opens the circuit. However, if something gets in between the keys and the keyboard’s circuits it can cause the circuit to close and stay closed which then causes the computer to respond as if that key is being pressed continuously.

The most common cause is when dirt or food particles get inside the keyboard.

In many cases, just tapping the keys firmly and repeatedly combined with some bursts of compressed air will get things working normally again.

I have fixed more severe particle interference by placing an external keyboard on its side and gently slapping it to shake the particles loose, even going so far as to gently knock it on the desk surface to dislodge the more stubborn debris.

With laptops, it requires a gentler touch. I would start with the compressed air first and then lightly slap the keyboard while the laptop is held in a more vertical position.

That being said, there’s always the chance that the keyboard is actually defective and will need to be replaced.

Q: I use my personal laptop to connect to my work computer using the Remote Desktop tool. This usually works very well, but occasionally I can’t connect and I end up having to go the office and restart the computer. Is there a way to keep the computer online more reliably?

A: When preparing a computer to be used remotely in this way you want to make sure that all of the power settings are configured in such a way that the computer will not go to sleep and will not power down when it is not in use. You can find these settings in the control panel by searching the word Power.