Keybord won’t stop pressing the windows button

[seraphia_17]

Hey,

I recently gotten myself into this issue on my HP Pavilion 14 laptop where it starts typing ‘[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[‘ constantly and I pull up the on-screen keyboard to find that it kept on ghost pressing the windows button.

A bit of info (if have any correlation): This laptop was purchase around May 2022 is when I got this laptop. I use this laptop mainly to do my university assignments, coding for homework, gaming. It has probably went through a lot of random bs I have done to it.

I did download stuff from weird websites, I did check for malware but there’s no indicator that I have it. (I use Bitdefender, and I really made sure that my laptop wasn’t affected with anything since I scan almost daily).

Prior to the issue, I did happen to find the bluetooth option suddenly disappearing but then the next day, its back. Another happened when someone got access to my Steam account (managed to got it back) but so far the activity stops there.

May be a stretch but I suspected the latest Windows update may have caused my keybord driver to be incompatible or something, who knows.

Here’s stuff I have done so far:

1. Disable/uninstall the keyboard from device manager

2. Check for malware (I wiped the laptop clean today so there’s supposed to be no traces of malware)

3. Turn off the filter key, stick key, etc.

4. Try to run ‘gpedit.msc’ (Its not available in Windows 11 apparently)

5. Checking for hardware damages (no damages found, no specks of dust of crumbles on the keybord)

So far I’m stuck with just using the on-screen keyboard, a bit fustrated that the Windows button is constantly pressed, sometimes it starts pressing ‘[[[[[[[[[[[[[‘ whenever I stop turning on the filter key to keep it from not messing around.

Anyone got any solution to permanently disabling the built-in keyboard so that I will use my USB keyboard instead? I’m not really tech savvy so do guide me.

Really appreciate if anyone can respond quickly too. Sorry for a bunch of filter story lol.

[Raj_05]

Hi @seraphia_17,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

The issue you're describing with your HP Pavilion 14 laptop keyboard could stem from either hardware or software problems. Since you've ruled out malware and already tried several fixes, here are additional steps to resolve the issue or work around it.

Test for Hardware Issues

• External USB Keyboard: If you haven’t already, plug in a USB keyboard. If the issue persists on the external keyboard, it’s likely a software issue.
• Hardware Diagnostics: Use HP’s built-in diagnostics:
  1. Restart your laptop.
  2. Press Esc repeatedly to open the Startup Menu.
  3. Select F2 to run System Diagnostics.
  4. Perform a Keyboard Test to check if the physical keyboard is malfunctioning.

Disable the Built-in Keyboard

To permanently disable the laptop's built-in keyboard:

Device Manager Method:

• Open Device Manager (Windows + X → select Device Manager).
• Expand the Keyboards section.
• Right-click your keyboard (usually listed as "Standard PS/2 Keyboard") and select Uninstall Device.
• Check the box for Delete the driver software for this device if available, then restart your laptop.
• This should disable the keyboard permanently. If Windows reinstalls it upon reboot, proceed to the next method.

Group Policy Editor Workaround (GPEDIT Alternative):

• Since gpedit.msc is unavailable on your system, you can achieve the same result using the Registry Editor:
  1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to:

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt
   
   1. Find the value named Start, right-click it, and choose Modify.
   2. Change its value to 4 (this disables the keyboard driver).
   3. Restart your laptop.

• To re-enable the keyboard, change the value back to 1.

Update/Reinstall Drivers

• Download the latest keyboard driver for your laptop model from the HP Support website.
• Install the driver and restart your laptop.

[Raj_05]

Check for Windows Update Issues

• If you suspect a recent Windows update caused the issue:
  1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > View Update History.
  2. Uninstall the most recent update under Uninstall Updates.

Temporary Fixes

• Use the On-Screen Keyboard (Windows + Ctrl + O) for short-term functionality.
• If you're using an external keyboard, you can manage with that until the built-in one is permanently disabled.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support