Shift key generates random letters and crashes laptop

[Roy692]

I have a HP Pavilion laptop, whenever I press the shift key(doesn’t matter which one) the same letters and symbols will be “typed” : UQEIWR(control and left arrow)po. It also won’t allow me to put any of the symbols on my keyboard.

and if I hold it for longer my laptop crashes.

i have turned off sticky keys in settings.

when my pc crashes and I power it on again I get the screen as if I am first opening the pc and installing al the basic settings etc. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Roy692,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

Thanks for the detailed explanation—this sounds like a frustrating and unusual issue. Based on what you’ve described, it could point to a deeper system or hardware problem. Some possible causes include: Corrupted keyboard driver or firmware, Malware or keylogger, Faulty keyboard hardware (like a stuck Shift key) and a few more.
 

Let’s go through some steps together to get this sorted.
 

1. Boot into Safe Mode

This helps isolate whether the issue is software-related.

• Hold Shift and click Restart from the Start menu.
• Go to Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
• Press 4 to boot into Safe Mode.
• Test the Shift key in Safe Mode. If it works fine, the issue is likely software-related.

2. Run a Full Malware Scan

Use Windows Defender or a trusted antivirus to scan for malware or keyloggers.

• Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Quick scan or Full scan.

3. Create a New User Profile

Sometimes user profiles get corrupted.

• Go to Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Add someone else to this PC.
• Log in with the new account and test the keyboard.

4. Update or Reinstall Keyboard Drivers

• Press Win + X → Device Manager.
• Expand Keyboards → Right-click your keyboard → Uninstall device.
• Restart your PC to reinstall the driver automatically.

5. Check for BIOS/UEFI Updates

• Visit HP Support and enter your model number.
• Download and install the latest BIOS update if available.

6. Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

• Turn off the laptop.
• Press Esc repeatedly, then F2 to enter HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.
• Run the Keyboard Test and System Test.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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

VikramTheGreat

HP Support