Misbehaving shift key

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I have windows XP running and the shift key has decided to misbehave. It works when I need to capitalize letters (eg XAFS) but it doesn’t work when I want to select a range of items (eg emails in outlook) or when I want to run macros in excel (eg hotkey is Ctrl+Shift+U).

Suggestions?

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1. Use the other Shift key
2. Try a different keyboard

John

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Thx John but … It doesn’t matter which shift key I use and I am using a laptop with a built in keyboard.

I don’t think it is hardware related (ie message not getting thru), rather I think it is software related (ignoring Shift when I select items).

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Make sure that the “Nums Lock” key is OFF?

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Ah — you never said it was a laptop! Since the “other” Shift key doesn’t give sensible answers, it can’t be a problem with the “usual” Shift key. Can you plug an ordinary keyboard into the back, to assist in the diagnosis?

Laptops have their own peculiarities, as Dave has indicated!

John

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Most humble apologies for my previous short answer. It turned out to be the left side of my left shift key that has decided to stop working. It just happens that that is where I seem to press the shift key when I am selecting things. I was funny yesterday, sometimes the shift key did work and some times it didn’t. You should have seen my face when I found what was causing the funny behaviour.

I’ve given the errant key a very stern talking to – will just have to see if that works.

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