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published: May 17th, 2009, 9:09 pm, PST
revision: May 17th, 2009, 9:09 pm, PST
topics: bugs, vista, windows

Keystrokes Randomly Repeat

  I found a weird bug in Vista when using a Basic Mouse and Apple Keyboard: frequently, my keystrokes repeat. Sometimes a keystroke is repeated about a dozen times, other times the stroke is repeated until another key is pressed.

Environment:
Dell Inspiron E1705
Intel 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB Universal Host Controller
Intel 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
Apple Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse
Microsoft Windows Vista Business

Reproduction:

  1. Attach the keyboard to a USB port.
  2. Attach the mouse to a USB port.
  3. Open Control Panel-> Personalization-> Window Color and Appearance-> Open Classic Appearance Properties for More Color Options (Appearance Settings).
  4. Select Windows Standard color scheme and apply.
  5. Type for a couple minutes. I find ctrl-z / ctrl-y (undo / redo) iterations reproduces the problem within a 100 strokes or so.

Notes:

  • Attaching the keyboard or mouse to EHCI or UHCI ports doesn’t seem to affect issue.
  • This issue occurred with another keyboard of the same model.

Workarounds:

  • Change the Appearance Settings color scheme to Windows Aero.
  • Detach the mouse.

Comments (6)

6 Comments on Keystrokes Randomly Repeat

  1. Zac Lockard Says:
    July 11th, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    Stephen, what Service Pack are you running?

    If I can reproduce this in the lab, I can elevate the issue at MS.

    -Z

  2. stevn Says:
    July 11th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    I was remiss in OS details. I’m on SP1 for Vista Business 64 bit.

  3. stevn Says:
    August 30th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    Present in Windows 7 64 bit too.

  4. stevn Says:
    September 12th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    Best workaround I’ve found for this is to attach the keyboard and mouse through a 1.1 hub, forcing UHCI / OHCI which work perfectly.

  5. stevn Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    I just installed the newly released ‘Microsoft – Input – Microsoft USB Basic Optical Mouse (IntelliPoint)’ patch via Windows Update. I couldn’t find a changelog, but I haven’t been able to reproduce the issue since installing it. I tentatively conclude fixed.

  6. stevn Says:
    October 24th, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    Of course, now when I run VLC in full screen the mouse is highly unresponsive…

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