Keyboard Problem: SHIFT+9 treated like PAGE-UP

arbiel · Dec 12, 2011

Hello all. Thanks in advance for any help.

When I hit SHIFT+9 [for the left/open parenthesis], my system interprets it as if I'm hitting PAGE-UP. This occurs with both the left and right shift key. The 9 key and both shift keys otherwise work fine, and SHIFT+0 [for the right/close parenthesis] works fine too.

The problem occurs regardless of what program is running, and even occurs in safe mode. However, it does not occur in recovery mode [the mode you boot into to restore a system image or "repair" windows]. It also does not occur with an external keyboard [but since this is a laptop, using a different keyboard is not practical]. I am at a loss because the first and third sentence of this paragraph suggests it is a hardware issue, but the second sentence suggests it is a software/driver issue.

I am running Win7 Pro 64x on a new Asus UX21E. The machine is new, so a bunch of programs have just been loaded recently, which makes troubleshooting complicated. However, these are all basic/common programs that have never given me trouble on other systems [MSO, Adobe CS4, NIS, Skype, etc.]. Likewise, because the machine is new, I doubt this is a malware issue.

I have tried uninstalling the manufacturer’s keyboard driver and reverting to Microsoft’s default “Standard PS/2 Keyboard” driver, but that did not solve the problem. Before I waste a bunch of time reloading the OS [assuming that makes the problem go away] and reinstalling the programs one at a time to identify the program that’s causing this [assuming it is indeed it is a software issue], can anyone offer any insight as to what might be going on?

This problem is very annoying and has and has made this system all but useless considering I frequently write code. I can’t even make a sad face emoticon to end this post... I guess I’ll have do it backwards ):

SundRance · Dec 12, 2011

The numeric keyboard on my portable computer doubles 9 with the Page Down function. To make "(" I use the 9 in the number series running along the top of my keyboard. Not sure how your keyboard is configured, but the 9s have different Shift properties attached to them.

Anyway, on my system: Shift + numeric keyboard 9 acts very much like a Ctrl + Home combination.

Best Wishes,
Rªnce

Just another thought: is your Shift Lock on?

arbiel · Dec 12, 2011

I do not have a number pad [the laptop is 10 inches wide]. The only 9 key I have, and the one I was referring to in my original post, is the one that appears above the I and O keys [standard US keyboard layout]. I don't even have a function-key-enabled number pad, the kind that gets overlaid upon the right side of many other laptop keyboards. As a result, I don't have a numlock key [nor a scroll lock key, and no, my capslock is not on].

Unless laptop keyboards are designed differently, I am pretty certain hitting LSHIFT+9 does not result in a "open parenthesis" signal being sent from the keyboard, but merely a "left-shift-key-down" "9-key-down" "9-key-up", then "left-shift-key-up" sequence of signals, and that it is a drivers role to interpret that to mean open parenthesis. Your post points out the number row 9 and number pad 9 must have different signals. Together, this suggests my number row 9 key is either [1] emitting the number pad 9 signal, or [2] emitting the proper number row 9 signal, but the driver is misinterpreting it. The fact that external keyboards work normally suggests the former, but the fact that the problem is not seen in recovery mode suggests the latter.

Anyone thoughts?

UPDATE: I have found that I can get the open parenthesis by typing FN+SHIFT+9. I am slightly less annoyed, but even more confused. This is not a solution, but workaround, and it might lend more insight towards the root of the problem.

SundRance · Dec 13, 2011

Had an old Thinkpad that used the Fn key in a simliar manner. The combination was kind of a pain. The last couple of machines I've purchased were both 'desktop alternative' 17" machines, and both have numeric keypads.

Not sure what else I could suggest, but doubt re-loading your system is the answer. I would look out for possible firmware or bios updates from the manufacturer and/or try and get used to a new workflow.

Sorry,
Rªnce

edited for typo ...

arbiel · Dec 13, 2011

Rance, are you saying that you had to use the fn + shift + 9 key every time you wanted to type "(" on your Thinkpad?

I reset the laptop to factory configuration, and the problem disappeared. As a result, I am almost certain now this is a software and not hardware issue. I only performed the reset only to see whether it would fix the problem, so I've since restored my setup from a disk image I created prior to the reset (thus restoring the problem too). I didn't want to lose all my programs and custom settings.

I've also found a new workaround. The nature of this workaround confirms that my number-row-9 key is somehow being interpreted as the number-pad-9 key. This is very strange, as no other key is treated this way. For example, shift + number-row-3 results in "#" properly. It does not result in "page-down" as if it were shift + number-pad-3.

The new workaround involves remapping keys in the windows registry. I basically followed the steps here: Remap the CapsLock Key or any Key in Windows XP, 2000, Vista and 2003. This allows windows to remap the number-pad-9 keystrokes as if it were they were number-row-9 keystrokes. Even though I don't have a number-pad-9 key, windows thinks my number-row-9 is a number-pad-9, so this remapping reverses the mixup.

I still have no idea how this problem came about, but at least, superficially, I can use my keyboard normally now.

SundRance · Dec 14, 2011

No, no, the Fn key did, though, enable a third function to some of the keys. The numeric keypad was included within the alpha part of the Thinkpad keyboard: letter, Shift + letter, Fn + letter.

Glad you got a fix of sorts anyway.

Be Well,
Rªnce

sammy100 · Jan 10, 2012

Hi arbiel, I am having the exact same problem with my UX21E. I have contacted Asus tech support so far they have not given me a solution which actually works.

arbiel · Jan 11, 2012

hi, sammy. as i wrote earlier, i suspect this problem to be of software origin because it went away for me when i did a factory reset, which means asus might not be able to do much. what programs do you have installed on your machine? we may be able to isolate the offending program (if indeed it is a program and not something windows- or driver-related) by seeing which ones we have in common.

i'm not in front of my laptop right now, but off the top of my head, programs that were installed when i noticed the problem include:

microsoft office 2010
adobe cs5
max/msp 5
media monkey 4
norton internet security 2011
google chrome
google earth
dropbox
kindle for pc
skype

i also applied a windows anytime upgrade from the included win7 home premium to to win7 pro.

in the meantime, try the registry key remapping workaround. it has worked great for me thus far and i haven't seen any side effects yet.

sammy100 · Jan 11, 2012

Hi. When I first got the laptop I installed the following software

Office 2010
Adobe CS5
Firefox
Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2012
NuSphere PHP Ed
WAMP

I don’t ever remember a point when the shift 9 was working so Im not sure which program would of caused the problem. Also as you suggested it might have been a driver or similar.

Here is what ASUS said.

----------
For your issue, please download and reinstall the KB filter driver. You can find it in Utilities or Others.
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download UX21E

If still, please load BIOS default as follows for a try. Please turn on the laptop. Press F2 as soon as you see ASUS logo to enter BIOS. Then press F9 to load BIOS default. Then save and exit and then reboot the laptop.
The BIOS flash procedure is now complete.

For more information feel free to refer to our self-help pages by clicking
the links below:
Troubleshooting -
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Troubleshooting
FAQ - ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- FAQ
----------

Neither of these worked so I then wrote back and they suggested reinstalling windows.

I did as you suggested and remapped the 9 on the keyboard to the “Regular 9” instead of the “Number Pad 9”, it is working well now.

As far as I can tell, there could be 2 causes.
1. 1) It may be a hardware problem where the 9 key is wired to the “Number Pad 9”. Things seemed to work as normal at first and then we installed software which made the 9 key behave in the undesirable way.
2. 2) The other option could be is that the 9 key is wired correctly and then we installed some software which remaps it to the “Number Pad 9”

Maybe we could test what the 9 Key does with DOS software before windows loads or check the 9 key in safe mode?

Thanks for your help.

jdw11 · Jan 28, 2012

( mapped to page-up caused by "num-lock"

Hi. I had this same issue... After rebooting and googling to find an answer, I remembered that I had connected an external usb keyboard and hit "num-lock" so I could use the number pad. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's what caused the ( to be mapped to page-up.

To fix it, I plugged the external keyboard back in and hit "num-lock" once again to toggle it back to normal key mappings. That fixed the ( problem.

Hope that helps

Cheers.

John

arbiel said:
Hello all. Thanks in advance for any help.

When I hit SHIFT+9 [for the left/open parenthesis], my system interprets it as if I'm hitting PAGE-UP. This occurs with both the left and right shift key. The 9 key and both shift keys otherwise work fine, and SHIFT+0 [for the right/close parenthesis] works fine too.

The problem occurs regardless of what program is running, and even occurs in safe mode. However, it does not occur in recovery mode [the mode you boot into to restore a system image or "repair" windows]. It also does not occur with an external keyboard [but since this is a laptop, using a different keyboard is not practical]. I am at a loss because the first and third sentence of this paragraph suggests it is a hardware issue, but the second sentence suggests it is a software/driver issue.

I am running Win7 Pro 64x on a new Asus UX21E. The machine is new, so a bunch of programs have just been loaded recently, which makes troubleshooting complicated. However, these are all basic/common programs that have never given me trouble on other systems [MSO, Adobe CS4, NIS, Skype, etc.]. Likewise, because the machine is new, I doubt this is a malware issue.

I have tried uninstalling the manufacturer’s keyboard driver and reverting to Microsoft’s default “Standard PS/2 Keyboard” driver, but that did not solve the problem. Before I waste a bunch of time reloading the OS [assuming that makes the problem go away] and reinstalling the programs one at a time to identify the program that’s causing this [assuming it is indeed it is a software issue], can anyone offer any insight as to what might be going on?

This problem is very annoying and has and has made this system all but useless considering I frequently write code. I can’t even make a sad face emoticon to end this post... I guess I’ll have do it backwards ):

clara · Mar 27, 2012

I also have an Asus Zenbook UX21E and am having the same problem! Also have had no luck with Asus tech support. For me, my open bracket has worked for nearly three months, and then all of a sudden I'm getting the page up thing too! I think it actually might be the numlock solution for me, as I plugged my laptop in to an external screen, keyboard and mouse to do a uni project last week.

Will try that, wanted mainly to say thanks for your help

Cheers.

russnz · Apr 1, 2012

Hi everyone,

I too have an Asus Zenbook UX21E with the exact same problem.

When I purchased it, I wiped Windows and installed Windows 7 Enterprise x64, and didn't test the keyboard prior to doing this so am thinking perhaps it is a software driver issue that is present on the original build but doesn't get installed on the reload.

Does someone have the exact registry changes that are required to remap the Shift-9 key combination to display a ( instead of page up?

nosale · Jun 13, 2012

Num Lock is indeed stuck

Hey Guys,

I also have a zenbook ux21, and have encountered the same problem. It was indeed what people said about plugging in an external keyboard and pressing numlock, then disconnecting it.

If you don't have a keyboard readily available, there is still a way to fix the problem. I tried editing the registry, but it did not seem to work. What did work was writing a quick VB script to simulate sending a numlock press. Start notepad, and put this script in it:

set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"

and save the file as FixNumlock.vbs

Run the script, and your numlock woes should be solved

avdijk · Jul 12, 2012

I found a resolution to the problem

I also experienced the problem on my UX21E.

I can confirm that pluggin back the externl USB and deselecting numlock resolved my problem.
Since these ultrabooks don't have any numlock indicators, it is difficult to determine the cause of this issue.

Hope this helps some of you our there

DavidZweistein · Aug 21, 2012

External Keyboard with NumLock is the Problem

Hi all,

I have the 2. Generation from the Zenbook Series the UX21A in the German Keyboard Layout and had the same Problems...
As one User already posted earlier, so solve the Problem, simply plug-in any external Keyboard and click on the NumLock so it is off again. Unplug it again and everything works just fine. No Software Reinstallation or similar needed, just remember the next time you use a external keyboard to switch off the NumLock again after using it...
What a mistake for a 1000 dollar device...

GL with your cool Zenbooks (which are far better than any ~~MAC~~!

DavidZweistein

UX21A · Sep 23, 2012

Had exactly the same problem with my new ASUS UX21A... Thanks to John I just plugged in an external keyboard, hit "Num Lock" and now shift+9 gives all the (((((( that I could ever want. Glad I did not have to fiddle around remapping keys...

Thanks to Arbiel for the original post so that I could find a simple solution to this annoyance.

jdw11 said:
Hi. I had this same issue... After rebooting and googling to find an answer, I remembered that I had connected an external usb keyboard and hit "num-lock" so I could use the number pad. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's what caused the ( to be mapped to page-up.

To fix it, I plugged the external keyboard back in and hit "num-lock" once again to toggle it back to normal key mappings. That fixed the ( problem.

Hope that helps

Cheers.

John

arbiel said:

Hello all. Thanks in advance for any help.

When I hit SHIFT+9 [for the left/open parenthesis], my system interprets it as if I'm hitting PAGE-UP. This occurs with both the left and right shift key. The 9 key and both shift keys otherwise work fine, and SHIFT+0 [for the right/close parenthesis] works fine too.

The problem occurs regardless of what program is running, and even occurs in safe mode. However, it does not occur in recovery mode [the mode you boot into to restore a system image or "repair" windows]. It also does not occur with an external keyboard [but since this is a laptop, using a different keyboard is not practical]. I am at a loss because the first and third sentence of this paragraph suggests it is a hardware issue, but the second sentence suggests it is a software/driver issue.

I am running Win7 Pro 64x on a new Asus UX21E. The machine is new, so a bunch of programs have just been loaded recently, which makes troubleshooting complicated. However, these are all basic/common programs that have never given me trouble on other systems [MSO, Adobe CS4, NIS, Skype, etc.]. Likewise, because the machine is new, I doubt this is a malware issue.

I have tried uninstalling the manufacturer’s keyboard driver and reverting to Microsoft’s default “Standard PS/2 Keyboard” driver, but that did not solve the problem. Before I waste a bunch of time reloading the OS [assuming that makes the problem go away] and reinstalling the programs one at a time to identify the program that’s causing this [assuming it is indeed it is a software issue], can anyone offer any insight as to what might be going on?

This problem is very annoying and has and has made this system all but useless considering I frequently write code. I can’t even make a sad face emoticon to end this post... I guess I’ll have do it backwards ):

Click to expand...

zeniph · Jan 25, 2014

Thanks for responses - having NumLock on was indeed the problem

No need for external keyboard to fix though - you can just use the onscreen keyboard:

Start menu / type OSK in Search Program and files to launch keyboard / Click options / Click turn on Numeric Keyboard / click NumLock to turn off

Keyboard Problem: SHIFT+9 treated like PAGE-UP

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