New
#1
Microsoft Keyboard turning my sound down?
I have a recurring issue. I'll be listening to music or a Youtube video or whatever, when suddenly my master sound level will slide to zero. I can't override manually. If I try to override using the mixer on the screen, or the hardward "+" sound button, there is a fight between my effort and whatever is turning the sound down. So the sound goes up and is adjusted down right away, as long as I hold the button on the laptop or on the screen the sounds zigs and zags up and down. If stop pushing the button, the sound goes to zero. After about a minute, the problem goes away and the sound may be adjusted up again. Also, apparently, if I whack my keyboard on the desk, I'm able to adjust the sound.
Another, related issue is that when I'm typing, the sound level bars (a white bar on a big black background in the lower middle of the screen, courtesy of Lenovo, and the narrower Windows green bar to the lower right) pop up periodically (say every few minutes) and every time they do, the sound level goes down by one increment. This latter problem got me thinking, as it happens only when I'm typing. Could it be my keyboard?
I tried the volume key on the Microsoft Natural Wireless keyboard, and sure enough, pushing either "+" or "-" set off the "sound to zero" problem. Is this a known issue with MS keyboards, or with the Mouse and Keyboard Center software (or earlier drivers for mouse and keyboard)? Or do I have a weirdly broken keyboard? (It is rather old...) Thanks.