Win7 adding Alt to shortcut when I try to assign Ctrl+keyboard stroke

[parallelepipeds]

Hi there,

Normally, it seems like such a simple thing... You right click an executable shortcut on your desktop, go to 'Properties', then assign a shortcut key. I've done it time and time again... but as of recent, when I want to, say, assign Ctrl+F5 to a shortcut, Windows 7 wants to automatically add 'Alt' to the chain of required shortcut keys, as well.

I tried restarting. I tried closing every process imaginable. I turned my wireless keyboard on and off and I looked at the 'Ease of Access keyboard' to see if Alt was being pressed and I saw no indication of that. Sticky Keys are not on, either... The strange thing is that I've had this happen before, and it went away for reasons I don't completely comprehend. It's back though, and I honestly don't know how to get rid of it. I'd just like to assign Ctrl+F5 to a shortcut. I've tried opening other shortcuts which I've assigned to Ctrl+F1/F2/F3/etc, and if I try to modify them, Windows also wants to add 'Alt' to the chain of shortcut keys required.

Could anyone give me a hint?

Thank you so much

 

[parallelepipeds]

Also, I forgot to mention:

When I'm in other open programs, if I use something like 'Ctrl+V' to paste or 'Ctrl+C' to copy, it works, so it's not as though Windows is triggering an automatic-Alt-keyboard-stroke there. I just tried hitting 'Ctrl+Delete' while in my Firefox browser...and Windows didn't open the Task Manager (as though it automatically added 'Alt' to the chain of simultaneously-pressed keystrokes). ...so it's, seemingly, only happening in the shortcut assignment area of the properties box for an executable shortcut on the desktop, which is a bit absurd.

 

[paul1149]

SOP here would be to try a dif keyboard, but the first thing that comes to mind is to try a new battery in the existing one. Shouldn't really matter, but... Then I would create a new user profile and try it there. Or even easier, try it in Safe Mode. Just some random thoughts.