Keyboard problem when connected to router

Can anyone help me fix this strange computer problem?

I am using a laptop (HP Pavilion ze4600) with an attached external keyboard. The laptop is plugged by a wire into an Internet router. My operating system is XP Home.

Lately, the external keyboard does two strange things: it does not allow me to toggle between programs (alt-tab) nor does it allow me to paste text. Instead, it does a print screen. In other words, it pastes an image of the screen into the word processor. (This is in Word. In Notepad, nothing happens.) When this problem occurs, the same thing happens if I try to use other keys to paste (in Word, Shift-Insert) and even if I try to use the mouse pad to paste.

However, this problem disappears when I unplug the wire from the Internet router. (The problem occurs whether or not I actually have the Internet running on my computer.) When the wire is plugged in, the external keyboard will work fine for a while—a half hour or so—and then act in this strange way.

I have tried three keyboards: a USB keyboard and two PS-2 keyboards. I used the latter both plugged into the PS-2 port and with an adapter plugged into the USB port. The same problem occurred in all instances. So this is apparently not a keyboard problem.

I also turned the router off for a few minutes and replaced the wire connecting my computer to the router, but again without success.

Your help would be most appreciated! Thank you.

Yaacov

 

There should be a prize for the weirdest problem of the year. This would have to be right up there!

What happens if you just use the laptop keyboard?

Maybe you need to go back a step - it seems that when you copy whatever you want to paste, you are getting a Print Screen. Why that should happen when you have your computer connected to the router is beyond me though. Can you take your computer somewhere else and plug it into another router to see what happens?

I suppose it could be a driver problem - you might like to check them, but... :confused

I wondered if the keyboard and mouse shortcuts might be up the wattle, but why only when connected to the Internet? I suppose you've been asking yourself these same questions.

How old is the laptop? Maybe it's just suffering from old age.

Maybe the router connection is causing a short circuit in the works. What happens if you plug the wire into the laptop, but not into the router?

Did you say you replaced the wire with another wire, or did you just take it out and put it back again? Is that an Ethernet cable, or USB?

Does Print Screen work?

 

Hi,
Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

For a while the laptop keyboard was ok, but now it's giving the same problem. And I'm using an ethernet cable.

But I think we just have here a case of old age...

cordially,

Yaacov

 

OK. Thanks for the update.