Question from Lauren: I have an older Dell desktop PC with Windows 10 on it (upgraded from Windows 7).
It has always worked well, but I’ve recently started having a bit of trouble with it.
Sometimes when I’m typing something the Start menu will pop up all on it’s own just like I clicked on the Start button or pressed the Windows key (neither of which is the case when this happens).
It doesn’t do this every time I type something, and when it does it’s just sort of random.
Is this something you can help me with?
This is extremely irritating because I’ll be typing away in a document only to have the characters I’m typing start going into the Start Menu search box instead of my document. I have to stop what I’m doing and close the Start menu before I can continue.
I thought this might be caused by a virus but I ran the scans you recommended here and everything came up clean.
Do you have any idea what could be causing this?
Rick’s answer: Lauren, since you have already (more or less) eliminated malware as the culprit my next guess would be it’s an issue with your keyboard.
I have a hunch that the Windows key on your keyboard has developed an issue that makes it sensitive to the slightest touch, causing it to activate (and open the Start menu) while you’re tapping other keys.
An easy way to test this is to plug in a different keyboard and see if the problem goes away. I’m fairly certain that it will.
You can pick up a replacement keyboard for as little as 10 bucks or so. I recommend getting one at Walmart so you can easily return it if a new keyboard doesn’t fix the problem.
Give that a try and see how it goes. If it turns out the keyboard isn’t the culprit after all (which would really surprise me) just let me know and I’ll tell you what to try next.
Recommendation: If you’re still using a wired USB keyboard this would be a perfect time to give a wireless keyboard a try. I believe you’ll love it.
I hope this helps, Lauren. Good luck!
Update from Lauren: I think you were right, Rick. I bought a new wireless keyboard last night and plugged it in. I’ve been using the computer all day and the Start Menu hasn’t popped up even once.
And you were right about switching to a wireless keyboard. It’s wonderful! Thanks so much for your help.