Hey everyone! My girlfriend has been experiencing some really weird problems with her PC for weeks now. We're hoping someone here might have ideas or solutions we haven't thought of yet.
**First Issue: Ghost Inputs** - Out of nowhere, certain keys like Windows, Alt, Ctrl, and Shift start acting up. This can happen during gaming, typing, or even when the PC is just sitting idle. The craziest part is that it's like those modifier keys are stuck down, which makes everything impossible to use. Programs like Word or Teams open without her even touching them, and typing turns into a mess of hotkey actions. A reboot usually fixes it, but then it can pop up again after hours of use. We've tried different USB ports and keyboards, and it still occurs.
**Second Issue: Black Screens** - Recently, she's also been dealing with sporadic black screens where the GPU fans blast to 100%, and it feels like the GPU loses connection with the motherboard. This issue seemed to have vanished, but the ghost inputs are still rampant.
We've tried connecting monitors directly to the motherboard but couldn't get any signal. We sent the motherboard for service and they said there was "no fault found" but the ghost inputs returned anyway. Currently, we're really out of ideas! We've already done a clean Windows install, updated all drivers, and even replaced hardware like the mouse.
If anyone has any suggestions or has dealt with similar problems, I'd love to hear from you!
3 Answers
Have you tried reinstalling Windows again? Sometimes important system files can go missing or be corrupted, which could lead to crazy issues like what you're experiencing.
It sounds like it could be related to the keyboard itself. Have you checked if there was any liquid spilled on it? If you can, try using a completely different wired keyboard to see if the issue persists. Also, I'm curious why you're considering replacing the mouse—what's your thought process there?
This might sound basic, but have you considered malware? If the ghost inputs are caused by something malicious, a clean reinstall usually should help. But if that's been done and the issue persists, it could also be a driver issue. Maybe try using default Microsoft drivers temporarily. And you've rightly ruled out the motherboard since USB devices are working fine, but keep an eye on that GPU connection. A Linux live USB could be a good way to further diagnose the issue without all the usual drivers. Definitely worth a shot!
That makes sense! It’s a frustrating situation, and tracking down intermittent problems can be a pain. Keep us posted if you find anything new!
Yeah, we thought about malware early on, which is why we did the fresh install. So far, we haven't noticed anything suspicious in the processes. Trying Linux sounds smart, and we plan to do that next to see how it behaves. We’ve also tested different keyboards, including others that aren’t Hall effect ones, and they exhibited similar ghost inputs, which is making us lean away from it being the keyboard's fault.