Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kimchi Cowboy]

My work PC (a *cough* unofficial Korean version of XP) has been doing something very strange lately. Every now and again, when I'm typing something (in Word, Explorer, whatever), the keyboard letters "scramble" for no apparent reason that I can find. For example, if I press X, I get a T. If I press S, I get a ". To fix it, I have to shut down whatever program I'm using and restart it (the program, not the computer) and everthing's fine again - for a while.

Any thoughts on what the heck is going on?

[JustJohn]

Hahah, one of my friends had a virus that did that once. It's pretty funny. I have no idea how it would happen otherwise, so try running avg/nod32 and see what you get.

[piratebryan]

had the same problem with a laptop. it turned out to be a hardware issue with the keyboard. i had a friend take apart the laptop, reseat the keyboard and everything. nothing helped. slowly got worse until i couldn't use the laptop keyboard. had to lug around an external keyboard to do anything.

[idonojacs]

Well, if you haven't been doing the Microsoft updates, etc., it is almost certainly a virus.

The very first virus I ever saw, back in the days of DOS and floppy drive laptops, did something like that. Sometimes when I pressed a key nothing would happen, another time I would get double characters, sometimes an entirely different character. It was not the keyboard.

It wasn't until years later, and the invention of anti-virus software that I found the virus when scanning some floppy drives.

[Kimchi Cowboy]

hahah - Kind of tough to do the MS updates when MS won't recognize the OS as being "valid".

As I said, it's not my personal machine, it's the school's computer. To be honest, it's really more of an occasional nuisance than anything else. Anyway, I'll try some free anti-virus scanners and see if they catch anything.

[idonojacs]

Your school is running a bootleg copy of Windows? Korean Windows?

How cheapo!

Aren't they something like 40 Kwon?

Actually, there is an alternative route to installing Windows updates, I guess for computers not connected to the internet. But if it's not even your's, f-em.

Of course, you could try switching keyboards, making sure the plug is in tight. But I haven't seen this problem in ages.

.... Wait, actually I have.

It didn't last long. I cleared it up with the Windows malicious software removal tool. And you can download this separately. Just download, run, reboot.

Here, I'll even do your work for you:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

It says it issues a report afterwards. I could use a good laugh. How about sharing the report with the rest of us? The antivirus scan report should be interesting, too.

I talked to a Korean chick who told me she hated Windows. She said her copy had stopped working. She had never done a single update and didn't run an antivirus program, or anti-piracy program. Sorry, sweetheart, it isn't Windows' fault. No wonder there are so many viruses floating around here.

Say, why don't you ask your boss to at least get you an English bootleg copy of Windows?

[Demophobe]

[idonojacs]

Shoot, if your boss is a crook, let him do it.

Why not ask him to download you some movies, while he's at it.