Keyboard opening random apps

[Selestial]

I was playing a game when I alt+tabbed out of the full screen window to turn on Win+G to see why the game was lagging like a mf. When I alt+tabbed back in and hit W to walk forward, the game minimized, and the Windows 11 left side bar came up. I tried a couple of times, and it did that each time. Then, I started pressing random keys on the board and like 1 would open Edge, 2 would open Firefox, f would open feedback hub. What the (#$%@ was going on? restarting stopped this from happening, but it's happened before at random. My drivers are fine, sticky and filter keys are off and nothing else seems to be wrong. 

[Kilrah]

Windows key + numbers will open/bring to front the apps that are pinned/opened on the taskbar in the respective position. So likely Windows key seen as pressed.

[porina]

28 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

Windows key + numbers will open/bring to front the apps that are pinned/opened on the taskbar in the respective position. So likely Windows key seen as pressed.

Had this in the past and it confused me up to that point. Then I discovered "gaming" keyboards that let you disable the Windows key. Problem solved. A low tech solution otherwise is to physically remove the keycap for the Windows key. Obviously only works on certain types of keyboard.

[porina]

50 minutes ago, Meowth LVL255 said:

restarting stopped this from happening, but it's happened before at random.

Reading this again, this may be something else I've not seen in a while. I had also seen in the past where some keypresses for whatever reason don't get un-registered after being pressed. So it is like you're holding down a button even if you're not. Pressing that key again usually resolves it. So in this instance pressing the Windows key twice (as one brings up the start menu. the 2nd gets rid of it) might resolve that. I never worked out why it happened in the first place.

[Selestial]

6 hours ago, porina said:

Reading this again, this may be something else I've not seen in a while. I had also seen in the past where some keypresses for whatever reason don't get un-registered after being pressed. So it is like you're holding down a button even if you're not. Pressing that key again usually resolves it. So in this instance pressing the Windows key twice (as one brings up the start menu. the 2nd gets rid of it) might resolve that. I never worked out why it happened in the first place.

As with your theory of a button being held down, I have a post about a mouse I use doing that. When I'm in a shooter game, constantly, my left and right buttons will hold and enjoy my clips until I hit the buttons again. It drives me nuts and happens on both my desktop and laptop, both w11.

[porina]

1 hour ago, Meowth LVL255 said:

As with your theory of a button being held down, I have a post about a mouse I use doing that.

Sounds like something is wrong with the system, but I don't know what to suggest to try and fix it. I never found the original cause when I had it. As a random guess I'd start by re-checking/updating any USB drivers. Presumably they'll be included as part of a chipset package these days and not separately as in the past. 

[Kilrah]

About the keyboard you might have Sticky Keys on. 

AFAIK that doesn't exist for mouse so it might be some utility you have installed on both machines doing that.

[Selestial]

4 hours ago, porina said:

Sounds like something is wrong with the system, but I don't know what to suggest to try and fix it. I never found the original cause when I had it. As a random guess I'd start by re-checking/updating any USB drivers. Presumably they'll be included as part of a chipset package these days and not separately as in the past. 

I've done this so many times with no results. Everytime I have an issue and someone suggests update or drivers, it's usually got nothing to do with it. Thanks for trying to help though.

4 hours ago, Kilrah said:

About the keyboard you might have Sticky Keys on. 

AFAIK that doesn't exist for mouse so it might be some utility you have installed on both machines doing that.

I said in the post that sticky keys were off. I used to have Kensington works installed on my laptop but not my desktop. The problem in my last post about the mouse happens with both computers, but the keyboard thing only happened with desktop. The only thing I have for my keyboard is Corsair iCue for lighting effects.