Help, please, laptop going crazy!

fastnsmooth

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[SIZE=2][B]Help, Please, laptop going crazy![/B] [/SIZE]

I tried this before with no response, so here goes again. This forum seems to have some real experts; I'm hoping someone can help.

Recently the keyboard and touchpad on my Presario 2140US (Athlon 1.4 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, XP Home Edition SP1) began producing random repeats of the letter m. It has progressed to the point that, as the computer boots to the Windows page requesting my password, an endless stream of m's prints spontaneously. Sometimes the delete key will stop the keying and remove the characters, sometimes it will not work. If I make it to the desktop, icons begin spontaneously highlighting in very rapid sequence, without any input from me; sometimes (not always) accompanied by a rapid "bonging" sound. Clicking the touchpad left key sometimes stops it, and sometimes has no effect. I am very certain that nothing has ever spilled on the keyboard. I tried an external keyboard and mouse, fine for about 2 hours, then all of the same problems began again. The laptop is out of warranty. HP's online tech support said replace the keyboard, but I am concerned that that won't solve the problem, after the way it reappeared with the external keyboard and mouse. This unit has never been connected online, so I've ruled out a virus. I searched old threads here, found a few questions about repeating keys, but those seemed to be solved with new keyboards or cleaning stuck keys. One question occurs to me: is it possible for a short or a defective key in the integral keyboard to override the external keyboard/mouse?

I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to be sure to explain the problem completely. And yes, I've tried rebooting: no effect. Any assistance will be appreciated greatly.
 
by rebooting, do you mean that you have done a system restore?
that would be an option to take first if you ask me.
if you have a recovery disc you might want to try that as well.
woz
 
I meant I shut everything down and started it up again. I'll try system restore. Thanks for the advice!
 
Hmmm, Nothing to do with the software so its got to be something wrong with the computer. Have you tried removing the keyboard with help from the manual.
 
Hah, is the "m" key stuck on your keyboard? You can actually take off keys of keyboards, and you can put a little vinegar on a paper towel and wipe it around where the key fits in and that may help. The sensor for the keys may be going bad as well; in that case, you'll have to get it repaired. I've had this problem with a desktop keyboard and I noticed that the key was sticking, so I just cleaned it out and everything was fine and dandy.
 
I restored the system to a point well before this problem began. Seemed OK for about 30 minutes, then the same problem began again. I mentioned that I've tried connecting external keyboard and mouse--same problem. Right now the desktop looks like an electronic pinball or slot machine, with icons highlighting in lightning fast sequence.
 
Even if you connect an external keyboard, yours is still active. The keyboard may have a stuck key. If not, it is defective
 
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