Hey guys, I have a problem on my keyboard when playing worms. When pressing the up arrow key and right, my keyboard reads both inputs. However, when pressing up and left, my keyboard does not read both inputs, and it makes that beeping noise- the noise which is activated by pressing too many keys at once.

Does anyone know how to fix it? It gets annoying when trying to navigate a parachute (t17 or w/e)

Since it is the fault of your hardware, there is no patch or something.
Only thing you can do is to buy a new keyboard. I suggest you try to rope on it before you buy it.

Hold on. You get a beep when you press too many keys at once? If so, it's not your hardware's fault, as the software is reading enough keys to be able to beep. This is really strange, though. Are you sure you get a beep? Oh, and what kind of beep? Is it a PC speaker beep, a Windows beep, or a WA beep?

I've found a keyboard-testing program (http://www.passmark.com/products/keytest.htm) which works nicely for me. It will show you if you have problems with your hardware by showing what keys are being registered as you hold them down. With this program, try holding up, left, and space and see if they're all being registered.

Very nice program lex.

Hold on. You get a beep when you press too many keys at once? If so, it's not your hardware's fault, as the software is reading enough keys to be able to beep. This is really strange, though. Are you sure you get a beep? Oh, and what kind of beep? Is it a PC speaker beep, a Windows beep, or a WA beep?

I've found a keyboard-testing program (http://www.passmark.com/products/keytest.htm) which works nicely for me. It will show you if you have problems with your hardware by showing what keys are being registered as you hold them down. With this program, try holding up, left, and space and see if they're all being registered.

Yup, just as I suspected. up right and space all register. However, up left and space do not work together.

Any tips?

An imperfect solution would be for you to remap another key, say Alt, to act as the spacebar. Or make the 4, 5, 6 and 8 keys on the numeric pad act as the arrow keys.

Obviously the best way out is to find yourself another keyboard. Just make sure you try it out before you pay for it.

Lex: I'm pretty sure that's the PC speaker beeping, had that with keyboards before. Couldn't that still mean it's the keyboard's fault, though?

If you are buying a new keyboard, get an USB one. AFAIK no USB keyboards suffer from this too-many-keys-at-once problem, as it is a PS/2 / AT limitation...

That's not entirely true. I once bought a Saitek USB keyboard, and it does have such a key-lock (which is the reason why it's now catching dust somewhere in a dark corner).

If you are buying a new keyboard, get an USB one. AFAIK no USB keyboards suffer from this too-many-keys-at-once problem, as it is a PS/2 / AT limitation...

I'll keep this in mind, thanks.

If you are buying a new keyboard, get an USB one. AFAIK no USB keyboards suffer from this too-many-keys-at-once problem, as it is a PS/2 / AT limitation...

I think it's actually to do with the internal logic of the keyboard, and cheaper USB keyboards could suffer from the problem too.

I think it's actually to do with the internal logic of the keyboard, and cheaper USB keyboards could suffer from the problem too.

So how would you determine if a keyboard is good or not? Many stores wouldn't allow you to try it at home for one day and then refund it if you didn't like, and keep it if you did.

Many stores wouldn't allow you to try it at home for one day and then refund it if you didn't like, and keep it if you did.

The stores i buy my hardware from, do. Just tell them you go to another store if they do not agree.

If you are buying a new keyboard, get an USB one. AFAIK no USB keyboards suffer from this too-many-keys-at-once problem, as it is a PS/2 / AT limitation...My USB keyboard is awesome and doesn't have this particular lock, or most other 3-key locks (though, I found one just now (1, 4, and 6 on the numpad)), but it has many 4-key locks, many more 5-key locks, 6-key locks, 7-key locks, and I can't find a combination of 8 keys or more which works. USB keyboards aren't perfect, though I wish they were.

By the way, when my keyboard has a lock, there's no PC speaker beep. One or more of the keys just don't register. I wonder how the PC knows about the locks. The keyboard sends some sort of "I suck in this situation!" signal?

That's not entirely true. I once bought a Saitek USB keyboard, and it does have such a key-lock (which is the reason why it's now catching dust somewhere in a dark corner).

I had a Saitek Eclipse that did the same, so I contacted support, and they sent me another one for free. Now I have 2 identical Saitek Keyboards catching dust in a dark corner.

PS/2 and AT/ATX keyboards are controlled by a keyboard controller chip, located on the motherboard, while USB keyboards are handled by the USB interface. The PC speaker beep is performed at the hardware level.

PS/2 and AT/ATX keyboards are controlled by a keyboard controller chip, located on the motherboard, while USB keyboards are handled by the USB interface. The PC speaker beep is performed at the hardware level.

But as it was mentioned earlier, cheaper USB keyboards supposedly do the same thing. I'm guessing you really gotta try the thing before buying it.

But as it was mentioned earlier, cheaper USB keyboards supposedly do the same thing.

Do they also beep when you hold down more buttons than you can handle?

I'm pretty sure mine didn't beep, the button hits just wouldn't be registered (properly).

Exactly what I wanted to say. Karseet, I was answering Lex's question regarding what is causing the computer to beep when you hold down more keys than the keyboard/keyboard controller can handle.

On one of my computers, if I hold about, 10 keys the computer beeps through the now-little-used internal speaker. The only use for it now is for making tones if the *lock buttons ARE PRESSED (if it is enabled), and this, on some PCs only.

pushing AND holding several keys down causes a slow repetitive beeping from my pc speaker... im thinking of getting a USB kyboard due to a) ps2 limitations and b) the keys on the keyboard im looking at are recessed a bit so it will be quieter to use.

This definately a hardware problem (keyboard). When I press left+up+space on my Cherry keyboard, I get also a beep and there is no input.

My solution: I use a keyremapper which maps spacebar to left windows key and to left control key. The reason is that left+up+ctrl works aswell as left+up+windowskey on my keyboard. My keyremapper maps only my keys while W:A is running. I wrote this program by myself.

This definately a hardware problem (keyboard). When I press left+up+space on my Cherry keyboard, I get also a beep and there is no input.

My solution: I use a keyremapper which maps spacebar to left windows key and to left control key. The reason is that left+up+ctrl works aswell as left+up+windowskey on my keyboard. My keyremapper maps only my keys while W:A is running. I wrote this program by myself.
Yep, same for me with my €9.- PS/2 Labtec Internet Keyboard.
Left + Up + Space gives me a lock-up, the other three directions work fine.

My solution: I learned to rope without holding down the keys while flying. I call it "free handed" roping.

My solution: I learned to rope without holding down the keys while flying. I call it "free handed" roping.I used to do that. That's how I roped for about 2 years. You really should get a nice USB keyboard with no arrowkeys+space locks. You will feel and love the difference. Make sure it's a wired keyboard though. Wireless ones are terrible.

^^this Man Knows What He's Talking About^^

:)

I used to do that. That's how I roped for about 2 years. You really should get a nice USB keyboard with no arrowkeys+space locks. You will feel and love the difference. Make sure it's a wired keyboard though. Wireless ones are terrible.
I had a wired USB keyboard before, but it had several drawbacks:
1) USB keyboards don't have the low level interupt that a PS/2 keyoard has. Back when I was using Windows ME (yuck!) and Windows 2000 to some extent, BSoD were a daily hassle and not being able to press Ctrl-Alt-Del most of the time just added to the annoyance.

2) My Compaq USB keyboard did have extra buttons for controlling Winamp (via the RMX plugin) and extra buttons for starting applications. Unfortunately the Compaq drivers didn't like the override from the plugin, so I could only use one of those extra key sets.

3) After 5 years of continuous usage my once white keyboard got a nice nicotine-yellow color and once upon a spring I spilt some liquid over it and didn't bother to clean it up over the weekend. when I came back several days later, lots and lots of birch pollen got stuck everywhere. You could have got my fingerprints from that sticky grey-yellowish stuff.

So for my current keyboard the main requirements were:
1) PS/2
2) Extra buttons that will work
3) Black color

I just grabbed the cheapest I could find.
PS/2 is definitely obsolete these days and I actually didn't check before buying if the extra buttons would really work how I want it.

I think the left shift button is soon going to break anyway, so I might get a new USB keyboard. :)

Brilliant. A keyboard testing proggy. =)
I wouldn't need that though... all 15 of my space bars work just great. j/p
-Ryan