Occasionally my keyboard locks (can't type anything). The only escape I have found is a Windows restart (mouse still works). Any ideas as to what causes it and how to unlock other than by restart?
Check for "Sticking/Stuck" key... Check for "Litter/Crumbs/Detritus" under or between keys... If wired keyboard : repeatedly unplug then replug USB or PS/2 jack = cleans contacts... If wireless : repeatedly unplug then replug USB or PS/2 Wireless Receiver jack = again, cleans contacts... ; Check/Replace batteries in keyboard...
Just to clarify, the keys work perfectly fine, but in these instances nothing shows up on the screen. I doubt if it is any of your possibilities. The first two are easily ruled out since restart doesn't clean the keyboard. Also (as I previously noted) the keys move perfectly fine, they just don't do anything. The computer is a notebook, so keyboard and computer are of one piece. The problem is rare (and fixed by restart) occurring only while typing. My guess is that I am hitting some key or combination of keys causing the keyboard to screen communication to fail.