When I hit the tab key, rather than doing a next-field, i.e.: "Subject" line to
message area on a mail message, next input field on a web site, or indentation,
as in Word or a text editor, it switches tasks, from Word to the browser to the
mail program. What you'd expect from ALT-TAB.
If I reboot this goes away for a while, often a long while, then returns.
Sometimes it just goes away on it's own. Perhaps I've done something to both
activate and de-activate this, but I'm not at all clear on what that might be.
It usually starts after bringing the system out of the monitor being off due to
my power savings options, but not every time.
No new hardware, no new software (that I'm aware of anyway), virus scan finds
nothing, Ad-Aware and Spybot find nothing.
Ideas? Especially on some key-combination I may be hitting to do, and undo,
this?
- Bill
Mike M - 28 Aug 2006 08:31 GMT
Check that your Alt key isn't stuck. Sticky keys are usually the reason
for such odd keyboard behaviour.

Signature
Mike Maltby
MS-MVP Windows
mike.maltby@gmail.com
> When I hit the tab key, rather than doing a next-field, i.e.:
> "Subject" line to message area on a mail message, next input field on
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> - Bill
William J. Leary Jr. - 29 Aug 2006 12:47 GMT
> Check that your Alt key isn't stuck. Sticky keys are usually
> the reason for such odd keyboard behaviour.
I thought the same thing. Neither was actually stuck down at the time, and
they way they're constructed the key can't be up with the contacts closed. But
now that you mention it, one of the times it stopped on it's own I think I hit
tab, pressed ALT getting ready to ALT-F1 and noticed it had switched tasks. I
clicked to bring back the correct window, hit TAB again and it worked
correctly.
I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks.
- Bill