[SOLVED] Keyboard not working right

[kgully]

I am running linux mint 8 "Helena" on my Dell Inspiron E1705 laptop. The keyboard works okay for the most part, except I can't do some things that require the "control" button (So no copy-paste, no find, no select all, etc...). However, I have some compiz settings that use the control key and those work fine, which leads me to believe it isn't just the keyboard layout. I am pretty sure the keyboard shortcuts for copy, paste, find, etc are set to the standard stuff already. I have my keyboard set in the USA layout, with the model as Dell (It was originally Generic 105 key-Intl PC. There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two options though). How do I figure out what it is doing when I hit the control key, and how do I make it do what it should?

Thanks in advance!

[plumm]

Hi,

It appears the key scan codes for control keys are not the ones that the keyboard is showing. Traditionally the problem was Backspace and Delete keys. Try switching to "Generic 105-key Intl PC" type. You can remap the troublesome keys or just one key to use as the CTRL key. To get started check out http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Keyboard-and-Cons ... TO-11.html

Cheers,

pompom

[kgully]

Okay I have to admit I wasn't able to understand most of that. I was able to figure out that the control key has keycode 29, which seems to be right. Another thing I've noticed is that the keymap likes to switch to an Irish keyboard for some reason. I can switch it back to the default (us) keyboard with the keyboard gui, but it is also annoying. Not sure if that has something to do with the control key behavior?

[rich_roast]

Okay I have to admit I wasn't able to understand most of that. I was able to figure out that the control key has keycode 29, which seems to be right. Another thing I've noticed is that the keymap likes to switch to an Irish keyboard for some reason. I can switch it back to the default (us) keyboard with the keyboard gui, but it is also annoying. Not sure if that has something to do with the control key behavior?

On the off chance that the Irish layout (a bizarre but known bug) is the problem, it can be removed in keyboard preferences, and I think once you have the change is persistent. In the same tab ('Layouts', natch), there's a layout options button, where the ctrl key's position can be specified. Could maybe try fiddling with that. I'm shooting in the dark, though, lacking the knowledge of the previous poster .

[kgully]

On the off chance that the Irish layout (a bizarre but known bug) is the problem, it can be removed in keyboard preferences, and I think once you have the change is persistent. In the same tab ('Layouts', natch), there's a layout options button, where the ctrl key's position can be specified. Could maybe try fiddling with that

Yeah I've tried doing that already but it doesn't fix the problem.

[rich_roast]

The intriguing part is that ctrl works for compiz functions but not for other things.

On a whim I picked a compiz key binding and set it just to ctrl, and presto, no more ctrl+whatever functions. Check for that? ctrl+whatever in compiz seems to be fine, but just ctrl on its own breaks ctrl+a and so on in applications. The really bizarre part is that ctrl on its own will not work for whatever compiz binding it's assigned, either. Anyway, perhaps it's that?

[kgully]

Rich_roast, that worked. I had "show mouse" set to control. I disabled that function and now ctrl-s, ctrl-c, and all of that good stuff works again. Thanks!