Arch Linux

Anakin4747

Member

Registered: 2023-11-01

Posts: 2

[SOLVED] Keyboard inputs Delete when pressing Backspace

I installed Arch because I love doing things the hard command line way but I have been struggling with some keyboard issues.

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon

Symptoms
- Any time I press Backspace my keyboard also thinks I pressed Delete so it does both (incredibly annoying in vim)
- Sometimes when I am working in the terminal (I have "set -o vi" shell option on) and when its in insert mode its will repetitively delete every character to the right of my cursor (Delete) until there is nothing left to delete - this is not limited to the terminal
- Sometimes when I am in the terminal and in insert mode it will constantly print some ascii escape code "^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~"  this will keep printing until I reboot the computer and sometimes requires multiple reboots to remedy.
- Sometimes when I turn on my computer it thinks the Enter key is constantly being pressed so it goes straight into a BIOS screen and needs 1-3 reboots before I can actually log in.
- Sometimes it will not respond to the Enter key being pressed and needs 1-2 reboots before working

I previously had Windows 10 on this laptop before I decided to replace it with Arch and I ran into other issues which weren't the same but feel similar - like it would constantly open the notification menu while I would type requiring me to have to re-click into where I was typing to continue. This would happen every 30 seconds until I would give up in frustration.

I strongly believe this is an issue related to a faulty keyboard as issues with constant inputs were present on Arch and Windows but I wanted a second opinion before I opened the can of worms of replacing my laptops keyboard. This newer thinkpad seems like a big hassle to replace a keyboard because it cant be lifted out from the top and needs to be pulled out the bottom.

I am hoping someone with more experience could help me confidently say this is a hardware issue instead of a software issue.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Last edited by Anakin4747 (2023-11-04 01:44:34)

Khere

Member

From: Italy

Registered: 2020-03-04

Posts: 170

Re: [SOLVED] Keyboard inputs Delete when pressing Backspace

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Linux_ … figuration

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jl2

Member

From: 47° 18' N 8° 34' E

Registered: 2022-06-01

Posts: 1,248

Re: [SOLVED] Keyboard inputs Delete when pressing Backspace

This looks like broken hardware, especially if it starts before even entering the OS (enter pressed => BIOS)
Or the backspace key triggering the neighboring delete key.
"^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~^[[3~" => does any key on your keyboard produce this keycode? (tip: use dash to check it)
Hope you still got warranty.

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Why I run Arch? To "BTW I run Arch" the guy one grade younger.
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V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,104

Re: [SOLVED] Keyboard inputs Delete when pressing Backspace

The only software component that's not hardware that might fix this is a UEFI/BIOS firmware update, but I'd also strongly assume a hardware fault.

Anakin4747

Member

Registered: 2023-11-01

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Keyboard inputs Delete when pressing Backspace

Hey guys thank you for your help Im certain now it is my keyboard.

I plugged in an external keyboard and have used it for a day with no signs of symptoms, I wish I remember I had the keyboard sooner

Thank you all for your expertise, I marked it as solved