How a Stuck Key Saved My Laptop (and My Sanity)


It's funny how we take some things for granted, like the sun rising, grass growing, and our laptops working when needed.

But not always (just the laptop bit).

And it always happens when you're in a hurry. Sometimes the solution is right in front of you (more on that later).

My day was going well until my computer froze. Panic set in (it's strange how emotional I get). I went through my recovery steps.

No issues with the mouse batteries. My go-to fix, Alt-Ctrl-Delete, did nothing. Time for drastic measures.

I hate hitting the power button when the computer is running, but it usually works.

After a few minutes, I turned it back on. Same problem. Now I was in trouble.

Using keyboard shortcuts, I ran a virus scan—nothing. Time for a Windows reset. Not ideal because of all the data I'd lose.

I bit the bullet and did the reset. It failed. I contacted support, and they suggested a remote reset from another computer. I'd lose everything.

Things got worse. Every time I clicked, I got a line of sixes: 666666666666666666.

Looked like a virus. I was a goner.

I back up to Google Drive, but it's hard to find anything, and reinstalling everything would take days.

Then Donna, my wife, had a great idea: try another mouse.

That made me think. I have another keyboard on my desk, which is always connected to my laptop.

I checked and found the keyboard had fallen, pressing the number six key. That was the culprit.

I put the keyboard back, and my laptop worked perfectly again. I couldn't believe it.

But it doesn't end there.

I immediately bought software that backs up my computer 24/7. Now, if this ever happens again, I can restore my computer with the push of a button. I should have done this years ago; I'm much less stressed now.

You can get a free one-month trial here and don't forget to use this code for a discount BAM2024

One less thing to worry about.

Anyway, get out there mow lawns and have fun

Stuart

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