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

Hi and Welcome to my page

Build a Six-Figure Lawn Care Business in Your Spare Time. Stop trading time for money. Get one short, actionable tip delivered to your inbox every morning to help you work smarter and scale faster. Privacy Note: Join 5,000+ pros. 100% privacy, zero spam.

Read more from Hi and Welcome to my page

Here's something I see constantly. A lawn care operator spends good money on a trailer, equipment, and maybe even a website. Then they spend about 20 minutes setting up their Google Business Profile—click a few boxes, upload one photo from two years ago, and call it done. That profile sits there, untouched, while a competitor with scruffier gear and a fresher profile keeps pulling in the calls. It's not always fair, but it is real. The thing most operators miss Your Google Business Profile...

Hey Reader I found something interesting...I don't normally share stuff until I know it works. But I've been quietly testing some SEO blogging software over the past few months, and I think it's worth keeping you in the loop, even at this early stage. The idea is simple. It writes high-quality SEO posts for local business websites automatically. Run it long enough and you start ranking for a ton of local keywords without doing much at all. I've had it running on my main lawnmowing101 website...

Hey Reader If your week is packed but your bank account still looks thin at the end of it, that's not a working-harder problem. That's a running-the-business problem. I see it all the time. Great mowers. Clean edges. Happy customers. But the cash just doesn't add up the way it should. Usually it comes down to a few things: — Pricing that covers the job but not the drive time, the admin, or the equipment wearing out — A route spread across too many suburbs eating fuel and hours between stops —...