Virus or Trojan or ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter J&P
  • Start date Start date
J

J&P

Yestday my PC just suddenly started printing line after line of dashes,
from top of screen, overwriting the existing text etc. This was not
peculiar to any particular program - it happened in MSworks, Internet
Explorer, Microsoft explorer etc.

It only deleted the contents of the screen and not any actual files.
Also, pressing the delete key, halted the process and I could then
delete dashes by using the backspacer key.

After 2 or 3 repeated occurences of this, it stopped as suddenly as it
had appeared.

I twice carried out a thorough Avast virus scan in safe and normal mode,
but each time it showed a clean system. ( Yesterday was the 13th, any
relevance?)

Advice appreciated.

Many thanks,

Joe Steele
 
Yestday my PC just suddenly started printing line after line of dashes,
from top of screen, overwriting the existing text etc. This was not
peculiar to any particular program - it happened in MSworks, Internet
Explorer, Microsoft explorer etc.

It only deleted the contents of the screen and not any actual files.
Also, pressing the delete key, halted the process and I could then
delete dashes by using the backspacer key.

After 2 or 3 repeated occurences of this, it stopped as suddenly as it
had appeared.

I twice carried out a thorough Avast virus scan in safe and normal mode,
but each time it showed a clean system. ( Yesterday was the 13th, any
relevance?)

Advice appreciated.

Many thanks,

Joe Steele
Click to expand...

Could it have been a stuck key on your keyboard? Just a guess.
 
Jackson said:
Could it have been a stuck key on your keyboard? Just a guess.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. If I hold any key down when, for instance, I have an
Internet Explorer screen showing, I don't get any repeated key strokes
or any other effect.

Thanks, anyway.

Joe Steele
 
'J&P' wrote, in part:
| Yestday my PC just suddenly started printing line after line of dashes,
| from top of screen, overwriting the existing text etc. This was not
| peculiar to any particular program - it happened in MSworks, Internet
| Explorer, Microsoft explorer etc.
|
| It only deleted the contents of the screen and not any actual files.
| Also, pressing the delete key, halted the process and I could then
| delete dashes by using the backspacer key.
..
..
_____

Faulty keyboard? An intermittently stuck "-" key would be the most likely
cause. It is particularly hard to diagnose an intermittent problem, but
short of replacing the keyboard on general principles, you could, the next
time the problem occurs, rapping the edge of the keyboard (or lifting the
edge and letting it drop four inches - that sort of thing) and checking the
effect.

I suggest this because it is the simplest way to account for what you have
presented in your post.

Phil Weldon

| Yestday my PC just suddenly started printing line after line of dashes,
| from top of screen, overwriting the existing text etc. This was not
| peculiar to any particular program - it happened in MSworks, Internet
| Explorer, Microsoft explorer etc.
|
| It only deleted the contents of the screen and not any actual files.
| Also, pressing the delete key, halted the process and I could then
| delete dashes by using the backspacer key.
|
| After 2 or 3 repeated occurences of this, it stopped as suddenly as it
| had appeared.
|
| I twice carried out a thorough Avast virus scan in safe and normal mode,
| but each time it showed a clean system. ( Yesterday was the 13th, any
| relevance?)
|
| Advice appreciated.
|
| Many thanks,
|
| Joe Steele
|
|
|
 
Yestday my PC just suddenly started printing line after line of dashes,
from top of screen, overwriting the existing text etc. This was not
peculiar to any particular program - it happened in MSworks, Internet
Explorer, Microsoft explorer etc.

It only deleted the contents of the screen and not any actual files.
Also, pressing the delete key, halted the process and I could then
delete dashes by using the backspacer key.

After 2 or 3 repeated occurences of this, it stopped as suddenly as it
had appeared.

I twice carried out a thorough Avast virus scan in safe and normal mode,
but each time it showed a clean system. ( Yesterday was the 13th, any
relevance?)

Advice appreciated.

Many thanks,

Joe Steele
Click to expand...

When this happens here, it means the cat is messing around with the
keyboard again. Which reminds me: something as simple as a bit of cat hair
or a bit of cellophane stuck under a key can cause this behavior. On some
keyboards it doesn't take much to make "contact" and the result will be
undesired output from the keyboard.

Shut down. Disconnect the keyboard. Shake it out - hard! If you have some
canned air on hand, blast it around the crevices being careful not to spray
too close (avoid condensation). As long as you're cleaning, wipe down the
keys, and if applicable - use something neutral such as a wooden or plastic
toothpick to dislodge extra nasty stuff.
 
Sharon F said:
When this happens here, it means the cat is messing around with the
keyboard again. Which reminds me: something as simple as a bit of cat
hair
or a bit of cellophane stuck under a key can cause this behavior. On
some
keyboards it doesn't take much to make "contact" and the result will
be
undesired output from the keyboard.

Shut down. Disconnect the keyboard. Shake it out - hard! If you have
some
canned air on hand, blast it around the crevices being careful not to
spray
too close (avoid condensation). As long as you're cleaning, wipe down
the
keys, and if applicable - use something neutral such as a wooden or
plastic
toothpick to dislodge extra nasty stuff.
Click to expand...

Had no further problems but have dissembled and thoroughly cleaned
keyboard.

I can simulate the problem in MSworks SS & WP, by holding the key down,
because the keystoke command is accepted without clicking on the screen.
But not in Windows Explorer or internet Explorer without clicking in the
typing area. Does that make sense?

As you, Sharon, and Jackson and Phil Weldon point out, it must be the
keyboard, and hopefully it was just a one-off occurrence, now.

Thanks for your replies. I can rest easy now.
 
As you, Sharon, and Jackson and Phil Weldon point out, it must be the
keyboard, and hopefully it was just a one-off occurrence, now.

Thanks for your replies. I can rest easy now.
Click to expand...

Stranger things have happened. Glad to hear all seems to be okay once
again.
 
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