Why does my keyboard display the wrong characters on-screen?

Q I have a problem with my Dell laptop. When I press the G or H key, they show on screen as ‘G5’ and ‘H6’. I have looked this problem up on the web and have seen that others have had the same problem, but I cannot find a definitive solution. Can you help?
Sean Magarey

A Our first thought was that you may have a problem with the Number Lock function on your PC. However, a chat with Dell’s technical support department suggests that this could in fact be a hardware fault, caused either by a malfunctioning keyboard or motherboard.

If your laptop is still under its original guarantee or extended warranty, then you should contact Dell to arrange a repair.

If not, you might be protected by consumer law if the fault can be proven to be inherent.

If not then replacing the keyboard should be straightforward – compatible replacement parts can be bought for around £20 online – but if it’s the motherboard, you can forget attempting to do the job yourself.

To check, we suggest borrowing a separate USB keyboard from a friend and attaching this to your laptop. If you can type normally using this, there is a good chance that the laptop’s motherboard is fine. Consider buying a replacement keyboard and fitting it yourself.