Stuck keys

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It has been reported that some XOs experience sticky or broken keys.

Apparently, the left ALT key is usually affected. As a (temporary?) workaround, the left ALT key can be disabled with the following commands (to be executed from the Terminal activity):

xmodmap -e "keycode 64 ="
xmodmap -e "keycode 133 = Alt_L"

In order to apply these settings on startup, the respective commands can be added to .xsession.

  • if /home/olpc/.xsession does not exist:
    • in the Terminal activity, execute the following command: cp /home/olpc/.xsession-example /home/olpc/.xsession
  • open .xsession with the following command: nano -w /home/olpc/.xsession
  • at the end, add the following lines
# disable broken Left ALT key
xmodmap -e "keycode 64 ="
# replace Left ALT with Left Hand key
xmodmap -e "keycode 133 = Alt_L"
  • save the file by hitting CTRL+X, then enter "y" to confirm

Key Codes

Other keys - such as left control key (LCTRL) - have been reported to be broken as well. Here is a list of commonly required key codes:

  • LCTRL: 37
  • LALT: 64
  • ALT GR: 108
  • 133: LGRAB
  • 134: RGRAB

See Also