disable (turn off) keboard keys - for disabled or handicapped

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How to disable (turn off) keys on your keyboard

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I am a disabled person with poor physical coordination, but thanks to remapping my keyboard keys with "SharpKeys" (freeware that turns certain keys off) I don't keep hitting stray keys by mistake -- my abilities are vastly improved.

Keys that are commonly considered trouble makers by some people are:

1. the "Insert" key - which enables the " overwrite" mode

2. the "caps lock" key - which when left on cAUSES tHIS.

3. the "Windows" key - which if hit accidentally causes a number of unexpected things to happen

4. the "num Lock" Key - which turns the number pad on and off

NOTE: Be careful not to disable a key that is needed to operate the computer.

There is more than one way to change the behavior of certain keys on your keyboard, or turn them off altogether.

The basic way is to manually alter the "registry" -- better left to computer technicians in my opinion.
A simpler, more effective method (and hopefully safer) is to use software made for that purpose.

There are shareware applications that go beyond turning off keys and changing which key performs what operation - such as changing keys differently depending on what application is being used, or which user is currently operating the computer. To find such software applications search the Internet with the following words: disable, any, keyboard, key, windows, software [it may simplify the search to add the name of your operating system, i.e. vista, windows 7, etc].

I use a freeware application called "SharpKeys" which can eigther change the behavior of any key on a standard keyboard, or render any key inoperative.

If you would like to download "SharpKeys" and use it for free. Follow the instructions below. Don't forget it only works on certain versions of Windows operating systems.

SharpKeys: http://www.randyrants.com/2008/12/sharpkeys_30.html

SharpKeys is a Registry hack that is used to make certain keys on a keyboard act like other keys. For example, if you accidentally hit Caps Lock often, you could use this utility to map Caps Lock to a Shift key or even turn it off completely. This official release includes support for up to 104 mappings, an extensive list of available keys, and a "Type Key" option to help when managing mappings. As it relies on internal support within Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you must be running one of these OS's for this Registry hack to work. With the move to version 3, I've decided to release the source code to the public via Codeplex, so that the developer community can actively enhance and support SharpKeys - if I decide to work on future versions, it will be along side anyone else that has dipped into the source code. My hope is that the list of available keys will grow to include more international options and that other random asked-for features get added as people require them. I will continue to host a copy of 3.0, as that's the most current copy, but I'm going to ask that all support requests go through Codeplex - this will allow other people to help with new features, going forward. The source code can be found at http://www.codeplex.com/sharpkeys - enjoy! Download SharpKeys 3.0: MSI \| ZIP Read: SharpKeys FAQ [updated!] Screenshots: 1 \| 2 \|3
Which keys did I disable or change using "SharpKeys" ? I disabled the left "Windows" key ; the left "control" key; the left "Alt" key; the "accent" (tilde) key; and the keys I hated the most, both the "Insert" keys -- no more typing over what I already typed. Then I changed the num pad's "enter" key to activate the left "Windows" key (my keyboard only had one "Windows" key). Thanks to remapping keys with SharpKeys I don't keep hitting stray keys by mistake -- my abilities are vastly improved. download at: http://www.randyrants.com/2008/12/sharpkeys_30.html