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Computer question.......

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Margaret

Margaret Report 16 Oct 2009 19:05

I have reay recently bought an Acer laptop and unfortunately I am not getting on very well with it. The main problem is that I am a trained typist (trained way back in the late 1950's) and we were trained to keep our wrists high and touch type. As you all probably know, the keyboard on a normal pc is about an inch back from the surround of the keyboard but on a laptop it is about 3 " back. As a consequence the keys are too far away for me to reach unless I adopt the current way of resting the wrists on the front of the laptop and just using the fingers. I just cannot do it plus the fact that the keys on the laptop are really close together an have no indentation on the top which I am finding peculiar. After all this waffle, my question is - is it possible to plug a standard keyboard into the laptop and use this instead of the built -in one ? I haven't a clue. Thanks.

Huia

Huia Report 16 Oct 2009 19:12

Sorry I cant answer your question Margaret, but I know exactly what you mean as I learnt touch typing from 1949-1952. When I first went on a computer I found I was hitting 2 keys at once so took to one finger typing for a while but am now back to using them all, although I still sometimes hit 2 at once. It is the same problem with electronic keyboards. I learnt on a 'proper' piano, but the electronic ones have smaller and closer together keys.
Huia.

Margaret

Margaret Report 16 Oct 2009 19:32

Thank you Diane, that is most helpful. I am just going to have a look now at the laptop because it has suddenly dawned on me - I use a 'mouse' which is obviously plugged in - would this mean I have already used the place where a keyboard would be plugged in ? I have heard of wireless keyboards - would one of these solve my problem if the 'mouse' I have plugged in has alreay used up the place where a keyboard would need to be plugged in? Sorry to sound so completely dim but I am a real techno-phobic. Sorry

Margaret

Margaret Report 16 Oct 2009 19:44

I've just looked at the mouse and it is a USB connection. If I use the laptop connected to the mains, the bit you plug in is a small rouned bit. Does that make sense ?

Margaret

Margaret Report 16 Oct 2009 19:58

Thank you Diane. I am now going to give the laptop a good inspection and if I have any doubts, may I please get back to you. Thank you so much.