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I am trying to figure out if there is some built in way to disable the built in hotkeys in windows 7 enterprise? For instance, when I hit F1 it pops up the help window in windows, or a new tab in firefox with firefox help, f3 opens search window etc. I use these keys for many other things, this is really a problem for me.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
IT' actually really simple if You have vista or windows 7. Just in start search bar write "mobility" and look in search results for " Windows mobility center". A window will open. find Fuction key in that and select "Function Key" instead of "multimedia"(or any thing else) and that's it.
THIS LOCKED MY F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 AND SO ON KEYS. I GOT THIS FROM ANOTHER WEBSITE FROM SOMEONE ELSE THIS SHOULD HELP YOU NIGTHER SMITTER
There may be no software running, but the keyboard can be (and obviously is, in your case) hard-programmed to send different commands. Windows has no idea about those "Function" or "Fn" alternate keys (example, those keys can't dismiss the screen saver). If your keyboard is built to prevent the use of the F1-F12 keys, it's not Windows' fault.
Some manufacturers include a FnLock ability so you don't have to use the other Function key every time, others don't.
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I contacted the manufacturer of my computer (an HP Pavilion laptop) and I found out that the f-keys are behaving this way because this is a function of the windows 7 OS. This is not because there is a special app from HP installed on my computer that gives keys functions (it is automatic for me to uninstall all of the ____ HP puts on the computer when I get it and has been)
I would imagine that there are registry keys that need to be changed in order to disable these functions of the f-keys. I wish I knew what registry keys would need changing. As a side note, I am able to hit a "FUNCTION" key on the lower left hand corner of the laptop keyboard and then hit the f-keys to get regular f-key behavior - but this is too difficult for me when I am in a raid and pressing so many keys already.
I have not checked the BIOS - and I suppose this is something that I should do next - perhaps there is something in there that will allow me to change the behavior of this "function" key or reverse its role as mentioned on other posts in this forum.
Dyscordia, are you on a laptop? I'm guessing so. The laptop firmware can override the Function keys. Some laptop makers require you to press an Fn key in conjunction with the F-keys to truely activate the F-function you want to trigger. Sometimes this is customizable, sometimes it is not. In any case, Windows 7 is not causing the issue. You could wipe and put Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, or 7 on the computer: all would behave exactly the same. There was no change to the F-key handling in Windows 7.
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I have no hot key program running, I use windows 7 and everytime I hit F2 it turns off my Wifi.... it is incredibly annoying and I cant figure out how to turn it off, nothing said in this thread has helped, and it would be nice to get the stupid "f" keys to not have some built in function.. I cant even use Alt+F4 anymore to close a program, it just brings up the brightness control..
Anyone have a suggestion or an idea that will actually work?
And before someone says the same thing that has been said over and over in this thread, no the "F" keys in windows 7 are not program responsive, they have a built in function, and when you press it, it will do what that specific function.. F1 now changes my display type, instead of bringing up a help page, regardless what program I have running.. So please don't tell us that they don't do that, when they most certainly do.
