Windows remote desktop keyboard mapping issue

Question

We use Windows Remote Desktop to access our business system where they launch our business app directly via RemoteApp -- in other words, they don't actually launch the desktop environment, only the application window(s).

For most users, this works without a problem, but I have one user who is having issues with her keyboard. When she presses the # key in the Remote Desktop application, it produces some strange keyboard combination that cycles through many of her open windows, sometimes closing them (seems random, honestly).

She is running Windows 7. The Remote Desktop Terminal Server (where the application is installed) is Windows 2008 R2.

This only happens in the Remote Desktop application, the # key works normally on her local system (e.g. in Notepad).

I've searched Google and on various StackExchange sites and cannot find an answer. I'm guessing it's some strange keyboard mapping error, but I honestly don't know what's causing this behavior.

Has anyone else seen this behavior and/or know how to resolve it?

Solution

I'm answering my own question in case it's helpful for others in the future.

Even though, in my case, the user was not using Windows-L to lock her keyboard, this solution solved the issue: Remote desktop pressing Windows key randomly

The problem, apparently, is that the CTRL key sometimes get stuck in on on state when using Remote Terminals, so the solution is to set focus to a local application and then press the CTRL key several times.

Comments

[Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007]

If it's only for one user, what if they try a different computer? What if a different user tries her computer? Have you looked over this question and its answers (seems like it may be related)? Remote desktop pressing Windows key randomly

[piertoni]

For me the key was Alt

[user3399000]

For me it was Window Key ❖