YAY more computer-related problems 8D

[Sqthreer!]

I was drunk one night several months ago and ordered this keyboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109031

Apparently I retain my taste in electronics when I'm under the influence, because it has been an awesome keyboard and mouse. I love all the extra buttons and the intuitive ergonomic shape.

My problem now is that it's skipping keys very often, and it's unbelievably aggravating. My WPM has gone down because my mind is dedicating more focus to whether or not my words are complete, and it sucks a lot. It started doing this a month or so ago, and I don't think there was any particular reason for it. It just started happening.

I haven't noticed any kind of pattern, like which keys are missed more than others. It seems to be totally random. The keys register fine if I put extra pressure on them, but that's hard on my hands, and also slows my typing speed since my fingers need to just smoothly glide across the keyboard. I took all the keys off a couple weeks ago and cleaned the hell out of it, but it still does it. It's got brand new batteries. And with or without the drivers installed, it persists :[ I don't know what else to try, and I fear that it may just be dying.

Any ideas?

[Spectere]

It's an RF keyboard so the first thing I'd do is make sure that no additional sources for interference have been added.  Cordless phones are a biggie, and I'm sure cell phones, game controllers (ala Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, etc) would rank up there as well.  Changing the channel on the keyboard might help.  Since the behavior is inconsistent this is most likely the cause.

If everything else checks out, the RF transmitter or receiver might be screwy.  I'd look to see if there's some sort of manufacturer's warranty available.  A lot of keyboards and mice from good brands (i.e. Microsoft, Logitech, Kensington, etc) have warranties on them, whether they be 90-day or a year.

[Sqthreer!]

Well other than a cell phone, I don't have any other sources of potential interference nearby. But I've had my cell phone near the keyboard since I got it :/

What about the wireless internet?

How might I go about changing the channel for the keyboard? There doesn't seem to be any sort of channel changing thing anywhere.

P.S. I just plugged in a different keyboard, so I have them both running, and I'm typing these sentences using both at once. It seems like it should be difficult but it's really no different at all. It looks really cool, too.

[Spectere]

Wi-fi might interfere...not sure.  It's kind of tricky, really, just about anything has the potential to interfere.

Here's a link that might have some helpful info: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/838398/en-us.  It makes a mention of changing the channel (looks like that's done in software) but I dunno; I don't know how Microsoft handles that on their RF stuff.

[Sqthreer!]

I think one of those suggestions actually might have worked. I switched the receiver to a different USB port and the keyboard seems to be doing pretty well. The mouse, though is still kind of jittery. I remember when I first got this stuff, the mouse was perfectly smooth and awesome.

Thanks again for leading me in the right direction. I should have thought of changing the USB before because I remember it solved another problem a while back.

[Spectere]

Not a problem.  I wish there was more I could do to help but I don't have a lot of experience with RF wireless input stuffs.