Use the Launch Key EXE facility to "Clear" the latched key.
Overview: In this specific case, the Ctrl-Esc prevents the Esc key from being processed, which then prevents the Ctrl-Key latched down from being cleared. Using the "Launch Key Exe" option, and the SDSTRMTS.EXE utility (available when installing the Developer's Kit), you can send a [Ctrl-Up] keystroke, which clears the latch, resolving the side-effect.

Notes: The Developer's Kit MUST be installed to have access to the SDSTRMTS.EXE utility - refer to the Start Menu | Programs | My-T-Soft | Install Developer's Kit. Also refer to the Developer's Kit documentation, or SDSTRMTS source code in the DEVKIT folder for additional details. For reference, this utility tell the My-T-Soft software to read the SDSTRMTS.KMF (Keyboard Macro File) and process it. This is a simple (ANSI) text file that (for this example) contains the [Ctrl-Up] keystroke command (and nothing else, no whitespace/lines/etc.).

Configuring My-T-Soft

• In My-T-Soft Setup | Configuration | Key Options, select the Esc key, and the Ctrl+ key modifier in the drop down selections
• Select Disable Keystroke(s)
• Select Launch Key EXE
• Browse to SDSTRMTS.EXE (in default installation directory if Developer's Kit installed, or in the DEVKIT folder) or enter "C:\Program Files\MYTSOFT\SDSTRMTS.EXE")
• Click OK & exit My-T-Soft Setup

The above establishes the setting for My-T-Soft, but it is still incomplete. The SDSTRMTS.EXE triggers My-T-Soft to look for the file SDSTRMTS.KMF in the default configuration location. Beginning in 1.78, this is not the installation folder, so you either need to set the INI ConfigPath=0 (which is not recommended, and will require modifying permissions and other security issues, especially in Windows Vista), or you will need to place the SDSTRMTS.KMF in the user's configuration folder. The easiest way to ascertain the user's configuration folder is to select My-T-Soft Setup | File Menu | Show Config File Location.

Creating the macro file SDSTRMTS.KMF

• Identify the correct location at My-T-Soft Setup | File Menu | Show Config File Location
• Create SDSTRMTS.KMF - this is a text file containing the text "[Ctrl-Up]" (no quotes). This can be created in Notepad, e.g. enter text [Ctrl-Up], save as ANSI file to users' configuration folder. It can be created at a command prompt - change to user's configuration folder, type
  copy con SDSTRMTS.KMF[Enter]
  [Ctrl-Up]
  then type F6 or Ctrl-Z to end file and save. It can also be created in My-T-Soft Setup | Build-A-Macro - select an empty key, click on the Zoom button, select [Ctrl-Up] from the list, and click on the Save button - then browse to the user's configuration folder, and save as SDSTRMTS

Now test - Ctrl-Esc should no longer open the Start Menu, and if you use KeyWatch.exe (from the Developers Kit KEYBOARD folder), the result of Ctrl-Esc should be KEYDOWN 17, then KEYUP 17 (where the KEYDOWN gets generated at the latch of the Ctrl down key, nothing gets sent for the Esc key, and then KEYUP is the [Ctrl-Up] SDSTRMTS.KMF macro, which clears the Ctrl key latch).

Notes:

• Depending on product, release version, OS version, and specific technical issue, some tech items are very specific, and some may span to other products/versions
• Downloadable files can also be accessed by anonymous FTP at ftp://downloads.imgpresents.com
• Older files are moved into a separate archive location - see notes/details/new location in *.archived.txt text file

• Return to Technical Support

As seen in ...