When the keyboard locks up, does ext. mouse still work? How about the touchpad? If you unplug the mouse, does it straighten up? Does it happen on battery or on AC or both? Can you factory-restore and try without plugging anything else into it? STRICTLY laptop key/pad setup. See if that still hangs. If so, update Vista fully and then try again the next day. If STILL same problem, I would be looking into a new laptop because there's something haunting that one... :laughing: .....seriously though... I can't think of any FACTORY setting conflicts that would just 'appear' out of nowhere to account for this problem. (except perhaps a 'sleep mode' or 'hibernate' attempting to activate?) IF a full restore doesn't straighten it out, bearing in mind you do NOT use/install ANY external devices (for testing purposes and for right now - printer included) I would lean towards something on the mb not right.
(Special Thanks to 78gremlin for his, as always, helpful input.)
DM