Security Issue: Update your Flash Player v16.0.0.305
https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html

Is this just with Firefox? What about other programs?

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web Link} by holding down the <Shift (Mac Options) > key, and then starting Firefox. Is the problem still there?

Do you have multiple keyboard layouts installed?

It is possible that the keyboard layout has been switched by accident by using the key sequence to rotate the keyboard layout.

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258824 - How to change your keyboard layout

Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application and you may have changed the keyboard layout by accident via a keyboard shortcut.

• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/language

• Make sure that you have the Language bar visible on the Windows Taskbar
• You can do that via the right-click context menu of the Taskbar: Toolbars > Language Bar

• Check the keyboard language (keyboard layout) setting for the application that has focus via the icon on the Language bar
• You need to do that while Firefox has focus because Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application

I phoned the geek squad and their solution was to press 'shift' and tap 'control' voila so simple and it worked.

Ouch ! That really hurts  ;-)

Please flag your last post as Solved Problem so other will know.

Note that the default key combination to rotate the layout is the Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift combination that is used in Firefox for menu items, so it is possible to change the layout accidentally. To avoid an unintentional switch, assign a specific key sequence (Alt/Ctrl+Shift+number) to select keyboard layouts and remove the key combination to rotate layouts (Alt+Shift or Ctrl+Shift)

• Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Keyboards and Languages -> Change keyboards -> Advanced key settings -> Change key sequence