Lots of problems!

I have a the following config: Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz, 512 MB DDR RAM with Windows XP Pro and Service Pack 3 installed on it. Recently I have been facing a series of annoying problems:

1. Whenever I use SHIFT ‘some of the keys’, for e.g., say I use SHIFT ‘2’; so instead of getting ‘@’, I get ‘ “ ‘ and vice versa. And if I use SHIFT ’3’, I get ‘£’. And there are lots of other key combinations with the same problems. I checked the keyboard on another PC and it’s working fine.
   
2. The Windows Security Center icon never appears at startup. So I doubt if Firewall is protecting me whenever I access the net. Neither does it update itself even if automatic updates are turned on. I have set it to update everyday at 11 am as I use the net at that time.
   
3. I have a D-Link ADSL 2 Router. Just recently I learned from a friend that my broadband connection (256 kbps) is not giving me the required speed. It mostly stays at 25-30 kbps whereas I found at my friend’s place that he gets a minimum speed of 80kbps. I checked my modem at my friend’s home and it is working fine. The telephone exchange told me that my telephone line is okay.
   
4. I have Avast 4.8 (registered Home Edition) and Spybot Search and Destroy installed and update it regularly. They show no errors or viruses on scanning even at ‘thorough scan’. But after I bought the Kaspersky antivirus, it has started showing a lot of errors.
   

Why? Aren’t free home editions reliable? My broadband provider says your net might be slow because I am using a free edition and so my computer is infected with virus. 

I am not thinking of using dual antivirus as I don’t think my PC could handle it.

DIGIT ANSWERS: If you are sure the keyboard works fine on other PCs, then the problem lies with the connector on your PC. Try cleaning it and make sure it isn’t damaged. It could be something much sillier that could be wrong. Click on Regional and Language Options in the Control Panel. Click on the Languages tab and then on Details. Make sure the keyboard layout is correct. Make sure Sticky keys and other accessibility options are turned off from the Control Panel as well.

If your Windows Security option isn’t visible on the system tray, then you might have disabled in the past. Other anti-spyware, antivirus and firewalls can disable the Windows firewall during installation as well. To enable it again, go to the Security Center from the Control Panel. Click on Change the way Security Center alerts me. Here you can choose to have the system tray icon displayed. To verify if the update downloading is enabled, click on Automatic updates and Windows Firewall in the Control Panel.

Your 256 kbps connection should give you around 30 kilobytes per second. If your friend gets 80 kilobytes per second on his 256 kbps connection, then his connection isn’t working properly by giving him a higher speed.

The efficiency of an antivirus application depends on its engine and how often virus updates are released online. There are way too many virus and worms on the Internet and many released every single day.