Backspace key produces empty square box character

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Problem

Pressing Backspace while editing text produces a square box character instead of backspacing.
Problems with PageUp/PageDown may also be noted.

Solution

As reported by a visitor to the PowerPoint newsgroup:

"We think we have the answer. It requires upgrading to Windows XP SP1 and then applying the 821432 hotfix patch (SP1 is pre-requisite before applying the hotfix). The hotfix updates the WIN32K.SYS driver."

See this for more info and directions for requesting the patch

Note: It's possible that later Windows service packs include the hotfix patch mentioned here.

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