Disabling the Caps Lock key on Windows 7

The caps lock key is a blessing and a curse built into the same button. More often than not, it finds itself active in situations it shouldn't be. If you're looking for a permanent solution to eliminating thiS KIND OF PROBLEM, follow these five steps:

Editors' note: This How To involves editing your computer's registry. The registry plays an important role in how your computer operates, and messing around haphazardly can lead to severe problems in the future. Tread carefully.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor from the Start Menu by typing "regedit" from the Run box.

Optional/Recommended Step: To reiterate the above warning, tampering with the registry can be dangerous. It is highly recommended that prior to making any changes you make a backup of your registry. This can be done inside the Registry Editor by clicking on File > Export.

Step 2: Navigate through the registry by expanding the trees in the pane on the left. This can be done by clicking on the small triangles next to each entry. Head to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout.

Take a look at the pane on the right. Chances are, the only entry will be (Default). If this is the case, you'll have to manually add the entry you need.

Step 3: Right click anywhere in the right pane and select New>Binary Key from the menu that appears. Name the entry "Scancode Map" and hit enter to create the new entry.

Step 4: Right click on the entry we just created and select "Modify Binary Data." A small window will appear. Type the following value into it:

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 3A 00 00 00 00 00

And hit "OK."

Step 5: Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

When it finishes loading, you should notice your Caps Lock key no longer functions! Should you wish to reverse this change, simply navigate back to the location above and right click on the key you created, select Delete, and restart your computer again.