thanks for the response, however i think you misunderstood me.

on your keyboard there are 2 shift keys, 2 ctrl keys, 2 alt keys, one on the left side of the keyboard and one on the right side. also an enter key on the keyboard and an enter key on the 10-key. im not worried about whether or not any of the above keys are held down while entering a character, i just need to differentiate between the two, however the left shift key and the right shift key have the same keycodes, as do the left alt/right alt, left ctrl/right ctrl and enter/num enter. although they have the same value/function they are not the same keys, and i need to be able to tell exactly which one was pressed, the left one or the right one.

i have seen this done in c++ programs, but im starting to think its not possible in vb.

[This message has been edited by Howard Stern (edited 11-03-1999).]