Having a hardware solution to a problem doesn't mean you had a hardware problem. You might have had a software problem that could be solved with hardware.
Basic example: I had an issue with the controls in a game, where I kept accidentally pressing the Windows key which swapped me to a different view. I'd say having the OS swap programs is a software problem.
My solution was to remove that keycap so I'd stop pressing it. The "proper" solution was some esoteric key press combination that disabled the Windows key.