Keyboard Woes...

LEDAdd1ct

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
3,557
Location
Hudson Valley
I have a real doozy of a keyboard problem on one of my computers (though my SCC-P4 Fenix L2P and WE Guider sure light-up the case!)

Here's the deal:

My PS/2 keyboard won't work under Windows, and I have no idea why. It isn't a huge deal, as a PS/2 to USB adapter makes it work, but you know that feeling when something challenges you and you REALLY wanna fix it? ;)

The reason I know that it is a Windows issue is because the keyboard, plugged into the PS/2 port, works fine in the BIOS, in pure DOS (boot disk), and in Linux (livecd). But in anything Microsoft, the keyboard does not work! I have tried BartPE (a live Windows CD) to isolate the issue, and it is still there. A fresh Windows XP install, and it is still there. So it is definitely something not playing right in Windows.

There is a yellow exclamation point next to the PS/2 Mouse in Device Manager (which does not exist, because I am using a USB mouse). I tried uninstalling both the mouse and the keyboard to no avail.

So, to summarize:

1) It is something in Windows
2) A fresh install of XP does not fix it
3) A live CD of XP does not fix it
4) Pure DOS, the BIOS, and Linux all work fine
5) I am near certain there is a way to fix this, buried somewhere in a device driver or the registry


If anyone has any ideas of what intimate Windows tweak this could be, I would love to hear it.

????????

LEDAdd1ct
 
That's a good idea! I will try that.
:)

I finally found a possible fix last night. I disabled the mysterious ghost PS/2 port, which I felt sort of silly for not having disabled prior to posting. But you're right- it could definitely require newer chipset drivers.

LEDAdd1ct
 
Top