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Okay, here's a question for the big giant heads who inhabit this realm.

I've recently converted a computer from NT4.0 to Win2k. After setting it up for the person who is to use it, and having it work fine for about three hours, it booted up yesterday morning and would not accept keyboard inputs. Obviously, this means that it can't even get beyond the ctrl-alt-delete logon screen. I tried three different keyboards, to no avail. Only in CMOS am I able to get the keyboard to work.

My first inclination is that the Windows keyboard driver has inexplicably become corrupted, and that a reinstall of the OS will solve the problem. Problem is, I can't even contemplate a reinstall if I can't use the keyboard.

Any helpful hints? Any snide remarks about relying on WinBlows software?

SCRawl wrote:Okay, here's a question for the big giant heads who inhabit this realm.

I've recently converted a computer from NT4.0 to Win2k. After setting it up for the person who is to use it, and having it work fine for about three hours, it booted up yesterday morning and would not accept keyboard inputs. Obviously, this means that it can't even get beyond the ctrl-alt-delete logon screen. I tried three different keyboards, to no avail. Only in CMOS am I able to get the keyboard to work.

My first inclination is that the Windows keyboard driver has inexplicably become corrupted, and that a reinstall of the OS will solve the problem. Problem is, I can't even contemplate a reinstall if I can't use the keyboard.

Any helpful hints? Any snide remarks about relying on WinBlows software?

If it works in CMOS then its the Windows fault, try a windows repair by inserting the disc and booting from the disc.

I did try using the Win2k disk to do a repair, but I can't use the keyboard to tell it to go ahead with the repair. The screen asks something like "Hit F3 to install Windows2000, hit R to repair a previous installation...", but it won't accept any of these keystrokes.

SCRawl wrote:I did try using the Win2k disk to do a repair, but I can't use the keyboard to tell it to go ahead with the repair. The screen asks something like "Hit F3 to install Windows2000, hit R to repair a previous installation...", but it won't accept any of these keystrokes.

Okey, if it picks up the keyboard in the BIOS, but not anywhere else, then the problem is the other place. Have you tried boot Knoppix to see if the keyboard works?

I know the keyboard works, because it will work on other computers. However, I suppose there may be a subtle hardware problem (on the motherboard) which is not apparent in CMOS but which is catastrophic in a higher level OS. I have to confess a lack of knowledge about motherboard architecture, so I can't rule it out. I'll try running Knoppix on Monday morning (when I'll see the computer next).

Stick your Windows CD in and let it boot off that. That boots from a selfcontained OS.

If the keyboard doesnt work in there, then its a hardware error otherwise something in windows is really screwed up.

Also make sure the keyboard is plugged in correctly.

This is, of course, the source of my confusion. That the keyboard will function in CMOS, but not in either the full Windows OS *or* the Windows CD screen, leaves a rather bizarre set of possibilities. Even if it is a hardware error, what is the nature of that error? Would a MB swap fix it?

I'll run the Knoppix CD tomorrow morning, and see what can be seen. If it's a hardware error, I expect that the keyboard will still fail to function. If it's a software thing, the keyboard should work, I may be able to fix it through Knoppix.

SCRawl wrote:Okay, here's a question for the big giant heads who inhabit this realm.

I've recently converted a computer from NT4.0 to Win2k. After setting it up for the person who is to use it, and having it work fine for about three hours, it booted up yesterday morning and would not accept keyboard inputs. Obviously, this means that it can't even get beyond the ctrl-alt-delete logon screen. I tried three different keyboards, to no avail. Only in CMOS am I able to get the keyboard to work.

My first inclination is that the Windows keyboard driver has inexplicably become corrupted, and that a reinstall of the OS will solve the problem. Problem is, I can't even contemplate a reinstall if I can't use the keyboard.

Any helpful hints? Any snide remarks about relying on WinBlows software?

Funny things could happen if you move to more recent version of Windows by upgrading it. I've never heard about this keyboard problem (and if Winblows has *compatibility* problem with such mundane devices like keyboard, well...), but if all else fails you probably want to try installing W2K from scratch (clean install, not writing it over the existing O/S).

Is this a USB keyboard you are using? If so, make sure that the USB keyboard support option in the BIOS is enabled. If that doesn't work, try using a PS/2 keyboard and seeing the effect. I think this will solve your problem since even booting off CD doesn't work if you are using a USB keyboard without USB keyboard support turned on in the BIOS on most systems.

It was a clean install -- I eliminated the old partitions, and created a new one (I think f-disk does a format as part of that procedure, but I really don't remember anymore). My home computer was a Win2k upgrade, and has been working without complaint for about three years, through numerous hardware upgrades. (It started out life as a P2-233 running Win95, and is now a P3-600 running Win2k, with the same MB and case as the only remaining original equipment.)

As for the computer which is the heart of this thread, it is indeed a PS2 keyboard. I thought about trying a USB keyboard, and if it's a hardware problem it would probably solve it, but I'd have to be actually running the OS for it to recognize and install it. Or so I figure.

Will the keyboard work when you boot from a DOS or Win9x disk?

If still no, then it really is the mobo I guess...

If yes, you can wipe the thing from there.

Well, I went to work today, and ran Knoppix on the computer with the keyboard problem. It ran well enough, and had keyboard support, but at the suggestion of someone else I tried to boot Win2k again. I did so, and when I did, poof, the keyboard worked again. I didn't know whether to hug the thing or throw it through a window.

I did try, many times, to reboot the machine, hoping that the keyboard would start working again, and I really don't know why it's working now. The only thing I can think of is that there was some sort of loose connection which was re-connected by moving it around. It means that I have a computer now which isn't terribly reliable, if that's the case.

Thanks for everyone's help. Next time I have such a problem, I'll just give the computer a couple of days' rest.