Keyboard Help

[Doomed Soul]

I just bought a DELL Inspiron 537 running (Vista 64). I also have an
emachine W5633 running (Vista32). I am sharing same KB, mouse, monitor
(via KVM switch)on both.

My problem is that the Dell will not respond to the emachine keyboard
KB-0705. It sees the keyboard as just a windows keyboard not specific
to e-machine so When I try to update the driver it just goes and gets
a driver that doesn't work. I have tried to search for the KB-0705
driver to try a manual install but can't find it.The closest I get is
KB-0817and it does support vista64. I would like to use the emachine
KB if possible because it has volume, mute, and sleep switches on it,

Even if I do find the driver I've never done a manual driver install.
I know what folder my drivers are located in, but I'm not sure if just
placing the file in the correct location actually installs the script.
Don't I have to use a command line to or something to manually install
it?

Hell, I don't even see a way to access DOS on vista.

I sure could use some guidence.

TIA,
DS

 

[Doomed Soul]

These days a typical KVM isn't just a pin-adapter with a
switch for two systems, it has it's own microcontroller
which emulates a keyboard so the system will see the KVM as
the keyboard and the KVM sees the emachine keyboard.  You
need no driver for the KVM so I have to ask anyway, why were
you trying to update the driver and did that work on the
prior systems?

If it worked, I have to suspect the driver is not Vista 64
capable, or it's buggy.  Either that, or you had installed
the driver while the keyboard was directly connected to the
other system(s) and so that is what you should try with the
new system.


Did you try installing the driver for KB-0817?  If it also
has these special function keys it's worth trying it if you
haven't yet.





How you'd install it depends on what format it comes in.
Some have an installer front-end, a package type thing that
self-extracts and runs an executable (file) that does all
the installation.

In other drivers they use the old style where you get
something like a zip file with all the individual drivers
inside and when windows wants a driver you point it to that
folder, or otherwise you go into device manager for
something it has already detected and assigned a generic
driver to, and update the driver by then browsing to the
folder with the driver files when prompted to do so.

Linking to the drives you have found thus far might help
someone tell you more about what you need to do.

In some cases when you run the executable, it creates a
temporary folder in (of all places) the windows temp folder
with the files extracted... I like to copy that folder
somewhere else before the installer exits as it usually then
deletes them... so I then have a copy of the driver that
doesn't depend on the installer doing checks or failing,
sometimes it also allows editing parts of the driver files
to make them work or work with other devices than
intended... pretty vague description I know but it's more a
matter of looking at what you have and how to get from that
point A, to point C where you want to be.

Another option is to figure out who makes that keyboard for
eMachines, the manufacturer may have a driver for Vista64 on
their website, or it might lead you to other OEMs that use
an equivalent keyboard and so a source for a Vista64 driver.