Keyboard not functioning in XP or Safe Mode

[ptruhe]

Trying to bring my mother's laptop back after a virus. It's appears
to be clean but the keyboard does not work in normal or safe mode.
Mouse control works and so does everything you can click.

The keyboard does work in the BIOS menu and it functions with a BART
PE boot so it doesn't appear to be hardware.

I have deleted the keyboard from device manager several times. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Bob Harris]

Is this a plain old-fashioned key board or something special?

Some keyboards might require drivers for XP, but that would be unusual.
Still, have you tried the keyboard maker's support website?

It is possible that one or more XP files were deleted/damaged and need to be
replaced. Finally, when you say "bring back to life", did you perform a
"repair" install of XP, or maybe a SFC /SCANNOW? (SFC = system file
checker, an option of XP to verify/refresh key system files.) For more
details on a "reapir", see these links:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341



http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm



http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,3998,a=23979,00.asp



http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Repair-Windows-XP-t138.html



Note that a "repair" is possible with a retail XP CD, and with a some, but
not all, pre-installed versions of XP (if they also gave you a CD).



Finally, if a Barts CD works, you might search that for keyboard driver
files and try copying them to a similar spot under the hard-drive version of
XP. Look for files like keyboard.drv, keyboard.sys in C:\windows\system32
or the equivalent on Bart's. You might also find these files under
C:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386, or in any direrctory called I386 somewhere
on the PC or on the XP CD.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

Trying to bring my mother's laptop back after a virus. It's appears
to be clean but the keyboard does not work in normal or safe mode.
Mouse control works and so does everything you can click.

The keyboard does work in the BIOS menu and it functions with a BART
PE boot so it doesn't appear to be hardware.

I have deleted the keyboard from device manager several times. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Paul

Try a different keyboard.

 

[Malke]

Try a different keyboard.

It's a laptop, guys. To the OP - try reinstalling the laptop mftr.'s
drivers. Or bite the bullet, back up her data, do a clean install.
That's probably the best solution at this point.

Malke