"Barry Higginbottom" said in
HP supplied as USB keyboard so, yes, USB support is and always has
been used on this 'puter for the last 2 years. And I don't recall it
having any PS2 ports.
Okay, the dumbass question: Has the user checked that the keyboard is
fully seated into the connector? Have they removed it and plugged it
back in? Do this when the power is off, not to protect the keyboard but
to be sure that the keyboard gets the reset signal during the POST
sequence to initialize the keyboard to a known state after you have
ensured it is fully seated in the connector.
This isn't a cordless keyboard, is it? If so, has the user tried
putting in new batteries? Is there an unobstructed path between the
cordless keyboard and its receiver? While RF is used (so line-of-sight
for infrared isn't needed), make sure the signal isn't blocked by the
receiver being on the other side of the monitor or blocked by the metal
system case. Has the user pressed the Connect button on the receiver
and the Connect button on the bottom of the device to make sure they are
in sync?
Having support for legacy USB by turning on the option in BIOS is NOT
the same as natively supporting it ALWAYS. Lots of motherboards have
BIOS where you can enable and disable the USB legacy support. It this
BIOS option is disabled then you cannot use a USB keyboard and must
revert to using a PS/2 port. Going to HP's web site is fruitless
because even they don't know what their purchasing bought the week that
they fabbed a particular model. Same for Dell and Gateway. You don't
know what the hell you're getting inside the box.
It was working before, now it's not. Have the user go into BIOS and see
if there is a setting to select to enable USB support for legacy devices
(keyboard and mouse). If he cannot even get in the BIOS screens because
the keyboard is not working then find out if there are PS/2 ports. If
so, have him remove the USB-to-PS/2 adapter from the keyboard and use
the PS/2 port (be sure he plugs it in the one for the keyboard and not
the mouse since the connectors are identical). If there is no
USB-to-PS/2 adapter (because it is a USB-only keyboard), get another
keyboard which does have a PS/2 connector (you can get them for $5 for
the minimal cheapie ones) that is PS/2. Hook up that PS/2 keyboard and
then check the BIOS settings. If the computer is 2 years old, I would
suspect that is does have PS/2 ports. I don't recall a plethora of
USB-only keyboards back then. Some, yes, lots, no.
If you find the BIOS setting, if present, changed from enabled to
disable for USB legacy support, you might start considering putting in a
new CMOS battery. Could be getting weak after 2 years and the CMOS
table is not retaining its settings when the computer is powered down
and then later powered back up.
If the keyboard is functioning so the user can enter BIOS and navigate
its screens then the hardware is okay. You mentioned that the
USB-connected keyboard worked in Safe mode. Is that still true? If so,
have the user boot into Safe mode and run the System Configuration
Utility (msconfig.exe) to disable all startup programs. Then have the
user reboot into normal mode and check if the keyboard is working then.
That will remove the possibility that something getting loaded on
startup (and many load *before* you login) is interferring with the
keyboard.
While in Safe mode where you say the keyboard works, install the driver
or software for the keyboard, if there is any. The standard keyboard
driver you say is being used assumes it is a PS/2 keyboard. The
"standard" keyboard drivers are the "PC/AT Enhanced PS/2 Keyboard" or
the "Standard 101/102-Key Keyboard", both of which presume a PS/2
connection. Since it is a Dell which came pre-installed with Windows
along with hardware setup, there might be another entry in the driver
list for the Dell keyboard. HP's web site is worthless for getting a
copy of the manual, or maybe they never do provide a technical manual.
If the only keyboard provided with their model was a USB-only keyboard,
or the computer had no PS/2 ports so you were forced to use USB, I would
think Dell would have embedded a driver for its USB keyboard in the
pre-installed OS that you could select from the driver list when
updating the driver for the keyboard (but opting to select from a list).
It sounds contradictory to be selecting a "standard PS/2 keyboard" when
what you have is a "USB keyboard". Drivers are geared to support the
hardware they were designed for, so a PS/2 driver supports devices on
the PS/2 port and a USB device driver supports that device when
connected on a USB port.
