Keyboard died

[Savaric]

I was on the internet last night and got booted off aol. I tried to log back on and my keyboard isn't responding.

I tried a system restore, a different keyboard, different usb ports, and nothing yet. I wonder if it is a virus or a system setting?

I've been using computers for about 8 or 9 years now, and still I encounter problems I have never seen before. Times like these I think of going mac...

[Rosuav]

For the urgency of logging on, I recommend typing with the mouse. Locate the letter you wish to type, mark it and copy to the clipboard, then right-click and paste. Tedious, but enough to get logged back in.

Do you have a PS/2 keyboard to try? Sometimes there's weird USB problems, so using a non-USB keyboard will dodge that. (I'm not saying that USB keyboards are inherently bad, but if you have problems with the USB one, try the other.)

Check that "Sticky Keys" isn't active by pressing and releasing all the shift keys one by one. That sometimes fixes strange problems.

If all else fails, boot another OS and see what you get. Do you have a bootable CD or floppy with basic DOS on it? Or any other system? Can you get the keyboard to work with anything else?

[Savaric]

I fiddled with the keys and nothing seems stuck or not sending. I was plugging it in repeatedly and one time got a message along "the usb device plugged in is not recognized..." and some stuff. It's a cheap keyboard made by logitech, the cheapest I could find at 15 dollars.

The other board I plugged in and tried has a different socket, a round one with little 90 degree angles in the hole and pins. My computer has the socket, but I should try that some more. I'll be away from my pc for a few days, so I'll try some more later... It's best we spend time away from one another

[Rosuav]

... That's a strange description there!! I think you MIGHT be talking about PS/2 there. Easy check: Does it look like these?

http://images.google.com/images?q=ps%2F2+socket

Worth a try, anyhow. It's probably not one of these:

http://images.google.com/images?q=din+socket

[Khaosai]

If you need to log back in or anything if your keyboard dies, you can always use the On Screen Keyboard.

On the Start menu:
•

Point to All Programs.
•

Point to Accessories.
•

Point to Accessibility.
•

Select On-Screen Keyboard.

[Savaric]

The keyboard that stopped working had a usb connection. The other one, the one I'm using now, has the PS/2 connection. When I read that a week ago I thought you were talking about a "playstation 2" keyboard, lol. Seriously...

So the old dell keyboard with the PS/2 connector works just fine now. I should have had it plugged in when I turned the computer on, because I don't think it recognizes it otherwise. So it's the keyboard that went.

I had no idea about that onscreen keyboard Khaosai. It works awesome and a nice thing to know.

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Savaric
The keyboard that stopped working had a usb connection. The other one, the one I'm using now, has the PS/2 connection. When I read that a week ago I thought you were talking about a "playstation 2" keyboard, lol. Seriously...

So the old dell keyboard with the PS/2 connector works just fine now. I should have had it plugged in when I turned the computer on, because I don't think it recognizes it otherwise. So it's the keyboard that went.

I had no idea about that onscreen keyboard Khaosai. It works awesome and a nice thing to know.

Could be any sort of USB problem then. Would need more thorough diagnosis. And yes, PS2 kbd = boot with it.

Onscreen kbd is a handy thing too. In XP: Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessability. Probably in a similar place in other Windowses.