PS/2 Keyboard doesn't work in Windows XP anymore

I really need some answers on this, it's driving me crazy...

The last time that I booted in Windows XP Professional, the keyboard and the mouse stopped working after everything was loaded. Until then, they worked. Moving, clicking, scrolling: no cursor response. Num, Caps, Scroll Lock: the LEDs on my keyboard were frozen. Windows was working though. The WLAN icon was flashing and the system reacted properly when I pressed the power button on my case (soft Windows shutdown). After I replugged my mouse from the PS/2 port (PS/2-USB convertor) to the USB port, I was able to use my mouse and to use the On-Screen Keyboard (osk.exe in system32).

When I looked in the Device Management (yes, hidden drives were shown as well), there was no sign of any keyboard, not even in the HID list (but it normally was under the keyboard node). Also, the device tab in Keyboard settings (of the Control Panel) didn't show any keyboards at all.

I tried to scan for new devices. No success. I tried to install the keyboard driver, but there was no driver in the list at all, and most drivers turned out to be disappeared or replaced by a line of absolute garbage (screenshot at http://abs.gprime.net/normal.jpg, my system language is Dutch by the way. 'Algemeen' means 'Generic'.).

So I grabbed the WinXP setup cd, copied the files KEYBOARD.SY_, KEYBOARD.DR_ and KEYBOARD.IN_ to a folder, extracted them using "expand" and tried to install the .inf file. No success. The file names were correct, but Windows reported something like "the device specified in the file was not found on the system". This probably means that the PS/2 controller is turned off or not recognised by Windows.

But Fedora Core 2 can work perfectly with the keyboard and the mouse. It doesn't matter where the mouse is, either PS/2 or USB works great. Also, the BIOS tells me that all PS/2 features (they were scattered over several menus :x) were enabled.

So I tried to reinstall Windows after I backed up everything I wanted to keep. I boot the PC from the CD (pressed Enter to indicate that I actually wanted that), I get the blue installation screen, I don't press F6 to install non-Microsoft drivers or F2 to start a system recovery, drivers get loaded, screen gets black, screen gets back to blue and I get the initial menu that tells me to press Enter (Install), R (Recovery Console) or F3 (exit setup).

Same symptoms: all mode control keys don't work (Num, Caps, Scroll)(the LEDs's status don't change), and pressing Enter, R or F3 doesn't do anything.

I would really like to know what the hell is going on. Why became all Windows drivers for PS/2 suddenly incompatible with my PS/2 devices?

Now for some system specs, in case it matters:
Motherboard: ASUS A7V8X-X (the one with LAN and Audio)
Processor: AMD AthlonXP 2800+ (333 MHz FSB)
RAM: 2 x Kingston 128 MB, 266 MHz (reason that my proc can only run at 1,7 GHz)
Keyboard: Azona PS/2 keyboard (generic)
Mouse: Logitech Trackman (?) USB (with USB to PS/2 converter)
I think other devices are irrelevant.

In case you can give me a hint (except for cleaning up my motherboard, reconnecting it, resetting BIOS, trying other PS/2 devices, because I have tried that without any positive results), I thank you in advance. I badly need to run in Windows, since all my media is on NTFS and Linux can't change any files on that partition (it's on the primary slave HDD, not the master).

Are you able to get another keyboard and try that to see if it works (borrow one overnight from work, or something)?

Is it an original Windows install CD? Not suggesting you're using a pirated version, but I've had slipstream CDs that worked perfectly in the past only to start giving strange errors and behaviour.

I'm at a loss as to what to suggest...

Rgds
AndyF

Solved it. I downgraded the BIOS version. Somehow the bugfix ASUS made resulted in a bug for me.

Hi, I'm facing the same problem too. May I know the exact solution for this? Hope I can get some help here. Thanks.

I have the same problem. The keybord works perfectly on Linux or when I'm configuring the BIOS, but when Windows XP boots, it's stop working. I have an old computer... is a AcerPower 6100, and the keybord is acer to. I don't know what to do, but I need the keyboard. Someone could help me?

Hi

Yeah. my ASUS board also had that problem, but flashin the BIOS fixed it.
Just go to your motherboard manufacturers website and download a new version for your BIOS, the upgrade it (flash it).
this solves the problem for the most part.

be careful with the flashing though

yeah same problem here as well. ok so i goto the motherboard's site? how do i find out what that is (my motherboard that is, not their site!).

thanks
dan

Dan,
Belarc Advisor will tell you all about your system. You can download it here. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1385

Field Value
Motherboard ID 03/14/2000-VT694X-P3V4X-00

Field Value
Motherboard Name Asus P3V4X

Company Name ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

guys ive figured its Asus but what now? I went to their site but cant find anything relevant. can u tell me where to go or at least what i shld be looking for?

thanks!

bigdan, that is a pretty old board - perhaps a Pentium III. I sincerely doubt that there would be any new Bios upgrades for it. Perhaps, you could describe what you did or what software you installed between when the PS/2 worked and when it stopped working.

Did you try booting the machine without a keyboard connected? (Don't try it if you haven't this particular model is known to have memory module problems it you have)

Does the connector from the keyboard have an adaptor at its end; for example, from a serial connection to a PS/2 adaptor?

Did you recently update to SP2 from SP1? Some VIA driven machines have been known to fail after the upgrade since Windows defaults its own hardware layer for the VIA?

Finally, have you tried a different PS/2 keyboard just to see if the keyboard finally shorted after drinking too much coffee?

>bigdan, that is a pretty old board - perhaps a Pentium III.

thats righ! P3

>Did you try booting the machine without a keyboard connected? >(Don't try it if you haven't this particular model is known to >have memory module problems it you have)

I tried starting w/o a keyboard but it stops on the first screen (right in the beginning while youre still in DOS i think) and says no keyboard connected, press f1 to continue, for which obviously i need to connect the keyboard again.

Sorry i didnt understand the second statement.

>Does the connector from the keyboard have an adaptor at its end; >for example, from a serial connection to a PS/2 adaptor?

<sheepish look> sorry i dont understand the lingo. its a normal ps/2 mouse which fits perfectly into the slot, thats all i can tell u. and its not usb for sure.

>Did you recently update to SP2 from SP1?

I did. and it was very necessary, else my internet provider (my univ) wouldnt give me acceess. does this create a problem? is there a solution?

>Finally, have you tried a different PS/2 keyboard just to see if >the keyboard finally shorted after drinking too much coffee?

Yes, bought a new one. both keyboards work fine at the startup screen where i have to press F1 to continue (and once i got stuck on the password setup screen where i couldnt type anything, but control-alt-del enabled me to exit) so obvioujsly both keyboards are fine.



Thanks Sampson you've spent a decent amount of time on this for me If there is a solution that would be great.

Thanks again
Dan

I have flogged this machine for the typing mistake; it should very well know what I am trying to type. Anyway, with your machine, it has been noted that starting it up without the keyboard attached, messed up the memory module - so they had to be replaced.

In any case, did the machine start acting up after SP2 and never act up under SP1?

Given what you said, it seems that the keyboard needs to be reset in Bios or its value is not being passed to XP or at least passed incorrectly. When it first starts up, there should be a message passed to you that says Hit Del or some Function key to enter the Bios. When you get in, look around to see if there is an option as to what Keyboard your machine is defaulted to. If you have nothing, just bail out and don't save any changes, but if you do when you are about to leave, it will ask you if you want to save your changes so answer yes.

If the error persists and you can get back into Windows, right click on My Computer, choose Properties, then click on the Hardware tab, then click on the Device Manager. It will bring up a list of your devices. One of those devices is the Keyboard. Clicking on the "+" sign beside the word should reveal the type of keyboard XP sees. Right clicking on that specific keyboard will bring up a menu from which you can uninstall the device, just its drivers, see if it can't find new drivers, or ask it to search for a hardware change or simply Properties. Going to Properties, it should tell you what kind of driver had been selected and whether it is having a conflict. In any case, depending on your desperation, you can uninstall the device. Then, XP should say that it has found a new device and prompt you to install its drivers, or you can bring up the Hardware wizard and tell Microsoft to look for new hardware so that it can recognize and locate the Keyboard. Install the appropriate drivers and see if this works.

Originally posted by Sampson:


yup, but not immediately after upgrading, a couple weeks later so dunno if theres a relation?



others have also mentioned bios - sadly i cant figure out where to go there tho, altho i spent a good deal of time. can u advise (perhaps which menu it would be under?) i'll summarize my bios screen here (mentioning what i think are the relevant options as opposed to all)


MAIN
Keyboard Features
Boot Up NumLock Status
Keyboard AutoRepeat Rate
Keyboard AutoRepeat Delay

ADVANCED
BIOS Update
PS2 Mouse Function Control
USB Leggacy Support
Chip Config (is a menu)
I/O Device Config (is a menu)
- Onboard Serial Port 1: [3F8H/IRQ4]
- Onboard Serial Port 2: [2F8H/IRQ3]
PCI Config (is a menu)
Shadow Config (is a menu)

POWER
.
.
.


BOOT
1. ATAPI CDROM
2. Removable Device
3. IDE HardDrive
4. Other Boot Device

Plug n play OS
Reset Config Data
Boot Virus Detection



there is a yellow exclamation next to 'Standard 101/102-key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 keyboard' under KEYBOARDS.

Device Status:'Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)'

Driver Provider: Microsoft

Im happy to uninstall if u think i should - my only worry is that i dont have any of the drivers. should i do so anyway? i have a logitech and a noname keyboard FYI

tank you kind sir!

For the moment forget the Bios. Go back through My Computer through the Device Manager and Delete or uninstall the Keyboard. Don't worry about the Driver since XP will provide them, though more often than not it will select the "Natural PS/2 keyboard" when you go through the Hardware Installation wizard. You can let the wizard examine your system and have it come up with what it finds, or you can choose to install manually what driver you want to use. So, for example, if you have your Logitech keyboard plugged in, if you let XP make the choice, it will, in all likelihood, choose the Microsoft default. So, if you choose to install the keyboard manually, you could select Logitech and then choose the appropriate driver for your specific keyboard in the list found under Logitech. In theory, this should clear up your problem.

What concerns me is why the keyboard quit being recognized in first place. Keyboards, mice, A:\ drives are pretty much dumb devices that have been around for a long time and generally have the same memory locations assigned so that they hardly ever conflict. Be sure that there are no other devices with exclamation points in front of them in the Device Manager. Also, it is possible, you have some useless devices that were not uninstalled and no longer exist which XP loads anyway. To see if that is going on, you can do this:

1. Press [Windows]+[Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box or right click on My Computer, then click on Properties.
2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
3. Click the New button below the System Variables panel.
4. In the New System Variable dialog box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices in the Variable Name text box and 1 in the Variable Value text box.
5. Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
6. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
7. In Device Manager, go to View | Show Hidden Devices.
8. Expand the various branches in the device tree and look for the washed out icons, which indicate unused device drivers.
9. To remove an unused device driver, right-click the icon and select Uninstall.

It just seems that some program may have remapped your keyboard to make it unrecognizable, or the connection between the PS/2 input and the motherboard may be shorting out occassionally.

Originally posted by Sampson:


OK I uninstalled the keyboard. unfortunately i couldnt go any further becase as soon as i plugged the keyboard in the board and mouse both froze. GRRRRRR.

BTW U mentioned the break key which is that?

Thanks again
dan

The break key is located at the top right (the last key next to the num lock light also has Pause written above it). By uninstalling the keyboard, I didn't mean to physically detach the keyboard from the computer, rather you right click on the 'Standard 101/102-key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 keyboard' under the word Keyboard in your Device Manager and click on uninstall from the drop down menu.

Originally posted by Sampson:


thx, found the break key. yeah i knew u meant to uninstall not phsically detach. but since this prob started occurring i disconnected the keyboard in order 2 actually be able 2 use the computer - if the keyboard was connected nothing would work. since uninstalling that hasnt changed, if i connect the keyboard neither the mouse nor the keyboard will work.

any ideas?

again, thanks

Now it almost sounds like there is a short where the Keyboard and mouse connect. Did find a manual: http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/slot1/pro133a/p3v4x/p3v4x-102.pdf

If the keyboard is connected at inial bootup does it run fine until it gets to windows or does it die even before that? I noted in the manual that from the BIOS both the Keyboard and the Mouse are defaulted to IRQ 12. Generally, Windows wants the Keyboard on IRQ 1 and the mouse on IRQ 12.

What it seems at the moment is that you may have a short in the plug-in to the computer for your Ps/2 devices or that Windows SP2 is in conflict with the info of Via 4in1 drivers.

Originally posted by Sampson:



ok the manual is downloading ill check it out.

>does it run fine until it gets to windows or does it die even >before that?

not quite sure how/where to check that? i know at some point iget 2 a screen saying my password is bout 2 expire, over there my keyboard doesnt work, & neither does my mouse if the keyboard is connected.

>Generally, Windows wants the Keyboard on IRQ 1 and the mouse on >IRQ 12.

misprint? should that be IRQ 2, or 12?




thanks man ur spending a lotta time on this

I believe that IRQ 1 for the keyboard (Microsoft Standard) and IRQ 12 for the PS/2 mouse is correct. You can go to your Device manager and after it comes up, click on View and then Device by connection and then open the IRQ connection to find your values.

Originally posted by Sampson:


i replied 2 this yesterday dunnowhy it dint get posted.

thanks for the manual i just downloaded it & will take a look.

>If the keyboard is connected at inial bootup does it run fine >until it gets to windows or does it die even before that?

im not sure. how would i tell? at some point (in a windows screen but beore it is fully loaded) it tells me my password is about 2 expire, there my keyboard doesnt work.

>Generally, Windows wants the Keyboard on IRQ 1 and the mouse on >IRQ 12.

was this a misprint & sould be IRQ 2 or 12?


thanx so much!

ooo now i c it did get posted earlier. my bad

oks I checked out the manual. unfortunately i didnt really get from that what I could do. there was a little section on keyboards besides that it was talking abotu the rest of the motherboard. sorry man. i'm still stuck

hiiii guys!


some new developments since i last posted. i ran some tests:

ive bought two brand new keyboards. one was a ps/2 and more recently i bought a usb one just to test that too. doesnt work. now i did goto device manager and noticed a conflict with the keyboard. the first time i must've uninstalled it but it somehow got installed again. i think i did this a few times and at one point i just erased it. now after this (maybe as a direct result, maybe not) i was able to go into windows with my keyboard physically connected and my mouse would still work. earlier on if the keyboard was even connected the mouse wouldnt wokr. now if they keyboard is connected its not a problem. the keyboard itself wouldnt work bnut the mouse was just fine. HOWever, as soon as i touch any key on the keyboard the mouse would stop working. the computer itself doesnt freeze, the screen saver still comes on and if i put a cd in it'll respond. but these two devices seem to freeze.

now with the usb keyboard, again i know it works because i can go into the bios by pressing delete when i boot up, and can press f7 (or is it f8) to go into safe mode. however once im in windows it wont work. the difference here is pressing a key on this wont freeze the mouse. but the keyboard wont work. if im in windows with the usb keyboard and normal mouse and i disconnect the usb keyboard and then plug in the ps2 keyboard the mouse will instantly freeze (even without touching a button on the ps/2 KB).

it doesnt work in safe mode either.

so....any ideas? would really appreciate it

thanks
dan

Just wanna say thank you for all the help people have thrown out. I was having the same problem with my ps/2 keyboard after installing Sp1 for windows xp, until i grabbed belarc advisor, uninstalled the drivers, then ran a new hardware check. Very interesting problem, considering it seems that everyone who had the problem (me included), had a working keyboard right up until windows xp started. Did anyone else have this problem right after installing sp1?

I am having same problem. Now when i boot my computer, (running XP Pro SP2) the keyboard works in the BIOS and when i choose which O/S i wish to boot. When xp loads i have to log in, now the mouse works fine i go to my loggin and click it so i can entre the password, how ever as soon as i press a key on the keyboard, it freezes, and takes the mouse with it. The mouse stops working. Now because of the fact i need a password to log on, i cant even get into windows with just the mouse, so i am unable to access the device manager. ;( Ive searched the BIOS but cant find anything to do with keyboard.

Im stuck, someone please help me,

thank you in advance

mld

Anyone?

My neighbour is having the same problem. Keyboard works fine in BIOS and if we boot with WinPE XP (a self booting CD). But if boot to WinXP (in regular or safe mode), the mouse will work, but the keyboard doesn't. As soon as touch keyboard the mouse locks.

1. Saw conflict in hardware manager, switched to a USB mouse - same problem, except the mouse no longer locks
2. Switched to a USB keyboard - same problem.
3. Removed and reinstalled keyboard in hardware manager - same problem.

Installed the drivers that came with the new USB keyboard - didn't help.

I'm thinking this is a registry problem since works fine everywhere but in WinXP. But I don't know where to start on that. I think may have to reinstall the OS, but I think I read (not sure if this forum or another) where that didn't help either.

Hopefully someone has an answer!

i have a e machine that is a 2005 model.im having the same problem.when it gets out of the shop i will post what was wrong with it. no keyboard and no mouse when you try to use the keyboard..and the guy online wanted me to hit f8.WHAT DID he not understand about NO KEYBOARD oh there was no board in the control panel or in the device maniger. its in the shop !!!
ps yes i tried a new keyboard !!! restore and recover !!
tm_oneil@yahoo.com hav a nic day

If you guys are still having problems I have a solution that worked for me. If your mouse is not connected to a usb port and is connected to the mouse port this will help. Start up Windows. Uninstall the keyboard by using the device manager to uninstall it for you. This will cause Windows to recognize the keyboard and the mouse. Shut down your computer. Remove the mouse from the mouse port and plug it into a usb port. Start up Windows again. Everything should work.

I see that some of you joined the forums just because of this problem. I did too!

I have tried uninstalling/reinstalling the drivers, different keyboard, original drivers ... everything short of formatting the drive.

Nothing has worked! This problems seems so deep that I fear that even a fresh format will not solve the problem as hinted by skram.

Vamatt99218, I tried what you mentioned in order but that didn't help either.

If someone has a solution, PLEASE share!!!

I have too much stuff to back-up and my XP CD is also missing ... just in time!!!

AAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

I have a similar problem. I'm running Windows XP Media Center, and my keyboard out of nowhere stopped working. Windows won't recognize my keyboard at all; I can't even get into the bios before the desktop loads. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the driver, but when I go to reinstall the driver, the hardware installer says that it can't find any drivers for my keyboard, even when I have my XP CD in the drive. Windows won't recognize any of the PS/2 keyboards I use with it.

This solution worked for the guy who suggested it and it worked for me. Having the exact same problem described here with error code 41 and working keyboard (usb and ps2) up until windows loads drivers. I didn't even delete the Upper Filters entry, just the mention of lxsassc.exe.

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/447524-keyboard-error-code-41-a-2.html

Very last posting listed as solved.

(Quoted Text)
"I solved my problem by removing an item from the UpperFilters for the keyboard in the registry. It's under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4D36E96B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318
There was an entry for keykey which was leftover from spyware removal action."