Keyboard dead. ?Windows glitch or motherboard?

My keyboard quit working -- no response to any key. My
mouse continues to work and I can operate all of my usual
programs as long as I use the mouse. I tried my
husband's keyboard on my computer and it would not
function either. (My keyboard works just fine with his
computer -- so it must be something in either my computer
or my computer's programs.)

Three local computer repair shops have told me the same
thing: The keyboard 'shutdown' is probably a hardware
failure, probably the motherboard. (It is an eMachine -
about 5-6 years old - but everything in it has been
updated -- except the motherboard.)

One shop suggested it might be a Windows glitch -- and
that I could find a patch for this particular XP bug that
might 'fix' my dead keyboard. (I'm typing this on my
husband's computer.)

Can you tell me where to look to find a 'fix' for my
problem? I'm cringing at the idea of $200+ for a new
motherboard -- and $400-500 to replace the computer. Any
help will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Linda

On Tue, 25 May 2004 21:42:21 -0700, FancyIdeas wrote:

> My keyboard quit working -- no response to any key. My
> mouse continues to work and I can operate all of my usual
> programs as long as I use the mouse. I tried my
> husband's keyboard on my computer and it would not
> function either. (My keyboard works just fine with his
> computer -- so it must be something in either my computer
> or my computer's programs.)
>
> Three local computer repair shops have told me the same
> thing: The keyboard 'shutdown' is probably a hardware
> failure, probably the motherboard. (It is an eMachine -
> about 5-6 years old - but everything in it has been
> updated -- except the motherboard.)
>
> One shop suggested it might be a Windows glitch -- and
> that I could find a patch for this particular XP bug that
> might 'fix' my dead keyboard. (I'm typing this on my
> husband's computer.)
>
> Can you tell me where to look to find a 'fix' for my
> problem? I'm cringing at the idea of $200+ for a new
> motherboard -- and $400-500 to replace the computer. Any
> help will be greatly appreciated!
> Thanks!
> Linda

What kind of connection is used with the keyboards you've been trying? USB?
PS/2? Wireless?

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows XP Shell/User

FancyIdeas wrote:

> My keyboard quit working -- no response to any key. My
> mouse continues to work and I can operate all of my usual
> programs as long as I use the mouse. I tried my
> husband's keyboard on my computer and it would not
> function either. (My keyboard works just fine with his
> computer -- so it must be something in either my computer
> or my computer's programs.)
>
> Three local computer repair shops have told me the same
> thing: The keyboard 'shutdown' is probably a hardware
> failure, probably the motherboard. (It is an eMachine -
> about 5-6 years old - but everything in it has been
> updated -- except the motherboard.)
>
> One shop suggested it might be a Windows glitch -- and
> that I could find a patch for this particular XP bug that
> might 'fix' my dead keyboard. (I'm typing this on my
> husband's computer.)
>
> Can you tell me where to look to find a 'fix' for my
> problem? I'm cringing at the idea of $200+ for a new
> motherboard -- and $400-500 to replace the computer. Any
> help will be greatly appreciated!
> Thanks!
> Linda

Two suggestions:
1. Do you have a separate soft program for keyboard? If so, remove and
re-install it.
2. Open up your Device Manager and uninstall the Keyboard; then restart
(reboot) the Computer to see if Windows XP recognizes new hardware. Might
work and much better than spending $200-$700, in my view. Of course, your
Computer repair folks should have already tried this but you never know!!
--
Gene K

On Wed, 26 May 2004 00:30:45 -0500, Sharon F wrote:

> What kind of connection is used with the keyboards you've been trying? USB?
> PS/2? Wireless?

PS: The reason I asked about the connection is that the situation can be
iffy depending on the motherboard implementation of a USB keyboard prior to
Windows being loaded completely. There may be USB keyboard/mouse settings
in the BIOS menus screens that need to be toggled to accomplish more
consistent results.

Also some USB keyboards, even when all the right settings are in place,
will be non-operative when you get to the welcome screen. Restart at that
point and usually the keyboard works fine for no apparent reason. Timing
issues can appear with wireless setups as well.

I've seen this situation sorted with a BIOS update but these updates will
usually state in their read me file that they will address noted problems
with USB keyboards.

When in doubt, test with a PS/2 connection or, second best, connect the
USB keyboard directly to the PC instead of connecting to an external USB
hub.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows XP Shell/User

"FancyIdeas" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>My keyboard quit working -- no response to any key. My
>mouse continues to work and I can operate all of my usual
>programs as long as I use the mouse. I tried my
>husband's keyboard on my computer and it would not
>function either. (My keyboard works just fine with his
>computer -- so it must be something in either my computer
>or my computer's programs.)
>
>Three local computer repair shops have told me the same
>thing: The keyboard 'shutdown' is probably a hardware
>failure, probably the motherboard. (It is an eMachine -
>about 5-6 years old - but everything in it has been
>updated -- except the motherboard.)
>
>One shop suggested it might be a Windows glitch -- and
>that I could find a patch for this particular XP bug that
>might 'fix' my dead keyboard. (I'm typing this on my
>husband's computer.)
>
>Can you tell me where to look to find a 'fix' for my
>problem? I'm cringing at the idea of $200+ for a new
>motherboard -- and $400-500 to replace the computer. Any
>help will be greatly appreciated!
>Thanks!
>Linda

Boot your computer with a startup disk from any version of Windows
(e.g. Windows 95/98/Me). You can download one from www.bootdisk.com

After you have booted the computer with that diskette try typing
anything on the keyboard.

If you do not see any results on the screen then the problem is
hardware related and has nothing to do with Windows XP.

On the other hand, if you do see the results on the screen then the
hardware is okay and the problem is with Windows.

Either way, this test will cut the suspect list in half.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."