Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

I have just bought a new computer but am using my existing keyboard/mouse with it. The keyboard has been working 100% with my previous PC. The keyboard is a PS/2 keyboard.

Sometimes, with the new PC, the keyboard is not recognised by windows. I boot up and then try to use the keyboard in Chrome or something and nothing happens. The power light (num lock) is on. Hitting Caps Lock or F.Lock also does nothing (lights do not come on).

I checked Device Manager and there is no mention of a Keyboard in the list.

However if I reboot the PC, without changing any settings, the keyboard comes back and everything is good. Keyboard works as expected and is listed in Device Manager.

Does anyone have any suggestions why this might be happening? And any suggestions to fix?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote accepted

It either sounds like a driver issue or a hardware malfunction. Is it one of them fancy keyboard? If not, you might have something in the keyboard like dirt preventing you from getting caps lock working sometimes.

If you have another keyboard you can use, do you get t he same results?

Can you boot into a live Linux distribution and test the keyboard a couple times? That will narrow down the issue.

share|improve this answer
The keyboard works fine when it works at all, 100%, just occasionally after boot it is non-responsive. It is not fancy kb, a Microsoft Natural. I can get another keyboard and try that. – Mike Q Apr 17 '11 at 17:01
The most conclusive test would be booting into a linux LiveCD and testing it there. Are you comfortable doing something like that? If not, you could simply try your keyboard on another computer instead. – MaxMackie Apr 17 '11 at 17:02
I'm almost certain you are correct with a driver issue. I borrowed a MS natural keyboard (USB) and plugged that in and it was recognised and worked fine. I'm guessing, somehow, the basic PS/2 driver was corrupted somewhat when it installed. Perhaps reinstalling that driver would solve the problem but not sure how to do this. Anyways I'm getting a new keyboard the same as the one I tested with. – Mike Q Apr 26 '11 at 13:27
Good to see you "figured it out". I hope the issue doesn't come up again in the future. – MaxMackie Apr 26 '11 at 13:29

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.