up vote 4 down vote favorite
1
share [g+] share [fb]

A colleague has a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard which is a couple of years old, and every few days when the PC is turned on, it doesn't accept any input from the keyboard. The solution is to switch to another USB port, at which points it's picked up, but this is frustrating. Why would this happen and is there a solution?

link|improve this question
50% accept rate
I've seen the same thing happen with a USB mouse: not sure what the cause is though. – Sam Jul 16 '09 at 7:56
Are the keyboard and usb/mainboard drivers up-to-date? – John Smithers Jul 16 '09 at 8:25
Mine did this too, and I can honestly say it factored into my decision to switch to a MacBook Pro. (The MS Wireless keyboard and mouse works great on my Mac, and I can even right click!) – Ryan O Jul 16 '09 at 15:08
feedback

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

For starters, I would try it on another machine. This will help determine whether the problem is with the keyboard or the computer. I've seen some motherboards with flakey USB ports.

link|improve this answer
I have this problem as well. In my case, it seems my motherboard had known "flaky" usb. Not the end of the world, but annoying. – pcapademic Jul 16 '09 at 23:15
feedback
up vote 0 down vote

Usually its just a wear and tear thing meaning that the ports get overused and deteriorate.

link|improve this answer
-1. In all my years in IT, I have never seen a USB socket physically fail, not once, across hundreds of machines. The OP didn't say that the USB port itself was faulty, just that his keyboard was no longer accepting input. I bet if he stuck in a USB memory stick, or a mouse, or even that keyboard again, it would start working. – tomfanning Jul 31 '09 at 10:32
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

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