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Thread ID: 25084	2002-09-25 11:02:00	Keyboard Error	Chao is back (634)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
83105	2002-09-25 11:02:00	This morning when i turned on my computer running WinXP Pro as soon as it started and windows hasn't even started loading, it said Keyboard Error or Keyboard not found. The keyboad was firmly attached to the back of the PC. Can anyone help me with this problem?	Chao is back (634)
83106	2002-09-25 11:29:00	Hi Chao This one pops up every now and then and since I seem to be the only other sufferer, I get to reply. My Win98 computer did this regularly until I changed the CMOS battery. It would lock up at the moment of switch-on then show the error you report later in the boot process. It can't be a software issue as the computer hasn't even started POST that close to startup but it is the POST checks that report the keyboard error I think, however, why it happens and why the CMOS battery fixed it eludes me. To be 100% truthful it still does it about once every 50-60 boots but I can live with that. I am using a very old "ALR" keyboard and maybe that has something to do with it. Funnily enough, one of my Win2K boxes does it very occasionally with a new keyboard so go figure! Personally I think it is a power supply aberration at switch-on, perhaps something to do with how the 5 volt rail rises but it's not worth pursuing for me anyway. Try another keyboard and see if that helps. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
83107	2002-09-25 11:49:00	It happened to me for the first time last weekend. Gave me a bit of a fright because I wasn't able to access my notes on the PC to search for remedies, never mind get online to ask for help here! It fixed itself, fortunately, when I turned the PC off, removed the keyboard plug to try another keyboard (which didn't have the same sort of plug so I couldn't try it), reinserted it and turned the computer back on. Lo and behold, it fired up and all was well, although it did take all morning to stop shaking afterwards.	Susan B (19)
83108	2002-09-26 02:09:00	Shame on you Susan;\ Do you mean to say you don't read my posts as diligently as I read yours (cough). There you were, shaking all for nothing. ]:) It's a funny old fault though, I ran it through some (cough cough) overseas forums and entered into extensive dialogue with a couple of very techie ladies :8} but even though we plumbed the depths so to speak, no answers were found. In my situation the problem could be forestalled by unplugging the keyboard before switching on, hitting the on button then immediately plugging in the keyboard and during the worst of the epidemic (pre battery replacement) I had the keyboard leads out on an extension so that I didn't have to crawl behind it to plug in. As I have mentioned in previous posts, in my case the action all took place at the instant of switch on so bios, POST or programming were not involved. Your mileage may vary. If it ever turns up again in a more persistent fashion (perish the thought) you might want try the unplug-replug trick at switch on and see if it helps. If it does, it would be simple to build a little interface that delays power to the keyboard until the main PSU is up and stabilised. I could do that for you for...... Oh....megabucks and a mortgage over the family mansion plus a couple of your kids as hostages (no, better than that, you get to keep a couple of mine until you cough up the millions). I almost got to the stage of building the interface myself before I found the battery answer, though that was only because my clock went on the fritz. Cheers Billy 8-{) :D :D :D	Billy T (70)
83109	2002-09-26 02:55:00	The Battery is the cause most likely here. When it gets a little low it can mess with the CMOS settings. So when the box is loading before it gets to 'post' the BIOS is looking to CMOS for some settings, finding the settings corrupted you can end up with all sortd of errors. Kapish? B-)	future (1979)
83110	2002-09-26 04:42:00	It can be as simple as the plug having poor contact after a while. That has been a standard problem for a very long time. Just unplugging then replugging will fix that, and is the first thing to try. Always. :D	Graham L (2)
83111	2002-09-26 10:23:00	Hi future I kapish alright, but in my case the keyboard lights flashed on and stayed on from the very instant of power up. Are you saying that CMOS/bios can have an influence before the power has even stabilised? It would make a lot of sense if this could happen. In relation to the sockets Graham, my plug had had more ins and outs than the proverbial so contact condition was not an issue. I agree though, for the first instance of this effect. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
83112	2002-09-26 10:53:00	Not so much before the power has stabilised. The CMOS is slightly messed up while the power is off [supposedly sustained by the battery] And when power comes on the BIOS starts doing what it should but then gets fed dud data by a scambled CMOS. That is why the clock is always wrong if your battery is flat. In that situation the CMOS is feeding the BIOS with it's default/factory settings so everything seems alright. But occasionally the CMOS doesn't get it quite right.	future (1979)
83113	2002-09-26 10:56:00	However I would be suspicious of the keyboard first and try swapping it before getting too carried away, and they are not to expensive. Go for the battery next if your system clock keeps changing.	future (1979)
83114	2002-09-27 00:21:00	Aha! Now I get the picture. :) Thanks future, that makes perfect sense to me, though I must admit I didn't realise that Bios action started quite so quickly. It must get underway pretty much as soon as volts arrive on the motherboard, like, within milliseconds of switch-on :O Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
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