I setup my brothers PC, but can't use a keyboard.

[Faustus]

Okay so my brother purchased a new PC in parts and gave it to me to configure. Everything went smooth, its a nice box but there is a problem.

I built the thing using a USB Keyboard and Mouse through a KVM switch and when you plug his keyboard in Windows loads a wizard to install the PS/2 Keyboard driver... well duh can't since there is no keyboard and the mouse hasn't detected yet. Same thing in safe mode.

Anyone have a clue how to get this thing to work short of redoing it at his place?

[MOVIEGEEK]

I always use a PS/2 keyboard and mouse when installing Windows,later I use USB devices and load the drivers.
Is USB keyboard and mouse enabled in the BIOS?

[redwudz]

The only thing I am confused about, is he going to use a USB or a PS-2 KB? If he's using a PS-2, can you boot with the USB, then change over to the PS-2, then go to the Device manager and 'Scan for hardware changes' if there is a keyboard listing? Or you might try the same under the USB controllers. Or have I got it all backwards?

OOPS. You can't get to Device Manager because the KB and mouse doesn't work if you switch them. Sorry, it's been a long day.

I use a PS-2 mouse and KB when I set up a PC the first time also, so I haven't ran into that problem yet. If all else fails and no one here figures it out, there always http://support.microsoft.com/

[Faustus]

Actually I fixed it. redwudz: he had a PS/2 Keyboard and USB Mouse.

I had to bring his computer back and put it on my desk with my mouse and keyboard then plug in his mouse so it would ID.

THEN reboot with the keyboard attached so that driver would load.

Should those drivers already be loaded? Silly microsoft

[redwudz]

Glad you got it sorted out.

A problem I ran into once was that the PS2 KB wouldn't work at all when I finished putting together a new computer. The mouse worked fine. I tore into the computer, unplugged every internal connection and checked it, looked in BIOS and Windows, and finally in desperation, reinstalled Windows. This took me several hours, all told. I knew the KB was good as I had pulled it off a working computer. But it still didn't work

I then unplugged the KB and the mouse in preparation to RMA the MB when I discovered I had reversed the two plugs and had the mouse and keyboard in each other's sockets.

I was so absolutely sure that it was a complicated problem that I overlooked a most obvious solution. The plugs weren't color coded like most and I assumed I had them in the proper socket.

[steptoe]

Thats one big reason why I still use a wired PS2 mouse and keyboard rather than some snazzy USB or wireless keyboard and mouse

Just had to help somebody who had major problems with their computer, they couldn't boot into safemode to get things going again as his computer comes with a wireless keyboard. As the drivers couldn't load due to the problems he was having he couldn't do anything. He borrowed a wired keyboard and 5 minutes had him on the way to getting the computer running again

[ZAPPER]

Well, as long as we are on the topic, I turned off the USB in the Device manager or someplace once before trying to do a trouble shoot step by step from memory. USB mouse plugged into USB keboard. I had no way to do anything except on and off on the case. I couldn't search the web or do anything. I called a couple of freinds of freinds that were supposed to be computer geniuses and such and I swear that after I told them that my keyboard and mouse wont work because I disabled them, the first thing they would say was hit enter or go to...

Anyhow I took an old mouse from the boxes of extra PC parts at work on the hope that it might wok in the PS2 hole, and it did. Whew! Close call.

My other personal favorite was when I muted my main volume and then managed to loose the control somewhere off screen. That was a night or two of WTF?