Computer help please!

[Atahualpa]

Solver, have you tried changing the connection of the keyboard PS/2<->USB?

[Solver]

Not an option. It's PS/2 only.

Gotta run Windows in debugging mode, and try to see which driver is loaded at the moment the keyboard stops responding.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by Asher

No, that doesn't make sense to me at all.

The BIOS may control things like dynamic clocking to make the chip run cooler, or adjust voltages, but I don't think it has any truth to it.

In all honesty, HP Laptops have a bad reputation for quality.

Im starting to see that my self. Thanks for your help. I guess Ill just have to keep paying for warrnties till i get the darn thing paid for. Thanks again.

[Atahualpa]

Maybe, you could disconnect the keyboard after the BIOS has identified it and wait after the ups.exe to fail and connect it again.
I know PS/2 isn't hot pluggable, but maybe it works.

Here is a warning though, if the motherboard is older:

Vcc/Ground provide power to the keyboard/mouse. The keyboard or mouse should not draw more than 100 mA from the host and care must be taken to avoid transient surges. Such surges can be caused by "hot-plugging" a keyboard/mouse (ie, connect/disconnect the device while the computer's power is on.) Older motherboards had a surface-mounted fuse protecting the keyboard and mouse ports. When this fuse blew, the motherboard was useless to the consumer, and non-fixable to the average technician. Most newer motherboards use auto-reset "Poly" fuses that go a long way to remedy this problem. However, this is not a standard and there's still plenty of older motherboards in use. Therefore, I recommend against hot-plugging a PS/2 mouse or keyboard.

http://panda.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu/~achapwes/PICmicro/PS2/ps2.htm

[Dis]

reformat, reinstall.

yes that's pretty much my answer to everything.

[Solver]

Thanks Atahualpa, I'll try that... my motherboard is new enough, so that should not be a concern. Failing that, I'll give my computer a good kick - that always seems to work. Or failing that, I'll buy a USB keyboard, although most keyboards that are sold are really crap, I love mine.

[Atahualpa]

FY http://www.usbwholesale.com/ps2%20usb%20converter.htm

[Urban Ranger]

Don't you have USB ports for your computer, Solver?

[Solver]

Yup, trying that with a PS/2-USB converter in a moment.

The problem is, it's impossible to buy a keyboard now. All keyboards either have funky key layouts, that "ergonomy" BS, or at the very least, extra buttons for power on/off/sleep/whatever. I want my old-style, 1997 keyboards! Which also is what I'm working on, but these are harder and harder to get...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Solver
Yup, trying that with a PS/2-USB converter in a moment.

The problem is, it's impossible to buy a keyboard now. All keyboards either have funky key layouts, that "ergonomy" BS, or at the very least, extra buttons for power on/off/sleep/whatever. I want my old-style, 1997 keyboards! Which also is what I'm working on, but these are harder and harder to get...

The BF's the same way, so I got him a standard beige IBM keyboard. The design's been unchanged for I don't know how long, and it's designed to withstand at least a million keystrokes.

$9 CDN, too.

[Atahualpa]

Get a slim key keyboard, such as those in notebooks. I like them very much.

[Urban Ranger]

Yuck. They are impossible for touch typing.

[Solver]

Originally posted by Asher

The BF's the same way, so I got him a standard beige IBM keyboard. The design's been unchanged for I don't know how long, and it's designed to withstand at least a million keystrokes.

Exactly, only to get what I want, I had to go and see where no longer needed keyboards are.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Ok I know nobody wants to deal with computers on superbowl sunday but rather then call Hp back and start yelling I thought id come back to this thread and see if i can get an answer. I sent my laptop back and the said they reflashed the bios. One of the reason i sent it in was because every time you turn it off and then back on the time doesnt keep any ideas?

[Dis]

dead battery