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Keyboard Stops Responding while Accessing a USB Drive in Image for DOS

Problem:

Your USB keyboard stops responding while Image for DOS accesses a USB drive.

Cause:

When Image for DOS takes control of a USB controller, it only provides support for mass storage devices.

Solution:

The following solutions are available:

  • The most popular solution for dealing with this situation is to use Image for Linux instead of Image for DOS.  The Image for Linux boot disk can be created from Windows just like Image for DOS and has a very similar interface.  There is no additional cost if you purchased Image for DOS or Image for Windows since every purchase of Image for DOS (or Image for Windows) includes a license to use Image for Linux on the same machine.   Note: BootIt BM, which includes Image for DOS, does not include Image for Linux.

  • If your external device supports IEEE 1394 (FireWire) or eSATA in addition to USB then try using the IEEE 1394 or eSATA interface.  Note that most systems require that an eSATA device is attached prior to starting the computer for it to be available as a BIOS device.

  • If you are able to use a PS/2 keyboard then attach one to use.

  • If the computer's BIOS provides USB legacy support for the external drive then try using the BIOS option instead of the USB option. Note: BIOS support for USB varies greatly.  Many older BIOSes support attaching the drive after the system is booted, however most BIOSes now require that the USB drive be attached at the time the system is booted.  USB legacy support in the BIOS must be enabled and support drives in order for it to be available through the BIOS interface.  Also, some systems USB support from the BIOS are buggy or limited. Among other things, this can cause validation failures and/or slow access (the BIOS may use USB1 speeds for USB2 devices).

  • If you have multiple USB controllers, you may connect the keyboard and drive to different controllers and use the USBIGN option to hide one of them from Image for DOS.  By hiding the USB controller where the USB keyboard is plugged in, you can prevent Image for DOS from taking control of the USB keyboard and therefore prevent Image for DOS from interfering with it.  (If you don't already have an alternate USB controller available, one option is to obtain and install a PCI-based USB controller.)  Please refer to the Image for DOS PDF manual for more information on using the USBIGN option.

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