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Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:58 pm
by davewilk
My USB keyboard works in BIBM, but the characters are all messed up. When the machine boots into Windows, the keyboard behaves normally.

What would be the cause of this?

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:57 pm
by mashedmitten
Correct language/keyboard layout set in BIOS?

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 6:38 pm
by davewilk
I thought of that but I couldn't find any language/keyboard settings in the BIOS.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 6:40 pm
by mashedmitten
Only other thing I can think of is the setting was in makedisk. I'll have to find my install files to check whats in the routine.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:06 pm
by mashedmitten
Didn't see it there, either. Wonder if this is a mouse support thing. What's it set to now?

What does characters messed up mean, exactly.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:10 pm
by davewilk
I feel like I am going crazy - now it is working correctly!

But it was something like this: the Shift key had no effect, but some keys (e.g. all the letter keys) worked as if Shift was not pressed, while others (e.g. the number keys along the top) worked as if Shift was pressed. I was only able to enter numbers by using the Fn key (or going into NumLock mode). It was a real pain.

There is something wacky going on with this machine. Both the booting (my other recent thread) and this keyboard behavior seem inconsistent. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't (my booting issue came back this morning, but now it is working again). Once the machine gets into Windows (either 7 or 10) it seems fine.

I really don't think either of these issues has to do with BIBM. Even when the machine doesn't boot, the MBR is configured correctly by BIBM for both Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:30 pm
by TeraByte Support(PP)
You could try plugging the USB keyboard into a different USB port (on a different controller, if possible). Some systems seem to have issues where one controller works better for input devices. Also, if the keyboard is getting to the point where keys are getting stuck it can cause weird problems. If you have another keyboard you could try using it instead.

The BIOS may have options for initializing USB devices during boot-up. Sometimes those can affect certain devices. Could check and see if anything looks wrong.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:06 pm
by mashedmitten
davewilk wrote:
> I feel like I am going crazy - now it is working correctly!
>
> But it was something like this: the Shift key had no effect, but some keys
> (e.g. all the letter keys) worked as if Shift was not pressed, while others
> (e.g. the number keys along the top) worked as if Shift was pressed. I was
> only able to enter numbers by using the Fn key (or going into NumLock
> mode). It was a real pain.
>
> There is something wacky going on with this machine. Both the booting (my
> other recent thread) and this keyboard behavior seem inconsistent.
> Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't (my booting issue came back this
> morning, but now it is working again). Once the machine gets into Windows
> (either 7 or 10) it seems fine.
>
> I really don't think either of these issues has to do with BIBM. Even when
> the machine doesn't boot, the MBR is configured correctly by BIBM for both
> Windows 8 and Windows 10.

If Paul's suggestions bring no joy, might be time to open up the case and make sure all cables and hardware are seated properly. Good time to give it a good dusting, while you're at it.

Re: Keyboard displays wrong characters

Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:00 pm
by davewilk
I tried different USB ports when the keyboard was acting up. Some of them didn't work at all, and some of them gave the wacky behavior. But now the keyboard is working.

I did blow the case out (it was not too bad after approx 1.5 years...). Next time I'll check the connections.