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JG

John G. Achille

1 Message

22494

February 3rd, 2005 17:00

keyboard time out in BIOS

Dimension 8400
 
I have a problem with the keyboard in BIOS. It stops responding after a few seconds in any of the menus. I have tried using both a USB and wired keyboard but the same thing happens. I need to access the BIOS due to a hard drive failure in my RAID array. The keyboard and mouse function fine in XP.
 
Thanks for your help.

Majestic

9.4K Posts

February 4th, 2005 11:00

From your posting it sounds like you can access the BIOS Setup, but the keyboard stops responding when going through the menus.  If this is correct then you have a very unusual problem.  With USB keyboards the most common complaint is the inability to use the keyboard during boot up.  This can be resolved by switching the USB port that the keyboard is plugged into as one port is active as the system is booted.  Otherwise the USB keyboard will be inactive until Windows loads the necessary drivers.  Have you tried switching ports with the USB keyboard to see if it helps?  I am assuming that by the term "wired keyboard" you are referring to the PS/2 style keyboard.  With a PS/2 style you should experience no difficulties in using it to access and use the BIOS Setup. If a PS/2 keyboard is having difficulties then this might be an indication that your system has underlying problems with the motherboard.  I would contact Dell Tech Support to see if they have a solution.  If not, they can have the motherboard replaced if the machine is still under warranty.

dont_have_a_clu

207 Posts

May 29th, 2005 12:00

I am having the same problem, did you get your problem sorted out?

jempie

10 Posts

June 1st, 2005 19:00

I have the same problem with a Dimension 8400. The keyboard is a PS/2 style keyboard. It works fine in Windows/XP, but using the bios setup will always cause the system not to respond anymore after a while. The same thing happens when loading an OS, such as DOS, that uses the bios keyboard support instead of its own drivers. I've replaced the keyboard with another PS/2 style keyboard without any improvement. If it matters at all: the keyboards I am using are "AZERTY", not "QWERTY" keyboards. 

dont_have_a_clu

207 Posts

June 1st, 2005 20:00

i am having exactly that problem. im trying to reinstall windoes but my system seems to stop after a while.

Message Edited by dont_have_a_clue_about_computers on 06-01-2005 10:43 PM

Majestic

9.4K Posts

June 2nd, 2005 12:00

Jempie and Don't_,  try clearing the NVRAM to rule out any possibility that there is a conflict between the BIOS and the hardware.  To clear the NVRAM on your model's just follow this procedure....

  • Reboot system and enter the BIOS Setup by pressing F2.
  • Turn on Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and  Num Lock.
  • Press ALT+ E then ALT+ F then ALT+ B

dont_have_a_clu

207 Posts

June 2nd, 2005 15:00

Thankyou very much, I'll give it a go.

dont_have_a_clu

207 Posts

June 2nd, 2005 20:00

It actually worked for me, the keyboard system has stalled once. Well sort of, I'm trying to re-install windows and now I have a blue screen with a grey bar at the bottom that says "Processing information file...", its been on the same screen for hours. Any ideas?

jempie

10 Posts

June 2nd, 2005 20:00

Clearing the NVRAM was probably the first thing I've tried to resolve this. I doesn't help.

Thanks for the reply.

Majestic

9.4K Posts

June 3rd, 2005 12:00

Don't_,  I would try posting your problem with the Windows XP install over in the Software - Windows XP forum.  I've seen that problem come up a couple of times in the forums here and that forum would be the best venue in which to find a solution.

jempie

10 Posts

June 4th, 2005 14:00

I've finally discovered what causes the hang/lockup of my Dimension 8400 during BIOS setup. A Dell technician requested me to run the extended hardware test without any devices connected to the system except for monitor, mouse and keyboard. So I detached all my other devices and just for curiosity I tried the BIOS setup again and surprisingly the lock-up did not occur anymore.

I then started attaching devices to try and discover which one was causing troubles.  The problem only occurred when I connected a chipcard reader (Ingenico) to a very specific USB port: when the cardreader was attached to the lower USB-port of the 2 ports on the left-side of the Dell monitor, (with obviously a USB hub) the problem shows up, with any other USB setup there was no problem. I now use that lower USB-port for a Web Cam and don't have the problem.

I am still waiting for feedback from Dell, I am not sure they are still interested in pursuing researching what is the real cause of the problem.  

By the way the extended hardware test, which I did run, didn't show any problems.
 
Thanks all for the replies. 

Majestic

9.4K Posts

June 4th, 2005 14:00

And thank-you for posting back with an update.  Your information may help someone else in the future with a similar problem. 

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