9.4K Posts

September 16th, 2005 13:00

Posting your Dell model would be helpful.  Have you tried using another PS/2 style keyboard?  At what point does the PS/2 style keyboard won't work..... for accessing the BIOS or navigating the BIOS menus?

September 16th, 2005 16:00

opps. my bad. Demension 8400. 3.4ghz.

I can enter the Bios. but it seems to lock up inside, so i cannot navigate. I did notice one thing... the number lock is on while booting... this doesn't seem to be a problem else where. But if I quickly hit the number lock to go off, hit F2 just before it goes to the windows loading screen, i enter the Bios like i normally would. But this time I can navigate the Bios, but only for a few moments, after that it freezes up once again.

duz this make sense???

thanks!

shelby.

9.4K Posts

September 16th, 2005 18:00

Were you able use another keyboard to rule out the possibility that the problem is with the one your using?  I try either another PS/2 style keyboard or a USB - wireless one and see what happens.

481 Posts

September 17th, 2005 21:00

I have had the same problem before using a legacy PS2 keyboard.
 
Thank you for searching the forums for an answer.  As you noted, almost all solutions assume one is attempting to use a USB device instead of a PS2 keyboard.
 
When I had this problem a week ago, the key to fixing it was to remove the battery from the motherboard.  Completely disconnect your machine from everything.  Then if you open up the machine and ponder the large green motherboard, you'll notice a 3v battery.  It's small and round and flat.  Note which side is up -- probably positive (+).  Make sure your body is grounded, and pop out the 3v battery with a pair of eyelash tweezers.
 
Leave it out for some moments, to allow for latent memory impressions to clear from the motherboard.
 
Pop it back again, fire everything up once more, and I'll bet a Simolean that your PS2 keyboard will function again in the BIOS. 

1 Message

March 26th, 2007 16:00

Thanks so much.  It solved my problem. I thought that it was a driver problem.  How did my BIOS get corrupted?
 

9.4K Posts

March 27th, 2007 12:00

Tall Jane, it wasn't a corruption of the BIOS.  What happened was that the removal of the battery cleared the NVRAM which contains information about the system's hardware along with the settings of the BIOS.  Since this stored information isn't permanent it can be corrupt by various glitches with the system.
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