Dimension 2400 Keyboard Failure

Try a usb keyboard, you might be having a bad ps2 port

Or else purchase a ps2 to usb connector to use the existing one itself and try.

Thanks for the suggestion. When I tried that just now (usb keyboard in a ps2 connector in that port) I got a series of high pitched beeps from the computer, the D diagnosic light turned amber, and the BIOS message indicated keyboard controller failure and Diskette 0 seek failure.    After removing it and plugging the ps2 keyboard into the port again, all diagnostic lights were green and the windows screen came up. Of course the keyboard  still didn't work.  Odd that the numbers lock light comes on, so it's not totally dead.  I'm about to buy a wireless keyboard.  Any suggestions?

I will never buy a wireless keyboard for a desktop computer. Because of the fact that all basic setup is on keyboard for a computer and if anything goes wrong with the wireless keyboard you cannot do anything.

For example if you have a no boot issue and the pairing of the keyboard is disturbed most of the times the manual pairing will not do any good and you cannot do anything untill and unless you have a wired keyboard.

The concept of wireless keyboard is for Laptop computers so that the user can have stress free usage of the keyboard. Remember the fact that laptop computers do have built in keyboards and anything goes wrong with the wireless one they still have an alternative.

Think wisely and invest. Good Luck!!

Thanks for the advice.  I'll keep trying to solve the problem with this Dimension and am glad I have other

computers to use in the meantime!  I had not really checked into wireless keyboards but thought it might be a solution. Perhaps I will get some more suggestions from others who may have had the same problem.  I have another Dell and an ancient HP as well as a newer laptop but have never had a keyboard problem before. 

flyung,

Have you tried plugging the keyboard into the PS/2 port that's labeled for the mouse? I know that at some point Dell reportedly made some modification that made it so keyboards would only work in the blue port & mice in the green one (not sure what method they used to do this) but the 2400 may have been released before this occurred. If PS/2 keyboards will work in the green port and you plug your mouse into the blue port & it stops working then you'll know the PS/2 port meant for the keyboard is in fact defective.

One thing I don't see in your posts; have you tried going to setup (F2 on starting the computer) and navigating the setup menus?  If you can do that perhaps the keyboard driver in Windows is what's giving you the problem.  You might be able to restore it if your mouse still works by going to the Device Manager and removing the keyboard from the list to see if Windows will reinstall it on the next start-up.

Edit:  Oops, you have a password.  I guess that means you can't get to the F8 startup menu, either.  You might have some luck with a repair installation with the Windows installation CD.

My mouse is USB but I tried plugging the keyboard PS2 into the green port and it didn't work, and I got message "Error 8602 Auxiliary Device Failure" along with the usual "Keybord Controller Failure" and "Diskette Drive O Seek Failure" and diagnostic light D turning amber.   After removing it and rebooting all diagnostic lights are green again.   Next I plugged an optical mouse into the green port so I could tell whether it was getting power, and the red light on the mouse lit up briefly but then went off.

In case it means anything, the numbers lock light on the keyboard will still light when I hit the numbers lock key and will now go off and on when I depress and release the key, but nothing else indicates any "life" in it.

Right, we'd already established the problem wasn't with your original PS/2 keyboard. Using a known good USB keyboard resulted in the same Diskette Drive 0 seek failure error as when you plugged another PS/2 keyboard into the green PS/2 port? That error occurs if a floppy drive is malfunctioning or if there's no floppy drive physically installed in a computer but the floppy drive controller is turned on in BIOS. Do you have a floppy drive in your 2400? I don't recall you mentioning whether you were able to access the BIOS at any point during your troubleshooting but if you can go in there and check the Diskette Drive A setting under Drive Configuration. If it's on & you have no floppy drive in the system then turn it off. See if the system will boot up normally & the USB keyboard will work after this.

When you used a USB keyboard did you try plugging it into several different USB ports (including the one you keep your mouse plugged into) after you got the Diskette Drive 0 seek failure error?

Motherboard was the problem and I was able to get a refurbished one from Dell for $129.99

and now the computer is working great again!

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions, they were much appreciated!

Thanks- I had just thought of this and went online to do it and your suggestion popped up! I already got rid of the old keyboard as I hadn't thought of buying and adapter!