Desktops General - Read Only

[flyung]

Have had no problems with my 5 year old Dell Dimension 2400 until the Logitec keyboard (PS2) suddenly refused to work. I tried it on another computer and it worked; the keyboard from the other computer did not work on the Dimension 2400. I cleared the CMOS settings and that didn't help. All 4 diagnostic lights are green, indicating computer should be functioning properly. The battery tests normal. Numbers lock lights up on the keyboard, and stays on. None of the other keys work so obviously I cannot enter my password or use any of the function keys. Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated!

[nidhin0816]

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.

[flyung]

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?

[nidhin0816]

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!!

[flyung]

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. 

[jackshack]

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.

Message Edited by JackShack on 08-15-2008 02:36 PM

[The_Namek]

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.

[flyung]

I tried the function key as per the black screen before the Windows screen came up but it would not respond to the keyboard.

[flyung]

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.

[The_Namek]

It's looking as if the problem is indeed with the PS/2 ports. Do you have another mouse that's PS/2 to test in the green port? That would definitively indicate whether the mouse port is actually working or not. Regardless, this is pointing to you needing to switch to a USB keyboard too unless you're OK willing to buy a PS/2 port expansion card to use your current keyboard with. These are both workarounds to keep you from having to buy a new motherboard over this.