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Is there a way to load PS/2 Keyboard driver (only) in WinXP at bootup?
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Tiger-Heli:
I am using a KeyWiz (PS/2) in a desktop control panel, with a separate keyboard plugged into the USB port using a PS/2>USB adapter.

Under Win98, the PS/2 Keyboard driver was always loaded, so I could start the computer with no PS/2 Keyboard installed, hot-plug in the KeyWiz and all was fine.

I have been testing out WinXP, and all works fine, except the KeyWiz will not work unless it or a PS/2 keyboard is connected at bootup.

I tried turning off USB keyboard support in BIOS and that didn't help.

I plugged the keyboard into the PS/2 port, restarted the computer, and the keyboard
jcrouse:
Be aware that a PS2 port carries power. It is not a good idea to "hot-swap" PS2 devices while the system is powered on. Many mobo's have been fried that way.

Just a heads up,
John
Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: jcrouse on October 25, 2005, 03:20:02 pm ---Be aware that a PS2 port carries power. It is not a good idea to "hot-swap" PS2 devices while the system is powered on. Many mobo's have been fried that way.

--- End quote ---
Understood - still want to find a way to do it - - -.
RandyT:

--- Quote from: jcrouse on October 25, 2005, 03:20:02 pm ---Be aware that a PS2 port carries power. It is not a good idea to "hot-swap" PS2 devices while the system is powered on. Many mobo's have been fried that way.

--- End quote ---

The USB port carries power too, but that's not the issue.  The keyboards were most likely the cause of these events.  In the old days, keyboards were heavy-duty beasts of steel, epoxy and power-hungry discreet logic.  Plugging and unplugging them with the power on caused surges that were just too much for the wimpy fuses on the motherboards.

Todays keyboards require a tenth or less the power, have circuitry to buffer surges and many motherboards even have self-resetting fuses on the PS/2 lines.

The chance of anything bad happening to a motherboard built in the last 7 or 8 years is very, very slim.  In fact, every instance I have ever heard of involved not the more modern PS/2 style keyboards, rather the old 5-pin DIN style AT and XT keyboards and motherboards of similar age / decrepitude.

This has been discussed at length in other threads.  As I've stated before, I have personally hotswapped PS/2 devices on my test system no less than 7,500 times at current and it's still working fine (although the connector is not as tight as it used to be for obvious reasons.)

But YMMV ;)

RandyT
_Iz-:
what happens if you leave the keyboard connected to the ps/2 port and hot swap the keywiz control panel using the ps/2->usb converter?

-or-

just don't boot the computer without either the keyboard or the keywiz connected to the ps/2 port...
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