USB Keyboard

[ptracton]

Hi-

I just downloaded a copy of Knoppix V3.8.2-2005-05-05. I am using it to boot a Dell Optiplex GX620 PC (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/optix_gx620?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd), that no longer has a hard drive. In normal booting, it gets to:

INIT: version 2-78-knoppix booting

and stops. There were no warning or error messages prior to this.

When booting in "failsafe" mode, the GUI comes up and the USB mouse works (very hard to control), but the USB keyboard does not. This PC does NOT have connections for the old PS/2 mouse or keyboard, so I have to use USB.

Anyone know how to get this to boot correctly? Or get the keyboard to work in failsafe mode? Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Phil

[Harry Kuhman]

I have removed your e-mail address from the above post. Please don't feed the spammers. Posting an e-mail address like this in public will quickly get it harvested and your e-mail account will become worthless. I hope I removed it in time, I know some harvesters get addresses from some sites within minutes of them being posted and the spam can start arriving within 10 to 15 minutes!

Assuming you gave this site the same e-mail address when you signed up then you will be notified automatically when there is a response to your post. If you want something sent to you privately ask others to use the "private message" feature of the forum. You could at the very least "munge" your address so simple automatic harvesting doesn't get it (like in myname at myisp dot com), but I suspect the harvesters are getting pretty used to detecting at and dot in the same line and most get those addresses too. Or if you feel a need to post an e-mail address, use a free disposable forwarding service address like one from spamgourmet.com (http://www.spamgourmet.com/).

As to your problem, I don't have a good answer. I don't have any ubs keyboards and so have never tried one with Knoppix. I use a USB mouse all of the time and it works fine for me. I'm not clear on why you "just downloaded" an old version 3.8 rather than a current 4.0.2, but it sounds like the problem could be on any version. If you have not yet I would try the testcd cheat code just to be sure, but it doesn't sound like a CD problem.

[ckamin]

ptracton:

You might be experiencing an issue with the system's bios or settings. If it is a Small Form Factor GX620, it is not unusual. You might try swapping the ports that you connect the peripherals to. Try using ports in different groupings even using one of the front port locations. You may need to enter the Bios setup to ensure that legacy support for USB devices is selected if it is available. To enter the Bios setup routine, press F2 or Ctrl+Alt+Enter repeatedly just after the machine is powered on and just after the keyboard lights turn on and off. The machine should then enter the Bios setup. Navigate through the menus and look for USB settings such as legacy support. Enable the setting and exit the bios while saving the changes. A Bios update might also be available to address the issue. Look at the Dell Support site, enter the tag number of the system and search through the updates or download section for Bios updates. Look at the notes pertaining to the update to see if it applies. Be careful about doing a bios update. It can cause more issues if it is done improperly or could render the system inoperable.

There is also a routine that Dell has for clearing the NVRam and defaulting to the original factory settings. Might work on your system, might not. Look here if the link works: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/tree?c=us&cs=04&journalid=0647DAECDF9E11DABED8CF6B734A58B6&l=en&s=bsd&treeid=040EBFB1D6E94C5DA008F95605D14C94
If the link doesn't work, let me know and I'll PM the details to you.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else offhand, except trying a different mouse or keyboard, or throwing it out and getting something more Linux Friendly.