Keyboard suddenly not working in WinXP, okay in DOS

[MaxD]

Hi folks,A coworker of mine has a problem with his home computer's keyboard. He left his computer running over the recent holidays, and when he came home he found that the keyboard produced no output in Windows. The Device properties of the keyboard showed a 'Code 41' Error, which also states the following:

Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)

A few internet searches have turned up a similar error on CD/DVD ROM drives, and a couple of instances of similar k/b trouble from 2006. In that instance, one person solved the problem by reinstalling XP, the other said that it was solved by removing an offending registry entry left over from an incomplete spyware removal.We tried the same registry edit as the spyware person, but it did not fix the problem. Before I suggest he try a repair, or failing that, a clean reinstall, I thought I'd ask if anyone had some better suggestions. Here are some details about what he's tried already:-The k/b is wired, PS/2. It is a Gateway brand device that he's used for several years.-He bought a $10 USB k/b and plugged it in -- it gets the same error.-Both k/b's work in a non-Windows environment (BIOS, DOS, etc.)-Deleting the device from the device manager does not fix the problem. The next time the device is detected and Windows installs a driver, Code 41 pops up again.-Following the spyware registry edit the USB keyboard no longer showed the Code 41 error, but still fails to produce output in Windows.-The spyware registry edit is as follows:

"I solved my problem by removing an item from the UpperFilters for the keyboard in the registry. It's under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4D36E96B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318 There was an entry for keykey which was leftover from spyware removal action."

-His machine is using McAfee Personal Firewall, does not have File/Printer sharing enabled, and is using McAfee VirusScan -- 8.5i, I think.-I don't have the details about his PC at the moment, but will post them as soon as I get them. I believe it is a Dell model with an Intel chip, probably a few years old. -He's got a broadband internet connection and uses a firewall router. -A virus scan turned up nothing.-The computer is set to auto-install MS security patches.-The old PS/2 k/b is probably not Plug-and-Play-The new USB k/b probably is Plug-and-PlayI just can't help thinking there is a setting somewhere that is causing us grief -- clearly the hardware is working fine, it's just some miscommunication going on in XP. Since the problem started without anyone at home, I'm guessing a recent security patch altered something or changed a setting. Any ideas? Anyone seen this error/behavior before? Thanks,-Max

[zlim]

Has he tried it in safe mode?If he can get to safe mode with a working keyboard, then he can use a restore point to go back before the error occurred.

[patio]

Check in services.msc from Start/Run that Human Interface Device service is enabled...

[MaxD]

Has he tried it in safe mode?If he can get to safe mode with a working keyboard, then he can use a restore point to go back before the error occurred.

I don't know, that's a good idea Liz -- I'll check with him and report back. I know he tried System Restore, but do not know if he was in Safe Mode or not. His explanation of his System Restore experience was a little confusing -- apparently when he first opened it up, he had restore points, but following a reboot he had no restore points. I should have paid more attention to that part of the story, I'm thinking

Check in services.msc from Start/Run that Human Interface Device service is enabled...

Thanks Patio, I've let him know and will report back when he's checked! -Max Edited January 10, 2008 by MaxD

[MaxD]

Okay, I've heard back and we've confirmed that the Human Interfaces Device is indeed running, and that the keyboard(s) work fine until Safe Mode takes control -- seems that when Windows starts running in either Safe Mode or regular mode the keyboards die. Also, he mentioned again that all of his restore points for 2007 appear to have been removed or deleted -- they're not showing up, anyway.It's tough to live without your computer when you're so used to using it every day -- he's decided to Repair/Reinstall XP over the weekend just to get it working again. It's been about 5 years since he rebuilt it, so I think he's probably better off doing a rebuild anyway -- will probably see a performance boost =).I'm still interested in this problem though -- if anyone has more thoughts or ideas about what could cause this kind of thing I'd really like to hear them. It seems to me that since the hardware is working outside of Windows, the problem is in the communication between the hardware and Windows, which means a driver, doesn't it? How many layers of software are there between the PS/2 port/USB ports (is that on the southbridge?) and Windows? -Max

[zlim]

What's weird is that neither a PS/2 nor a USB keyboard work. Those don't use the same drivers nor even the same connectors. My first thought it was a faulty PS/2 port but if it works in DOS then the hardware is okay.Tell him he'll just have to forget a GUI and go back to working in DOS! :hysterical:All the error 41s I searched had nothing to do with a keyboard so that's why I didn't bother posting any useless links.I'll have another look but this time forgetting the error code and concentrating on keyboard problems.Someone solved the problem by a unique work around. He installed a PCI card with USB ports and plugged the keyboard into that. The PCI card installed the needed drivers and the USB keyboard worked plugged into that. Later he removed the card and had the working keyboard.

some keyboards don't like usb2.0 so I disabled usb 2.0 support option in bios and the keyboard works.

Also make sure something like enable legacy USB devices is enabled in the BIOS. Edited January 11, 2008 by zlim

[goretsky]

Hello,I have seen a similar problem occur when mixing devices such as keyboards and mouses with USB and PS/2 interfaces together. I was never able to consistently reproduce the problem, but using just native USB or just native PS/2 devices without adapters might help. Also, if there is a KVM switch involved, removing that temporarily can help isolate the issue--some of them are incompatible with mouses that have wheels or multiple buttons.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky

[MaxD]

Thanks Liz & Aryeh, good suggestions all. I'm still waiting to hear how it went this weekend.I'm pretty sure he's not using a kvm, though it is likely he's been using USB devices along side the PS/2 keyboard. Both his older PS/2 keyboard and the new, cheap USB keyboard he bought to troubleshoot the problem are multi-media keyboards with various buttons that do specialized things. I'm pretty sure they both have supplemental drivers, and I don't know if they're blessed by MS.I suppose it could be that over the holidays MS released a security patch that disabled something the potentially unsigned drivers were using, which caused the Code 41 problem. Very inconvenient those restore points disappeared -- much easier to test that idea if we could roll back the system. It seems unlikely, though, that if this was triggered by a recent patch that there would be so few people out there experiencing the same problem.

Tell him he'll just have to forget a GUI and go back to working in DOS!

Yeah! Heh...um...well, to tell the truth, he probably doesn't even know what DOS is :blink:Heck, these days you date yourself by knowing what 'CRT' stands for Thanks,-Max

[mockingbird]

I don't know, that's a good idea Liz -- I'll check with him and report back. I know he tried System Restore, but do not know if he was in Safe Mode or not. His explanation of his System Restore experience was a little confusing -- apparently when he first opened it up, he had restore points, but following a reboot he had no restore points. I should have paid more attention to that part of the story, I'm thinking Thanks Patio, I've let him know and will report back when he's checked! -Max

Hi Max, and to readers:I'm a newbie, or as Scot says, "new kid". With 3 mos. passed with your coworker's Code 41 problem, and not reading every reply to that problem. Since I have found out computer can do weird things, make one setting, it'll modify one or more of my other settings. Hard to sort out with Firefox, Windows Xp/SP2 Home, and ZoomText (magnification software for low visioned) programs. I've an MS keyboard, was using roller ball PS/2 mouse, then replaced it last year with a new MS basic USB mouse. Getting tired of pointer creeping left and/or upwards, Recently, I plugged the roller ball PS/2 mouse without unplugging the USB optical mouse with computer on. Needless (?) to say, pointer/keyboard frozed. Unplugged the roller ball mouse, the optical mouse wouldn't work while it was still connected. Put the computer to "sleep" and turned it back on, the optical mouse worked....but still creeps and now getting tired of having minimized window suddenly shift out of view on me. I suspect the optical mouse is doing that, too, but did have some of that going on with roller ball mouse.MockingbirdYes, Liz, poor lil ol' me and you! We get problems don't we? (in reference I was going silent for a time).