No keyboard/mouse at log-in screen

mickeddie

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Dec 9, 2004
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I'm attempting to troubleshoot a machine I built for someone a while ago, and the keyboard works during POST (to get into setup, select safe mode) but at the Windows log-in screen neither one works! The OS is Win XP Pro.

Any suggestions on how I can log into this machine?

BTW, the symptoms are graphical so of course my first thought is to update the drivers, and check for viruses.

Thanks!

Eddie
 

johnnyq1233

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If your Keyboard and mouse are usb then you have to enable the usb keyboard/mouse feature in the bios.
That's why it works on post but not on login screen!
Hope this helps.
 

mickeddie

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I thought of that after I put the machine away (as I'm at work and cannot play with it more right now). I didn't think that was it since the original configuration WAS for usb...I'll check it out later.

Thanks!
 
I had an MSI board once that actually disabled the USB ports, and the USB keyboard/mouse options when you reset the BIOS. (seemed kind of backwards to me) But after you cleared the BIOS, you had to have a PS2 keyboard to get back in and turn the stuff back on. I have an old el-cheapo PS2 keyboard I keep around just for this for this problem.
 
Try unplug/re-plugin the keyboard and mouse and see if that causes windows to autodetect them. It's possible the default drivers dissappeard somehow, re-inserting everything after windows starts should get them working again.

If its a optical mouse and ps/2 keyboard though, then something else is off...
 

mickeddie

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It's a USB mouse/keyboard. The person has a password at log-in and I without the keyboard working I cannot log in to let Windows auto-detect.
 
Try re-plugging them in at the login screen. It worked for me the other day when I tried to uninstal some old drivers for my headset, and accidentally deleted the entire USB hub listing! Once i re-plugged in my keyboard/mouse at the login screen, they were detected almost instantly.
 

Jeff Fahlman

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I had this problem with my newly installed ASUS P8Z77-V trying to boot up an old install of Windows XP. First i had problems getting windows to start which was changing SATA to IDE setting in bios to a frozen keyboard and mouse at the login screen. To fix the login screen i had to change the FAST BOOT settings in BIOS to full-initialization instead of the partial-initialization. Fixed.