PS2 keyboard not working

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

This isn't the first time I've had this problem, but it is the first time it's really upset me. This has happened on numerous livecd's.
I was trying to install off the Gentoo AMD64 universalcd, and it would load just fine up to the command line, where the keyboard would no longer respond. I mean dead. You could unplug it and plug it back in, and the * lock lights would flash a sec like normal, then it was dead to input again.
No, this is not a USB keyboard.
Yes, it's plugged in right.
No, there are no broken or bent pins.

Can anyone help me out with this?

The keyboard will work fine in Windows (like now), Debian Etch i386, and Debian Etch AMD64. The only livecd I've seen it work on is either PHLAK or miniPE, can't remember which.
My mobo is MSI K8N-Neo4 Platinum SLI with an AMD64 3500+ cpu.

Suer7reus · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 106

My desktop machine (old Athlon 1400 box) has a similar problem - keyboard and mouse (ps/2) both refuse to work on the first boot since a power-cycle. I turn on the power, pick (successfully, with the keyboard) an OS in LILO, and then boot into an OS, which I must then shut down with my serial mouse as that is the only one that works. Telling the computer to restart, however, (or using the restart button) does not cycle the power in quite the same way and therefore when the system comes back up the keyboard and mouse work properly. When I do finally shut down (all the way) and turn the system back on, we start over. Anyway, long story short, perhaps try a reboot without cycling the power? Good luck...

curtis119 · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:08 am Post subject:

hmmm that is very very odd. Have you checked the BIOS to see if there are any options that may be causing this? Is the BIOS old and need to be upgraded? Are you using the correct mouse driver in X? The liveCD's use auto-detection but it may not be detecting your mouse correctly. Some mice will not work with certain drivers like IMPS/2 vs PS/2 so that may be the problem. Also, is this some sort of special mouse or just a standard 2 button with a scroll wheel type mouse?

Check the Xlog on the liveCD's that work and see which driver it is using and then compare that to a liveCD that doesn't work. Are they using different drivers?
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sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

The mouse is Explorer/PS2, however it's my keyboard I'm trying to fix. I can't even login to install X and KDE.
Nothing in the bios that I know of is interfering with it.
I'll give the soft restart a try.

curtis119 · Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:53 pm Post subject:

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

No problem.
Anyone have any clue how I can fix this? It's getting quite annoying having to use Windows.

deluge · Apprentice Joined: 28 Jan 2004 Posts: 157

I had problems with hanging mouse .. try to disable in BIOS USB Legacy support ... works for me. But don't know if will work for you.

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

It's worth a shot.

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

No luck.

deluge · Apprentice Joined: 28 Jan 2004 Posts: 157

Try to run Ubuntu64 Live, and install gentoo from it

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

I have it installed right now, but the kernel is doing the same thing the livecd was.

mulangi · n00b Joined: 07 Feb 2006 Posts: 2

sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

Well, that would be all fine and great, except for one thing - SMP wasn't enabled in the first place. I built the kernel without it because I only have an AMD64 3500+, which is single core. I'm getting a AMD64 X2 4200+ soon, and will rebuild the kernel with SMP then. Until then, however, this thing is being a real biter about my keyboard. Unplugging it and plugging it back in doesn't work. If I knew the module name, and had another computer, I'd open a serial console and unload then reload the keyboard driver module. Unfortunately, my only other computer is out of comission with a bad HDD.

You did say it worked on a 2.4.x kernel - can I emerge the gentoo source for 2.4? If so, how would I set up the initrd? (needed because of a SATA hdd)

energyman76b · Advocate Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 2048 Location: Germany

Hi,

please don't plug your keyboard in or out while the pc is running. The PS/2 port was never built for this and can severly damage your board.

There are some reports like yours on lkml, maybe searching your favorite mail archive will give you some answers.[/topic]
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sylvisj · n00b Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 10

I don't have a mail archive...

curtis119 · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:43 am Post subject: