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OT: Computer freak out... Mouse and keyboard was not working

RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,249
edited December 1969 in The Commons

Hey Folks,

Well I just had a very bad scare. I was booting up my computer and for some reason I got allot of disconnect sounds upon booting in. Then everything keyboard and mouse related was just not responding. I have my computer set up on a fast boot so it bypasses the BIOS and goes right into the log screen so of course I had NO WAY to force the system to go to the BIOS via the Delete key so there was in the endless boot issue with constantly restarting the system.

I finally had enough and just shocked it by unplugging it from behind. Then after a moment back at the boot screen, about ready to either cry or scream (or both) I hit a key and the logon screen popped up suddenly and the mouse was working.

Not sure if it was the shocking shutdown that got the system back recognizing the peripherals or what but I wanted to check in with the gurus here to see if there are any tests I can do to suss out what may have been the cause. Makes me think there may be an issue with the USB ports.

I'm pretty sure I don't have a virus but I guess I can check for that too. Hmmm. upon looking in the Windows update dialog there is one for a Malicious Software Removal Tool that wasn't there this AM and a Cumulative Security update and 7 other security updates. So pershaps there has been some viral activity.

I'm going to install them and hope for the best.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much!

Richard

Comments

  • Lissa_xyzLissa_xyz Posts: 6,116
    edited April 2015

    Unplug your power cord, open your case up, and pull your CMOS battery for a minute or so. This will reset your bios. Although it will stop the fast boot and let you access it again to check things out, it will also reset everything else you may have customized (overclocking, ram speed, etc).

    /edit
    Unless you're on Windows 8. I hear booting to the login screen and holding shift through another reboot will force the bios to come up.

    Post edited by Lissa_xyz on
  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,249
    edited December 1969

    Hi,

    Thanks for the tip about the battery. I completely forgot about that. Yea, I'm on Windows 8.1. Things seem back to normal again but boy that scared he bejeezes out of me.

    Thanks Vaskania!

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    USB or wireless?

    A lot of times, if there is a USB problem, it can be something tiny and not repeatable, it won't actually reset until the machine is completely powered down AND either the switch on the power supply is turned off OR the machine is unplugged. This is because the USB is still getting powered, even if the machine has been shut down. Keeping power to USB devices allows things like turning on your computer with a button on your keyboard.

  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,249
    edited December 1969

    Yea, both the keyboard and the mouse is on the USB ports. Interesting thing too is I have an older logitech marble mouse+ that I use in case of stuff like this happening and it plugs into the old PS-2 port.... completely not working. Not sure what's going on there either. Weird night last night. I was counting on that older mouse to just function but for what ever reason Windows or the BIOS don't have those drivers in memory. Any way to fix that?

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    The only way I can think of...now that the usb is working. Shutdown, unplug the USB mouse, plug in the old PS/2 one and boot. Windows should then load the drivers...

    My daughter is the only one with Win8.1 here...and that's on her laptop, so I'm not entirely sure how Win8.1 treats 'missing' drivers. I do know that when I tried that with switching a mouse on a Win7 machine (wireless with dead batteries, but didn't know THAT) it took a lot longer than I expected it to take for the mouse to actually activate.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,805
    edited December 1969

    Most USB mice come with a PS/2 adaptor, so you could use that to plug your USB mouse into the legacy socket if you don't have a spare (which wouldn't help if the mouse was faulty, of course).

  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,249
    edited December 1969

    Tried that... didn't work. Not sure what they changed in Windows between 7 and 8 but the two mice used to have both drivers loaded at all times. Now it's just the USB drivers for the newer mouse. Weird.

  • RAMWolffRAMWolff Posts: 10,249
    edited December 1969

    Just tried taking the Logitech USB dongle and plugging it into the USB to PS-2 adapter and plugging it into the PS-2 slot in the back ... nadda! That port appears to be non functional.

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