new keyboard causes failure

[Xaos23]

Hi all,

I recently got a new keyboard, one of the Sunbeam lite up deals, but its causing some craziness. I remove all the current keyboard drivers and shut down, plug in the new keyboard, start up, and theres immediately a keyboard failure. So I figure its not seeing the keyboard and run the setup CD and restart...keyboard failure again. I then checked the driver in the keyboard section of the control panel, but it lists none. Then, I went to the device manager, and there is not even a keyboard option, its missing (whereas it was there before with the old keyboard). I went into add new hardware and all of that, but it doesnt find the keyboard, nor does it find the driver on the CD that came with it, it only shows the folders on the CD and the autorun.inf, nothing else. Since it doesnt show a driver in the keyboard properties, I cant install the 'generic' microsoft 102/103 keyboard driver or whatever it is. The setup runs smoothly and installs the keyboard hotkey manager and everything just fine apparently...

Now, another kicker. If i plug in my old keyboard again and restart, it finds the generic drivers and reads the keyboard just fine like before (I was also using the generic drivers before)...If I then plug in the new keyboard, it WORKS, just fine, hotkeys and everything...but then if I restart with the new keboard plugged in while reading the drivers, keyboard failure again...so anybody know whats up? Ive done everything I know to do and have found no way to resolve this. Also went to the manufacturers website, but there are no drivers for download.

Im running a Dell 8100 with WinXP Pro

[glc]

If you are getting that behavior with the generic keyboard drivers, the keyboard is defective. Exchange it for a new one. You don't have a driver issue, it's a hardware problem. Any keyboard will operate with generic drivers, and if there's a keyboard error at POST the keyboard itself is bad.

[Xaos23]

Thanks for your reply and advice glc.

Before I return it I am going to try it on a friends computer sometime over the next few days and see if it works. If it doesnt then I'll be returning it, if it works, then my friend will be buying a new keyboard, heheh.

I also had the idea of getting a PS/2 to USB adapter and try it that way although Im sure that will be pointless if its the keyboard, so it probably won't work, but I suppose it won't hurt to have a new adapter either.