no keyboard on restart after crash

I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when the
"Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out as
soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way to
access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
different computer. Any suggestions?

"Barrie" <> wrote in message
news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
>I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
> Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when
> the
> "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
> non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
> disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out
> as
> soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way
> to
> access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
> different computer. Any suggestions?

Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is with
the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is enabled.

Thank you, Augustus. There seems to be two issues - the cause of the crash,
and the fact that I cannot use my keyboard to investigate it. I will try to
lay my hands on a PS2 keyboard (just gave an old one to goodwill :-)), and it
will be interesting to see if that does give me access. My BIOS does not
give me the opportunity to turn a USB keyboard on or off but, as I have been
using it all along and had not changed the BIOS settings, that does not seem
a likely direction in which to look?

"Augustus" wrote:

>
> "Barrie" <> wrote in message
> news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
> >I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
> > Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when
> > the
> > "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
> > non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
> > disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out
> > as
> > soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way
> > to
> > access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
> > different computer. Any suggestions?
>
> Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is with
> the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is enabled.
>
>
>

Barrie wrote:
> Thank you, Augustus. There seems to be two issues - the cause of the crash,
> and the fact that I cannot use my keyboard to investigate it. I will try to
> lay my hands on a PS2 keyboard (just gave an old one to goodwill :-)), and it
> will be interesting to see if that does give me access. My BIOS does not
> give me the opportunity to turn a USB keyboard on or off but, as I have been
> using it all along and had not changed the BIOS settings, that does not seem
> a likely direction in which to look?
>
> "Augustus" wrote:
>
>> "Barrie" <> wrote in message
>> news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
>>> I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
>>> Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when
>>> the
>>> "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
>>> non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
>>> disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out
>>> as
>>> soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way
>>> to
>>> access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
>>> different computer. Any suggestions?
>> Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is with
>> the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is enabled.
>>
>>
>>

Vista has a nasty habit of simply giving up on USB under mysterious
conditions. You can force a hard shutdown by pressing the power button
until shutdown; a cold start usually restores USB.

Q

"Quaoar" wrote:

> Barrie wrote:
> > Thank you, Augustus. There seems to be two issues - the cause of the crash,
> > and the fact that I cannot use my keyboard to investigate it. I will try to
> > lay my hands on a PS2 keyboard (just gave an old one to goodwill :-)), and it
> > will be interesting to see if that does give me access. My BIOS does not
> > give me the opportunity to turn a USB keyboard on or off but, as I have been
> > using it all along and had not changed the BIOS settings, that does not seem
> > a likely direction in which to look?
> >
> > "Augustus" wrote:
> >
> >> "Barrie" <> wrote in message
> >> news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
> >>> I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
> >>> Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when
> >>> the
> >>> "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
> >>> non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
> >>> disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out
> >>> as
> >>> soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way
> >>> to
> >>> access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
> >>> different computer. Any suggestions?
> >> Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is with
> >> the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is enabled.
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
> Vista has a nasty habit of simply giving up on USB under mysterious
> conditions. You can force a hard shutdown by pressing the power button
> until shutdown; a cold start usually restores USB.
>
> Q
>
Unfortunately that does not do the trick, Q, but thank you for your input.

Quaoar wrote:

> Barrie wrote:
>> Thank you, Augustus. There seems to be two issues - the cause of the
>> crash,
>> and the fact that I cannot use my keyboard to investigate it. I will try
>> to lay my hands on a PS2 keyboard (just gave an old one to goodwill :-)),
>> and it
>> will be interesting to see if that does give me access. My BIOS does not
>> give me the opportunity to turn a USB keyboard on or off but, as I have
>> been using it all along and had not changed the BIOS settings, that does
>> not seem a likely direction in which to look?
>>
>> "Augustus" wrote:
>>
>>> "Barrie" <> wrote in message
>>> news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
>>>> I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
>>>> Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and,
>>>> when the
>>>> "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
>>>> non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the
>>>> installation
>>>> disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go
>>>> out as
>>>> soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no
>>>> way to
>>>> access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
>>>> different computer. Any suggestions?
>>> Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is
>>> with the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is
>>> enabled.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
> Vista has a nasty habit of simply giving up on USB under mysterious
> conditions. You can force a hard shutdown by pressing the power button
> until shutdown; a cold start usually restores USB.
>
> Q

Tell that to Frank. He doesn't believe that Vista has any problems at all
with USB. He'll stalk me here, and hence read your post. Of course there's
no guarantee that Frank, the Usenet Village Idiot will be able to
understand what you wrote.

Cheers.

--
A PDF Book for Windows Users new to Linux:
http://www.suseblog.com/dl.php

How a Windows Firewall protects your computer:
http://tinyurl.com/2z9qdn

AlexB (another Vista expert): "I ruined at least 5 or 6 installations of
Vista before I realized what was going on."

Contact AlexB to find out how to "delouse" your Vista system.

It is quite possible the keyboard failed.
Use another and see if it works.
I have seen keyboards at walmart for under $10. It never hurts to have a
spare.
Sometimes a power fluctuation will corrupt the BIOS, but that is so rare I
hesitate to even mention it.
Usually if a USB keyboard is good, it will get you into BIOS even if it
doesn't work in Windows.
In some machines BIOS, you have to 'enable legacy device support' to make a
USB keyboard work.
--
A Professional Amateur...If anyone knew it all, none of would be here!

Change Alpha to Numeric to reply
"Barrie" <> wrote in message
news:133E6A52-A51F-4C56-AA80-...
> Thank you, Augustus. There seems to be two issues - the cause of the
> crash,
> and the fact that I cannot use my keyboard to investigate it. I will try
> to
> lay my hands on a PS2 keyboard (just gave an old one to goodwill :-)), and
> it
> will be interesting to see if that does give me access. My BIOS does not
> give me the opportunity to turn a USB keyboard on or off but, as I have
> been
> using it all along and had not changed the BIOS settings, that does not
> seem
> a likely direction in which to look?
>
> "Augustus" wrote:
>
>>
>> "Barrie" <> wrote in message
>> news:8B90E756-07C6-4625-8405-...
>> >I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
>> > Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and,
>> > when
>> > the
>> > "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
>> > non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the
>> > installation
>> > disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go
>> > out
>> > as
>> > soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no
>> > way
>> > to
>> > access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
>> > different computer. Any suggestions?
>>
>> Grab an old keyboard with a ps/2 connector. I assume that the issue is
>> with
>> the USB keyboard. Check to make sure the USB keyboard on boot is enabled.
>>
>>
>>

"Barrie" wrote:

> I am using Home Premium. After uninstalling Acronis True Image and
> Installing Shadow Protect, my system crashed. I had to reboot and, when the
> "Safe Mode....Start Windows normally" list appeared, my keyboard was
> non-functional. the same happens when I try to boot from the installation
> disk. The keyboard *is* seen BIOS phase of start up but the lights go out as
> soon as Windows starts. Now I am stuck with a crashed system and no way to
> access it. (the mouse does not work either). I am posting this from a
> different computer. Any suggestions?

I have solved this after a great deal of trouble and head-scratching.
Without going through the play-by-play, a PS2 keyboard and mouse gave me
access. Then I solved the problem on about the3 seventh run-through with the
Vista installation disk "Repair your computer" utility. At first, it told me
that all was well but the system just crashed again, so I persisted. Thanks
to all who responded to what was a very frustrating 36 hours!