Tech: Stupid keyboard!

Subject: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 11:52 AM

OK, OK, I know it's a bad workman that blames his tools but our new keyboard is silly. The function pad has, in the bottom left corner, where delete should be a POWER button! Three times now I have gone to delete something and powered the PC off :-( I have, for now, changed the function of the power button from power off to do nothing but anyone know of an easy way to reprogram the keyboard?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,#
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:06 PM

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/re-program-your-windows-keyboard-keys-simple-utility.htm

I don't know if that will be useful or not.

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:09 PM

I feel your pain, my home computer's keyboard is acting up with "t", if you don't hit it just right - nothing. grrrrrr

that's when the internet is gracious enough to actually connect without long pauses.... double grrrrr

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:30 PM

anyone know of an easy way to reprogram the keyboard?

Erm, letting us know what keyboard it might be a start...

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:33 PM

Sorry, above was me.

You really shouldn't have moved to the wrong side of the pennines...

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:44 PM

It's a keyboard that cost £3.50 from the charity shop. It says 'Turbo-Trak' on it. Any wiser now, Ed?

DtG

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 03:49 PM

"It's a keyboard that cost £3.50 ..."

Aaahhh! I think I know where your problem might lie!

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 04:06 PM

A little, thank you.

I reckon that you can google as well as I, so I probably can't add anything particularly worthwhile...

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: JHW
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 04:10 PM

Freind Alan told of a screen message he had
'No keyboard can be detected. Press any key to continue'

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 05:02 PM

"It's a keyboard that cost £3.50 ..."

Aaahhh! I think I know where your problem might lie!

Hey - Don't knock it Shimrod! I have had many a good buy from a charity shop. The no legged stool. The television with no screen. The comb with no teeth. Nothing wrong with them that a bit of fettling can't sort out...

Thanks, Ed. I could Google, but why when I can Mudcat? :-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Tech: Stupid keyboard!
From: GUEST,Tony
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 06:02 PM

There are programs that can intercept the output of the keyboard and send a different signal to the computer. They're called Keyboard Macro Recorders or Macro Utilities. There are many free macro programs.

The idea is that you record a sequence of keystrokes, just like giving your phone a telephone number to remember, and then you assign a key (hotkey) to that recording. Then whenever you press that hotkey, that sequence of keystrokes is given to the computer instead of the original signal sent by that key.

So theoretically a macro program could let you use the Power Off key as the hotkey, and Delete as the sequence of keystrokes that are sent whenever you press it. But they usually have some restrictions on which keys can be used as hotkeys. It might be hard to find one that will let you use the Power Off key as a hotkey.

The Delete key on a keypad is usually a Delete key only when NumLock is off. When NumLock is on, it's a decimal point. Do you have another keypad key for the decimal point? If so, you could yank out that PowerOff key with a pair of needle-nose pliers and cover the hole with a piece of plastic and some epoxy.

Bear in mind that only a truly evil manufacturer, worse than Microsoft, would put a key like that on a keyboard. What you really should do is burn the keyboard in an air-tight container, because it's probably full of anthrax or something.