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USB keyboard problem on very new hardware


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#1 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 01:42 AM

Hello, I know this has been tackled many times, I have read many threads about this with no result. I have an Asus p9x79 mobo with no ps2 ports, a few usb2 ports and many usb3 ports.

I have installed grub4dos on an usb drive, with some isos I routinely have to boot from, but very often my usb keyboard doesn't get recognized and I have no ps2 port to try with another one.

It's not a bios problem, because sometimes it actually gets recognized. Legacy support is on in the bios.

So I was wondering if there's any way this could be fixed, or any working alternative to grub4dos. I tried grub24dos but I don't know how to install it on an usb drive.

This shit is driving me mad.

#2 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 11:18 AM

Can you give more details about the 'very often my usb keyboard doesn't get recognized'.

So sometimes it works and other times it does not? So when does it work and when does it not? Are particular ISOs the problem? Does the grub4dos menu always work? Can you always get into the BIOS using the keyboard? etc. etc.

The more accurate details you can post, the better chance you have of getting a response! If many people had this issue then it would be a known 'bug' - since most people don't have this issue you need to give as many details as possible.

#3 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 12:25 PM

Ok, sorry. I meant that googling around I found many threads in other forums pointing to similar problems, i.e. usb keyboard not working in grub4dos.

This is what happens. I reboot the system and the keyboard is always recognized by the bios, it always works in the bios and boot menu. Actually I always use the boot menu to choose the usb key with grub4dos on it. The motherboard has a new x79 chipset, it is UEFI and has no ps2 ports.

So I choose the usb key, the grub4dos menu appears and the keyboard won't work in any way. Sometimes it works, it's completely random as far as I can tell. Say it works once every ten tries. I tried changing ports, using usb2 and usb3 but the behavior is consistent.

If I load a Win7pe iso by letting grub4dos load the first item in the list, the keyboard will work just fine in Win7pe even when not working in grub4dos.

So basically it doesn't work in grub4dos menu, although very rarely it does. Switching off the system seems to help, meaning that if I switch off the pc, wait a minute and switch it on again (without turning off the psu) the keyboard will usually work in grub4dos, but not always.

#4 pscEx

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 12:29 PM

So basically it doesn't work in grub4dos menu, although very rarely it does. Switching off the system seems to help, meaning that if I switch off the pc, wait a minute and switch it on again (without turning off the psu) the keyboard will usually work in grub4dos, but not always.

Did you already think about a mechanical issue with your keyboard plug / cable etc.?

Peter

#5 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 12:35 PM

Did you already think about a mechanical issue with your keyboard plug / cable etc.?

Peter


I would find it strange, since the keyboard works fine in all instances except for grub4dos. But I would try out another keyboard, problem is I have no other usb keyboard around, only a ton of ps2s. And all my friends have ps2s... I have a couple of wireless keyboards with usb dongle though, I will try them out and report back.

#6 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 12:45 PM

First see if there is a BIOS update for your board. Next ensure UEFI is disabled if possible. If all else fails, try adding Plop to the grub4dos boot menu and setting the default to run Plop - when Plop loads, select HDD to reboot back to the USB drive again and then press a cursor key to stop the auto-boot to Plop again - now see if it works? This is just an idea, but Plop has it's own USB driver and may 'fix' the issue... :dubbio:

default 0
timeout 5

title boot to Plop
kernel /plpbt.bin

#7 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 12:54 PM

P.S. Try changing around the USB ports. I would unplug all USB devices except for the keyboard and USB boot device. Then try plugging the kbd and USB boot device into different ports. I have seen issues where certain combinations lead to timing problems (in my case it was an Intel mbd - USB kbd + USB webcam + USB mouse - only certain ports would work - I sent USB webcam to Intel and they produced a BIOS fix for it).

#8 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 01:23 PM

Ok, I'll try all of this out and report back in a few. I don't think I can disable UEFI, because I have two 3TB drives in the system, and they are formatted in a way which I don't think would work without UEFI. Anyway, when I choose the usb key in the boot menu, I have two options, one with UEFI enabled and one with no UEFI. The one with UEFI doesn't even load the grub4dos menu and goes straight back to windows 7 boot.

#9 sambul61

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 02:05 PM

Update G4D to the latest version. Another cause may be your Grub4DOS Menu has some commented lines instead of commenting an entire menu section - it often hangs G4D. Use this single command to comment a menu section: |= 0x10

|= 0x10 title Victoria FDD (RAM)
map --mem (hd0,5)/Floppy/VCR352L.ima (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)
map --floppies=1
boot

Why are you listed as Deactivated?

#10 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 02:23 PM

Update G4D to the latest version. Another cause may be your Grub4DOS Menu has some commented lines instead of commenting an entire menu section - it often hangs G4D. Use this single command to comment a menu section: |= 0x10

Why are you listed as Deactivated?


This is my menu, there are no commented lines.


timeout 10

default 0

title Win7PEx64

map (hd0,0)/Win7PE_x64.iso (hd32)

map --hook

chainloader (hd32)

boot

title ShadowProtect4

map (hd0,0)/ShadowProtect4.iso (hd32)

map --hook

chainloader (hd32)

boot

title Win7Ultimate64

map (hd0,0)/7u64it.iso (hd32)

map --hook

chainloader (hd32)

boot

title MemTest86+

map (hd0,0)/mt420.iso (hd32)

map --hook

chainloader (hd32)

boot

title CommandLine

commandline



title Reboot

reboot



title Halt

halt


I've tried out Grub4Dos latest stable version and also a couple of experimental versions from 2010. Same behavior. Moreover G4D itself doesn't hang, I'm sure of it because if the keyboard doesn't work it loads the first iso in the list anyway.

Oh, I have no idea why I'm listed as Deactivated :dubbio:.

EDIT: I may be onto something with the switching usb ports bash suggested by steve6375, be right back.

#11 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 02:40 PM

Ok, this is definitely informagics.

I tried out the switching usb ports suggestion first, and after removing all usb peripherals except for keyboard and usb key, the keyboard worked at each try.

So I tried moving things around, but with all peripherals attached the keyboard had the same bad behavior as before.

Then I removed peripherals one by one, and I discovered that the usb hub embedded in my monitor is the culprit.

Now, it's not that simple though: if I remove the hub when I'm into g4d and reboot into g4d, the keyboard will work. If I replug the hub and reboot g4d again into g4d the keyboard will work (it's downright absurd, I know).
If I reboot from windows into g4d with the hub plugged, the keyboard won't work.

So it looks like w7 does "something" to one of the usb peripherals plugged into said hub (an old scanner and a printer), so that when I reboot from windows there's some kind of bad interaction with my keyboard. I guess I'll just unplug the damn hub whenever I need to boot with grub...

#12 pscEx

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 02:44 PM

:clap:

Peter

#13 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 02:53 PM

On a restart, the BIOS will enumerate all USB devices to see what kind they are (e.g. boot devices, kbd, mouse etc.). The BIOS will enumerate these in a specific order and any USB 'packets' on these ports will cause interrupts. Some devices may be slow to respond after a 'reset' and this may confuse the BIOS USB enumeration which means it may not detect some devices. You may find that if you plug the USB monitor connector into a different port (and you may need to try ALL the ports, not just one) then it may enumerate the USB devices better. It is just a question of making a table on paper and then fill it in with the results as you try each combination. Note that two devices may work, but adding a third may make the 2nd one undetectable. Also, a kbd in port 1 and a USB drive in port 2 may behave differently from the USB drive in port 1 and the kbd in port 2.

Basically, any change in device or port could affect enumeration...

#14 laddanator

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:06 PM

This is just an idea, but Plop has it's own USB driver and may 'fix' the issue...


Don't think PLoP supports USB keyboard and mice

#15 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:08 PM

Don't think PLoP supports USB keyboard and mice

sure, but they idea was that it may force the USB devices to be re-enumerated by the BIOS (if not immediately, then on a restart) as it does try to access USB ports.

#16 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:12 PM

What I tried was "isolating" the keyboard: there are 4 usb2 ports and a bunch of usb3 ports on the mobo's back panel. Then I have a slot with 4 more usb2 ports (still mobo connectors). I tried connecting just the keyboard to the topmost usb2 ports, then to the slot but the result didn't change. Then I tried moving the hub around to both usb2 and usb3 ports, but I still haven't found a working configuration. Since I have many usb peripherals and yet more usb ports, I hope the number of permutations won't send me to a mental ward before I need to boot from grub again. :)

Anyway, thanks a lot for all your help. Great forum.

#17 pscEx

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:20 PM

Please do not understand as recommendation. This "dangerous" behaviour I only perform on my PC:

What I sometimes do in "unsolvable" situations:

- Create a backup
- Delete a complete registry key like "mounted devices" or "USB" or "USBSTORE".

Peter
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#18 laddanator

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:23 PM

sure, but they idea was that it may force the USB devices to be re-enumerated by the BIOS (if not immediately, then on a restart) as it does try to access USB ports.


This is true.

#19 sambul61

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:33 PM

Cooperdale

Why you don't have empty spaces btw G4D menu sections? Such "small" things may be important. Where did you download G4D from - the link?

You must be deactivated for a reason... :smiling9: What happens when you press "Like This" Button?

#20 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:18 PM

Cooperdale

Why you don't have empty spaces btw G4D menu sections? Such "small" things may be important. Where did you download G4D from - the link?

You must be deactivated for a reason... :smiling9: What happens when you press "Like This" Button?


Actually there are empty spaces, they disappeared when I pasted the text as code. Anyway, this is where I got G4D: http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/

I don't know, it's been a few years since the last time I posted here. When I press Like This it says I've reached my daily quota, which apparently is 0.

#21 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:20 PM

I recommend http://code.google.c.../downloads/list - try 30-12-2011 download :dubbio:

#22 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:21 PM

When I press Like This it says I've reached my daily quota, which apparently is 0.

No worries there then - same as me!

#23 laddanator

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:38 PM

steve6375. I see a new grub4dos 0.4.6.a. What was changed from 0.4.5.b? More Keyboard support?

Never Mind...now I see test only

#24 steve6375

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:42 PM

steve6375. I see a new grub4dos 0.4.6.a. What was changed from 0.4.5.b? More Keyboard support?

Never Mind...now I see test only

Yes test only, but I think it is a major change - xlated from chinese...

A major change
1 added exFAT partition.
2 to grldr.mbr compressed to 16 sectors.
3 increase from the CD-ROM root directory to find grldr function. Grldr can be the first 2 or grldr.mbr cdrom as the boot sector code.
At this point should be to copy grldr to the root directory of the disc.
4 Fixed an ext2 boot code. This error led to an indirect block read two problems.
5 increased clears the keyboard buffer function. If you wait for the first time, press the keyboard keys, then when the second buffer are content to wait for keys, mistakenly thought to have keys.

Two general changes
1 incorporates the FAT12 (16), FAT32, exFAT, EXT2 boot code, accounting for a total of 2 sectors.
2 Bootstrap program is to drive the original order, after the floppy disk. Now change the preconceptions of failure and then exchange.
3 the order of the original query grldr is:
1. Hd0, 0 hd0, 1 ... hd0, n hd1, 0 hd1, 1 ... hd1, m ... fd0 then loop again.
2. Fd0 hd0, 0 hd0, 1 ... hd0, n hd1, 0 hd1, 1 ... hd1, m ... then loop again.
Now changed to:
1. Hd0, 0 hd0, 1 ... hd0, n hd1, 0 hd1, 1 ... hd1, m ... fd0 mbr.
2. Fd0 hd0, 0 hd0, 1 ... hd0, n hd1, 0 hd1, 1 ... hd1, m ... mbr.
4 incorporates three check the hard disk partition table code.
5 combined the two disks using int13/02 read the code.
6 read the partition boot code (0-1-1) code using the exFAT read the disk.
7 assistant using a hard disk memory markers to determine the implementation of the partition boot code or try to check the next partition.
Intuitive judgments than cf, easy to understand.

Three in README_GRUB4DOS.txt added instructions in English.

#25 Cooperdale

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 05:24 PM

I recommend http://code.google.c.../downloads/list - try 30-12-2011 download :dubbio:


Thanks! Tried it out, there's also a 1-1-2012 version! The behavior's still the same though.




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