# Keyboard Failure on boot. No mouse or keyboard functionality.



## SamTech

Hi,

I've got a Dell Dimension 9150 running WinXP SP2. The computer locked up and I did a hard restart. While booting up before Windows loads I got a "Keyboard Failure" message, but the screen goes away and Windows loads up normally. Normal, except my mouse and keyboard don't work. Both are USB devices and while the optical mouse is getting power, the num lock or caps lock lights on my keyboard won't turn on. I did a soft reboot by pressing the power button on my desktop, and the keyboard wasn't able to access setup, or BIOS while booting up by hitting or holding any keys.

The keyboard works on other computers, and other keyboards (USB) don't work on mine. I don't have a PS/2 port on my computer so I can only use USB devices. I've had the computer for over a year with few problems until recently: I just finished cleaning my computer from a malware infection the day before this error.

One thing of note, a couple weeks ago I had a similar error during boot up:
Keyboard Failure, Drive 0 not found: Serial ATA, SATA-0
Press F1 to continue or something like that. Of course I couldn't press F1 because of the keyboard failure. I opened my computer and checked the power supply to my hard drive, which was secure, and when I turned my computer back on it worked fine.

Anyway, any help or advice would be appreciated, or links to other threads where this problem may have been discussed before.


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## SamTech

I've tried a few things like resetting the CMOS and resitting all the cables, but no luck. I'm going to try and replace the motherboard or the hard disk.


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## Gravitychase

I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.

-Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.

-Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.

-Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.

-Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.

-Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


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## pbutler111

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


I just wanted to thank you SO MUCH for posting this here! I ran into the same problem last night and was in a panic. I was going to run out today and buy a new mouse and keyboard (even though the ones I have are less than a year old), and was terrified I'd never get the machine back up and running. Luckily I first did a Google search for "Dell Dimension 9150 Keyboard Failure" and your post was the first to pop up. I followed your instructions and everything was fine and dandy in under 3 minutes. Whew! 

THANK YOU!! ray:

Patricia


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## Barbarella

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


I registered here just to thank you for the great advice. It worked like a charm and didn't take but 5 minutes. That was after about an hour of freaking. It was 11pm here so I couldn't even go out and get anything to try and fix it. Thanks for posting your resolution!


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## Gravitychase

Thanks for the great feedback! Althought this was Dell's solution (and Dell's glitch) not mine, I appreciate both of you taking the time to give such a positive response to the post. Glad it helped.


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## Yaiwan

Thanks, the resolutions has helped more than once... I am curious as to is there any idea of what may cause it?


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## duckwg

My machine (Dell Dimension 9150 Windows XP SP2) suddenly developed this problem and the solution above worked for me too, although on boot-up I now get the message "Floppy diskette seek failure". The machine doesn't have a floppy disk drive. If I then hit F1 the boot-up continues successfully. I wonder how many extra keyboards Dell have sold on the back of this flaw.

Thanks for posting the solution. Now to solve my "floppy diskette seek failure" ...


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## fa1nt

duckwg said:


> My machine (Dell Dimension 9150 Windows XP SP2) suddenly developed this problem and the solution above worked for me too, although on boot-up I now get the message "Floppy diskette seek failure". The machine doesn't have a floppy disk drive. If I then hit F1 the boot-up continues successfully. I wonder how many extra keyboards Dell have sold on the back of this flaw.
> 
> Thanks for posting the solution. Now to solve my "floppy diskette seek failure" ...


mhmm i have that problem as well now..
ok my situation was i came home one day n my screen was blank n cpu was running. turned it off. turned it back on. started loading n then keyboard failure message came up then it automatically loaded the OS. i tried using a whole bunch of other keyboards but to no avail. i did the above procedure. turned it back on then same message appeared. then another message came up sayin the battery voltage was low. went out n bought the battery n replaced it. turned it back on then keyboard failure, battery voltage, computer fan and floppy diskette failure message came up. i just LOLd coz been havin a pretty bad day. turned it off for an hr. then turned it back on keyboard failure and floppy diskette messag still ther telin me to press f1 n f2 n so on. (the battery one disappeared guessin it took a while for the system to know it was a new battery and so did the fan one). now im just gna leave my comp off overnight without anything attached to it hopin itl reset itself... but if it doesnt .. ne hint of what i shud do next? it was good computer for a good 5 years but it had to stuff up now wen i have my semester exams tomorrow morning. thanks


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## tater911

OK. SO I tried the above method but to no avail. My situation is slightly different I think. My usb ports started failing some time ago, right about when I started getting the "keyboard failure" error. I still get power on the usb ports but nothing is recognized. I went out and bought a usb pci card and moved on with no problems. I needed to get into the bios and realized I could not as the pci card does not seem to be recognized until I get to the start up screen. After that, everything works wonderfully. Now I have gone and made a stupid error by removing the cmos battery while trying this method and forgot I would need to run the set up upon rebooting. Now I am totally locked out. Wonderful!!! Anyone have any ideas on how to get around this, and I am basically going to have to buy a new motherboard? Thanks in advance!


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## Dizzaholic

I just had a problem similar to this. I was in my REGEDIT and i was trying to fix my CDROM and DVDROM driver and it told me to delete UPPERFILTER and LOWERFILTER, then that lead me to problems with my mouse. My mouse doesnt move anymore, the cursor is still there but it wont move. Anyone know what to do? I guess it was something with my registry. someone help me!


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## tarashae88

Just wanted to say thank you for your fabulous service! 

I walked into this exact crisis at our holistic healing office today, and, by following these instructions, was able to get our main computer back up and running very quickly, and restore the peace and calm that our clients so appreciate.

I know where to look first for tech support in the future!


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## herman_hugeload

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


A bit belatedly....(a year later) but I experienced the same issue and while Googling around, discovered your most helpful post and wanted to extend my thanks for posting it.

The sequence you described worked exactly...1,2,3 - voila.

Caveat: After successfully booting (with a keyboard+mouse now enabled - yay!) it was necessary to re-enter the BIOS and select the boot sequence also seen in this thread eliminate the Dell trying to find its non-existent floppy "or hit F1 to continue" - ugh! Seems like when you correct one, you then subsequently have to deal with the other. No big deal.

Many thanks!!ray:


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## Peachezz

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.



*I tried this and it did not work I have Dell Dimension XPS....ready to scream.....help please...:4-dontkno*


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## henryxxl

Thank you so much for your help !

14 month after you have posted this terrific solution, I have followed your instructions and it fully worked.

I really apprechiate your great advice ! :4-cheers:

Henryxxl

*************************************************



Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


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## mohal

I have the exact same problem with my 9150, I followed the instruction but nothing happened, I installed a USB card from another computer I have and I can get the mouse and keybaord to work, but the USB ports are dead and the USB card does not want to let the scanner and other devices to work with it. any advice.


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## DCSWEDE

Thanks for all the great advice. Unfortunately, it does seem to work for me either and now I am really stuck.

I have a DELL dimension 9100 (not sure how big a difference it is to the 9150) and I tried the steps outlined above. Instead of booting up all the way to the login screen, it stops after the keyboard failure and then says it can't find my floppy disk. It appears that the CMOS reset worked, but it still can't find my keyboard. I have 8 USB ports and tried them all.

Does anyone have a suggestion? I am keen to give up on the box and get a new one, but then my questions is how easy is it to move the harddrive? 

Out of curiousity, is there a virus out there that can impact the use of the keyboard and mouse? Just wondering as the computer was acting a bit suspicious prior to this occuring. 

Thanks in advance for the support.

Regards,
Peter


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## rafcremer

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


Good evening,

My english is bad, but I was very happy when I discover this good advice !:4-clap: and repairing was very easy ! 

Thank you very much !

Raf


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## no_limtz

Anyone know if this will work on a dimension E520? I have the keyboard failure notice and when I get to my log in screen, there is no mouse or keyboard functionality. I have tried new a new keyboard and mouse to no avail. I pulled off the side panel of my computer, but don't know if the schematics are the same. It doesn't look like there is anything blue next to where the SATA 4 plug is. Please help. Eveything is on my copmputer.


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## wolfmancool

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


Thanks for the info. I was uninstalling USB devices and re-installing the chipset. I had run out of ideas. This also fixed a resolution problem for my client as well. ray::wave:


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## smorgan

SamTech said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've got a Dell Dimension 9150 running WinXP SP2. The computer locked up and I did a hard restart. While booting up before Windows loads I got a "Keyboard Failure" message, but the screen goes away and Windows loads up normally. Normal, except my mouse and keyboard don't work. Both are USB devices and while the optical mouse is getting power, the num lock or caps lock lights on my keyboard won't turn on. I did a soft reboot by pressing the power button on my desktop, and the keyboard wasn't able to access setup, or BIOS while booting up by hitting or holding any keys.
> 
> The keyboard works on other computers, and other keyboards (USB) don't work on mine. I don't have a PS/2 port on my computer so I can only use USB devices. I've had the computer for over a year with few problems until recently: I just finished cleaning my computer from a malware infection the day before this error.
> 
> One thing of note, a couple weeks ago I had a similar error during boot up:
> Keyboard Failure, Drive 0 not found: Serial ATA, SATA-0
> Press F1 to continue or something like that. Of course I couldn't press F1 because of the keyboard failure. I opened my computer and checked the power supply to my hard drive, which was secure, and when I turned my computer back on it worked fine.
> 
> Anyway, any help or advice would be appreciated, or links to other threads where this problem may have been discussed before.


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## mattsson

*Re: Keyboard Failure on boot. No mouse or keyboard functionality. A fix.*

Hi All,

I've been reading this thread with interest as my Dell XPS 400 - Win XP PC has been having a similar issue: "keyboard error" displayed on boot, no keyboard functionalty so I was unable to type my password on the login screen. Mouse worked OK though.

It was an intermittent issue, gradually happening more times at reboot. Yesterday ...

After unhibernate, got USB error & my Dell keyboard didn't work. Got "keyboard error" five times in a row after that on boot.

Tried new powered USB hub: plug in keyboard to that, no help. I might not have USB-connected the hub ???

Tried neighbor's Mac keyboard, it worked only once, but no "keyboard error" message on boot any more. Tried it plugged in to back of PC, front of PC, USB hub plugged in to front of PC. Tried same locations for my Dell keyboard, no help. That is, no "keyboard error" on boot but keyboard didn't respond to typing in my password.

What worked was: unpug everything except keyboard, mouse and monitor then boot. I was able to type in my password and finish starting up. To see how permanent this fix was I rebooted.

Keyboard still worked after plugging back in modem and DSL then booting.

Keyboard still worked after plugging back in a few more devices and booting.

Keyboard still worked after plugging back in all remaining devices and booting.

Each time the PC displayed messages about discovering new USB devices.
USB devices were not necessarily plugged into the same sockets as before.
Keyboard is plugged into the powered USB hub.

Time will tell whether the problem's permanently fixed, or if I have to play legos again with the USB plugs to get the PC to boot in the future.

Cheers,
Carol


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## Paulus_Cocu

This solution also works for the Dell Dimension 9200.

Problem:
USB Keyboard not recognized. Very slow cold boot. Windows 7 starts without keyboard and mouse.:sigh:

Solution:
Remove power cable. Press the on/off button for more than 10 seconds.

Restart and IT WORKS!ray:


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## The Governor

First off, thanks everyone for providing cures to this problem 

Dell Dimension 9100 - Windows XP:

I installed the software that came with the Flip Ultra HD and while trying this out noticed that my Logitech G15 keyboard wasn't responding (I'm not blaming the Flipshare software here, just detailing what happened).
I unplugged the keyboard and re-connected it. XP then informed me that the USB device was not working correctly.
After a really slow re-boot, there was no change so tried another keyboard with the same response. Things started getting worse and several other USB devices were suddenly not recognised. Re-booted again and now I have no USB working at all (no mouse, no keyboard) so I disconnected all USB devices and re-boot 

This time it freezes on the 'Windows is starting' screen.
So........... here I am and so grateful to those that have helped. 

The procedure that worked for me was unplugging and draining power by holding the on button for a while.

It pays to have more than one PC when you have these problems. Oh, and I un-installed the Flip software and re-installed. It works fine but I'll report back if it plays up.


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## PatPeter

Gravitychase said:


> I just had the same problem with my Dell Dimension 9150. I contacted Dell and was able to resolve the problem with this easy fix...as follows.
> 
> -Unplug the computer and disconnect all devices.
> 
> -Press and hold power button for 10 seconds to drain the capacitor to prevent electrical shock.
> 
> -Open computer case and locate the 3 pin jumper block (located next to the 4 SATA harddrive connection points on the motherboard). The jumper is blue and will be connected to two of the three pins on the motherboard.
> 
> -Remove the jumper block for a second (apparently this clears the memory?) then reconnect it back to it's original postion.
> 
> -Close it up and that should do it! The Dell tech guy said the memory was corrupted or looped and this procedure cleared it out.


I've had this post open in my browser for 6 months (I save my tabs). I also joined just to say THANK YOU. This has not only helped my with my keyboard, but also when I switched from a 32-bit operating system to a 64-bit operating system to reset the memory as bugs still occurred. Thank you.


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## fonola

The simple and easy tutorial sent by Gravitychase works also with Dell Precision 380. This procedure took about 3 minutes.


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