# Auxiliary Error? Keyboard not found? for XP



## pArtyiNfo4aLL (Jul 29, 2006)

Someone recently gave me a computer and told me it has Windows XP, a 20 or 40GB HD, 512MB of memory, and a wireless network card. The only things I could verify are the XP and the wireless network card (external) because the computer gives me "auxiliary error" and "keyboard not found" messages. Both (keyboard and mouse) have regular connectors, but the mouse originally had a USB connector (has an adapter making it a regular connector). :4-dontkno How do I make this computer recognize the mouse and the keyboard? I tried to connect the mouse using the USB and it didn't work. Hooking up a mouse and keyboard didn't work --- it gave some message about needing to turn the cmoputer off immediately. I did and put back in the mouse & keyboard that came w/ it. When I turn the computer on now I see the "auxiliary error" message and then Windows XP loads. But of course I can't do anything b/c the mouse & keyboard don't work. :sigh: Help please!


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Whatever you do, _*never *_unplug or plug a PS/2 keyboard or mouse into a computer while it is running -- you can damage the motherboard.

If you have a PS/2 mouse & keyboard -
1) Power down, & unplug the power cord of the PC.
2) Remove any adapters from the mouse or keyboard connectors (use the connector originally built into the cord)
3) Remove any non-PS/2 mice or keyboards.
4) Plug in the PS/2 keyboard into the PS/2 connector closest to the outside of the PC case (it may be colored purple to help identify it). Make sure the pins aren't bent, and that the plug is oriented to match the plug exactly (the pins make an exaggerated C shape).
5) Plug in the PS/2 mouse into the PS/2 connector closest to the inside of the PC case (it may be colored green to help identify it). Check the pins and plug orientation for the mouse as well.
6) Replug the power cord, and restart the computer into Safe Mode, tapping the F8 key while the computer is powering on.
7) Check in Device Manager for devices with yellow exclamation marks or red Xs. If you see any, post that info here.
8) If the system seems to be able to do basic work in Safe Mode - such as type in WordPad, view files in Windows Explorer, etc. ... you can then try rebooting normally.

Make sure you have a firewall, antivirus, and antispyware running before you connect the computer to any networks or to the Internet.

Best of luck,
. . . Gary

______________________
If you only have a USB mouse & keyboard, borrow a PS/2 keyboard. Power off & unplug the PC. Remove any non-PS/2 keyboard. Plug in the PS/2 keyboard. If you only have a USB mouse - at least make sure that it is plugged into a USB port that is located directly next to the PS/2 ports. Plug in the power cord, and restart the computer. Immediately upon power on, start pressing the key mentioned in the startup banner for your PC -- "Press F1 (or F2, F10, or DEL, etc.) to Enter Setup". Once in the Bios Setup screens, look for a menu item concerning "USB Legacy Support" -- and make sure it is set to "Enabled". Try booting to Safe Mode, as decribed above. If all is well, after testing by shutting down & restarting a few times, you can then replace the PS/2 keyboard with the USB keyboard (when the power is off and the power cord unplugged, of course). It should then work OK. Try to use one of the USB ports located directly next to the PS/2 connectors. That should fix things.

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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