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Question

Ps2 keyboard question

Apr 13, 2019 2:56AM PDT

Hi all!
If I remove a mouse or keyboard connected to the Ps2 port under Windows 7 and then I'll put it back in the ps2 port , will they work the same again? (I'm not adding a new keyboard and mouse, but the same.)

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
Should be fine after a reboot.
Apr 13, 2019 3:10AM PDT

I'm encountering folk that expect Ps2 connected devices to work with hot unplug/plug situations. No. You may have to reboot.

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Not a new periferial
Apr 13, 2019 3:18AM PDT

It's not an old machine. Not a new keyboard is connected, but the same keyboard is connected to what it was before. It only happens that it will disconnect and connect.

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If you change from your first post details.
Apr 13, 2019 3:30AM PDT

You'll have to write a little bit more. The top post appears to ask a common thing that upsets folk today about how Ps2 works for most PCs.

If you have a defective PC or Ps2 device, then that's something else entirely.

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this is a question
Apr 13, 2019 4:26AM PDT

There is a computer (Xeon W3670, 12GB DDR3, GTX750 Ti and windows 7) with Ps2 port on a keyboard with a mouse. If I remove the keyboard and then plug it back , will continue to work?(while running on windows 7) This is a question.

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I can't predict the outcome for this model.
Apr 13, 2019 4:48AM PDT

But most of the time here when the Ps2 port is unplugged you have to reboot the PC to get the keyboard to work again.

For your model you would have to test it as Ps2 doesn't do the same from PC to PC.

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Under Windows 7, when you plug out then plug the keyboard ,
Apr 13, 2019 5:03AM PDT

Under Windows 7, when you plug out then plug the keyboard , then it will work.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-okay-to-unplug-the-keyboard-from-a-PC-when-it-is-on<br>


Actually it’s 100% fine with any keyboard/mouse…

It’s when starting the PC with a PS/2 Device that is not plugged in that causes an issue. The BIOS doesn’t detect the PS/2 keyboard and disables the port until next reboot.

No Input or Output device is hurt by removing it while in operation!

If the PC is on and was using a PS/2 device you can unplug the input device and switch it out no problem it will work.

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Now I have to ask
Apr 13, 2019 5:41AM PDT

Why did you ask if you had this answer.

My answer is that it may not work till a reboot. I know this from experience so while I've yet to find a PC that killed the port or keyboard due to this, we know it's not reliable enough operation to try it.

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I think you misunderstand it.
Apr 13, 2019 6:19AM PDT

I think you misunderstand it.
This is not about having a new keyboard connected instead of the old one. You will disconnect the old keyboard and then reconnect it. That's it. Under Windows 7. And it works.

-PC ON (boot with ps2 keyboard and drivers)
-no keyboard replacement
- windows 7
-keyboard unplug than plug
-and it works fine.

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I understand this all too well.
Apr 13, 2019 6:44AM PDT

If you unplug and plug in a Ps2 keyboard while Windows 7 (or about any OS) then you might have to reboot to get the new keyboard to function. It's that simple.

You can't count on this to work on all PCs out there. If it works on yours, that's great but to state it works on all PCs just means you need more exposure to more PCs. But Ps2 is not how such is connected on today's PCs so this is legacy stuff.

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You didn't answer my question.
Apr 13, 2019 6:45AM PDT

Since you have your answer before you posted, then why ask?

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You do not understand.
Apr 14, 2019 12:53AM PDT

You do not understand. I put the same keyboard back that I used for years before and the pc started. Then why should you restart the pc once you have recognized the windows and installed it before? If I unplug then plug in, why should I restart the computer? It is a keyboard used for several years on the same machine. It's not about connecting a new keyboard!

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If I may butt in
Apr 14, 2019 5:22AM PDT

I've tested this on 2 machines using both Windows 7 and Linux Suse. On one machine, I can remove a PS2 keyboard, plug it back in, and continue typing. On the other machine, the PS2 keyboard does not recover once the plug has been removed. There are differences in these two machines. Both are several years old. Both are Asus boards but one is an old P7 and the other a Gen3 (Ivy Bridge?). I recall older boards having dedicated PS2 ports for mouse and keyboard and these were color coded to identify which was which. You could not reverse the two. My old P7 has only one PS2 connection dedicated for keyboard use. This one does not allow me to unplug the keyboard and plug it back in. The Gen3 board, however, has a combo PS2 port. It's 1/2 purple and 1/2 green and can accept either a mouse or a keyboard. This is the machine that allows me to unplug the keyboard and plug it back in using either Linux or Win7. The other does not. I'm using the same keyboard on both. It's an old Cherry 1800 that I absolutely love using.
I don't know what your PS2 jack looks like nor do I know your keyboard so it's possible that some combinations work but some don't. I'd be fairly comfortable saying that much has to do with BIOS as well. I do recall that early USB keyboards would not allow BIOS entry during POST. One had to use a PS2 until that was fixed. As well, power options were eventually added that allows "wake on mouse" or "wake on keyboard". It was a BIOS thing. So, I'd say the whole issue is a crapshoot and there are no answers that are always right or always wrong. Hope this helps.

Post was last edited on April 14, 2019 9:22 AM PDT

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Steven gets it.
Apr 14, 2019 8:21AM PDT

Arcus, Read Steven's reply. Your experience is limited to what you have so while it's nice it all works for your gear you can't extend that to all other PCs.

Post was last edited on April 14, 2019 8:21 AM PDT