Troubleshooting Erratic Keyboard Behavior in MS-DOS (94008)


The information in this article applies to:
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.01
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0a
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.2
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.21
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.22
This article was previously published under Q94008

SYMPTOMS

After you install MS-DOS 5.0 or later you may experience keyboard problems.

WORKAROUND

Use the following procedure to troubleshoot keyboard problems in MS-DOS:

    • Add the line SWITCHES=/K to your CONFIG.SYS file.

    SWITCHES=/K forces the system to use conventional keyboard functions rather than the extended keyboard functions.

    MS-DOS versions 4.x and later read information from extended or enhanced (101- and 102-key) keyboards differently than from standard (84-key) keyboards. This allows MS-DOS to determine information such as which ENTER key is pressed on enhanced keyboards.

    Some older terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs that hook into the keyboard interrupt don't recognize there are two ways to read from enhanced keyboards. In MS-DOS 4.x and later, it is possible for TSRs (and other applications) to fail because of how MS-DOS reads from enhanced keyboards.
    • If you are using ANSI.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS file, add the /K parameter. For example: 
          device=c:\dos\ansi.sys /k
    This has the same effect as step 1. The /K switch must be used in both places if you are loading ANSI.SYS.
    • Load KEYB.COM.

    At the command prompt type the following:

    keyb us,,c:\dos\keyboard.sys

    If this corrects the problem, add the command to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file after the PATH statement.
    • Test HIMEM.SYS.

    If you are using HIMEM.SYS, remove this device driver to determine if the problem is being caused by the A20 handler. If it is, add the switch /cpuclock:on to the DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file, or test different machine switches. For more information about machine switches, see the section titled "You receive a message that HIMEM.SYS is missing or not loaded" in Chapter 9 of the "MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" for version 5.0. If you are using MS-DOS 6 or 6.2, type "help himem" (without the quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER.

    If your computer is not on the list of machines, you are not sure which number to use, or the machine number for your computer doesn't correct the problem, try these machine numbers in the following order: 1, 11, 12, 13, 8, 2-10, 14-16.
    • Check the BIOS.

    If the manufacturer is AMI and the last two digits of the serial number are K7, the BIOS can cause problems with the keyboard in Windows and on networks. An upgrade to K8 may correct the problem.

MORE INFORMATION

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Modification Type: Major Last Reviewed: 5/10/2003
Keywords: KB94008
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