[syslinux] USB Keyboard

[Nazo]

On 6/10/07, H. Peter Anvin <hpa at zytor.com> wrote:
> Nazo wrote:
> >>
> > Sounds like you should probably try Redinger's suggestion of a BIOS
> > downgrade.  For what it's worth though, most USB keyboards support the
> > PS/2 keyboard protocol.  If this is being too much of a problem, you
> > might wish to buy a USB-to-PS/2 adapter and use your keyboard in
> > legacy mode to begin with.  You loose the ability to safely hotswap
> > devices (you can still do it, but it's dangerous to the system and
> > keyboard both,) but you would at least have a working keyboard in low
> > level environments.
> >
>
> It's not dangerous.  Every keyboard or motherboard built since at least
> the introduction of the Windoze keys have had proper overcurrent
> protection and can be safely hotplugged.
>
>         -hpa
>
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I don't know, I've broken a keyboard that way just a few years ago.
(The plug on the board was terribly weak and would come loose far too
easily.)  I realize both the controllers and keyboards have improved a
LOT since then, but at the same time companies love to skimp out on
quality and it's really not for the best to test one's luck IMO,
especially not when normally you can just use USB which is designed to
handle hotplugging.

On 6/10/07, H. Peter Anvin <hpa at zytor.com> wrote:
> Tim Bates wrote:
> > Nazo wrote:
> >> For what it's worth though, most USB keyboards support the
> >> PS/2 keyboard protocol.  If this is being too much of a problem, you
> >> might wish to buy a USB-to-PS/2 adapter and use your keyboard in
> >> legacy mode to begin with.
> > Didn't he say the PC has no PS/2 ports? So that won't work.
> >
>
> Pretty impressive screwup to release a machine without PS/2 ports and
> with broken USB keyboard support in the BIOS.
>
>         -hpa
>
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Oops, my apologies, you're right.  He did say that.  Wow what a stupid
screwup.  A lot of keyboards out there today are still PS/2 only...
Then to break USB legacy support guarantees those systems will fail to
function correctly in a lot of situations...  Frankly at this point
I'm inclined to say that it's time to start talking to Dell about
this.