BleepingComputer.com: Keyboard and mouse stop working

At first I thought this was just some error with Windows, but it's gotten worse and I'm certain it has to be a virus. Whenever I start up my computer my keyboard and mouse stop working. But not right off the bat. The computer recognizes them and lets me use them for a bit. Now, whenever I start up the computer I hit escape and choose the right hard drive from the boot menu. In the several years I've owned this thing it has never let me actually change the boot order in the BIOS. I don't know why, every computer has its quirks so I just sort of dealt with it. So I go to the boot menu, and lately if I hit the arrow keys too soon the keyboard stops responding immediately. If I wait a few seconds, I can scroll down to the correct HDD and boot up and the computer runs fine. So I've been trying to find a fix, but haven't been able. Now it's gotten worse all of a sudden, and when I do start up Windows itself, I can use my mouse and keyboard for a few minutes before they stop responding anyways. So I tried to start up the computer in Safe Mode, but I can't get to the option. After I select the boot drive and hold F8, the menu comes up and I can only hit the up key a couple times before the keyboard stops. I've tried repeatedly, there's just no getting into Safe Mode. I'm pretty much out of ideas, here.

I'm running Windows XP Pro. If you can help at all, it would be greatly appreciated. Let me know any information you need.

Edit: Okay, so I'm not completely locked out of the computer. As long as I leave them alone for awhile after booting Windows, it seems like the mouse and keyboard won't deactivate once I start using them. Though I still can't get into Safe Mode. Anyways, I may have been jumping the gun about this being a virus, but it's just really weird. I have never heard of something like this happening. Freaked me out, I guess. In any case, it's still a problem and any help would be welcomed.

This post has been edited by Amedeus: 04 September 2010 - 11:49 PM
Reason for edit: Nothing at this point suggests malware, so I'm moving this to the Windows XP forum. ~ OB

At boot time the keyboard and mouse are under the control of the BIOS. Since you can't save a boot order either than I would look to see if a newer BIOS revision is available.

Amedeus

Look in the Event Viewer and see what errors are showing up at the time that this is happening. Each error will have its own date and time shown.

Start> right click on My Computer> Manage> Event Viewer.

On the right side of the page you will see the options Applications, Security, and Systems, double click on Systems. There are eight columns on this page, the three that you will want are Type, Date, Time, and Event.

The errors will appear in the Type column, they are red dots with a white X inside of them.

Warnings will appear as a yellow trinangle with an exclamation mark inside.

When you see an error, double click on it and see what the description is.

Please post the error code/s found in the Event column and the descriptions back in this topic.


Baltboy

Updating the BIOS is something that you only do if there is a change or technology that the BIOS isn't up to date with.

During the POST the keyboard and mouse are queried, and once they pass and the operating system opens they are now controlled by the operating system.

This post has been edited by dc3: 06 September 2010 - 03:00 AM

That is not totally true. BIOS updates are also done when there are other issues with hardware of the current generation which happens more than manufacturers would like to admit. The fact that he cannot save a boot order in the BIOS is not a common or wanted occurance which says something is either wrong with the BIOS code or that the devices he is using conflict with the BIOS code. Both of those issues will more than likely be cleaned up by updating the BIOS especially if he has an early revision. Also since he says the keyboard locks up during the times he tries to adjust the boot order it is still under control of the BIOS at this time.

Or it could be as simple as needing a new CMOS battery.

If these industry secrets were so prevalent they wouldn't be so obscure in a technology that is so much in the public eye, at least one would think?

7026
The following boot-start or system-start driver(s) failed to load:
ftsata2

7000
The npkcrypt service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

32003
The Network Address Translator (NAT) was unable to request an operation of the kernel-mode translation module. This may indicate misconfiguration, insufficient resources, or an internal error. The data is the error code.

1001
Your computer was not assigned an address from the network (by the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 0040055559FC. The following error occurred:
The operation was canceled by the user. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

4
Error loading virus definitions.

4321
The name "WORKGROUP :1d" could not be registered on the Interface with IP address 192.168.1.2. The machine with the IP address 192.168.1.4 did not allow the name to be claimed by this machine.

1003
Error code 100000d1, parameter1 0000800c, parameter2 00000002, parameter3 00000000, parameter4 b3603386.


The rest are just those repeated a bunch.