Thread: No usb yet no ps/2....

  1. #1
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    No usb yet no ps/2....

    My brother-in-law runs a small pc repair/resale business and occasionally runs into problems where he needs my help. The problem he ran into I don't know how to resolve (easily). A machine he's fixing needs a bios setting to utilize a usb keyboard. Not uncommon at all. However, the machine doesn't have any ps/2s so that one could just plugin a good old ps/2 keybaord. The only reasonable solution I can come up with is do a bios flash with a bios that contains usb support as a default. Of course in fairy tale land such things exist but here in the real world you will never find such as specific bios. To make matter worse it is an old gateway system and I can't identify the mb anyway.

    Any advice? (Quick note: yes i tried clearing the bios from the jumper on the mb).

  2. #2
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
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    so hold on...back the truck up here...let's get this straight before we continue...

    the computer has USB ports, but no USB support?
    and it has PS/2 support, but no PS/2 ports?

    what about old school keyboards (what are they called...AT...ATI...ATX...something like that)? Does it have one of those ports?
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  3. #3
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    They are called AT and no.... that would be nice. I said the same thing. As it turns out there was a power supply problem (it died) and the best I can figure it changed some of the bios settings off of what they were.

    [edit]Quick note: I looked at the mb and there appears not to be any pins to add a ps/2 either! I realize that this person may just have to bite the bullet and buy a new mb but it would be nice to fix this one.
    Last edited by master5001; 03-02-2004 at 01:18 PM.

  4. #4
    5|-|1+|-|34|) ober's Avatar
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    No, it would not be nice to fix it. You and your brother-in-law are wasting both time and money. Stop spending hours trying to fix an obsolete piece of garbage. The time you've spent thus far trying to fix the old one has, I bet, more than doubled the cost of a replacement board.

    Get a clue. Buy a new one.

  5. #5
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    Well put. I think we put maybe an hour and a half into it and his mb supplier sells a decent model for around $60. Since he charges roughly $50 an hour and asked for my help I think you nailed the situation perfectly.

    Incidentally, by "it would nice to fix it" I was speaking more of the accomplishment rather than the customer needs to have their PIII mb back.
    Last edited by master5001; 03-02-2004 at 02:36 PM.

  6. #6
    ¡Amo fútbol!
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    Pull out the battery in the mobo to reset the bios.

  7. #7
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    Tried that too... Apparently the default bios aren't set up for a USB keyboard.

  8. #8
    PC Fixer-Upper Waldo2k2's Avatar
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    well just for giggles, i'd say there'd HAVE to be a bios utility put out by gateway. How do you think they put the bios info in there anyway? Had to be some sort of boot disk they used at the factory...but yeah...just buy a new one.
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  9. #9
    Banned master5001's Avatar
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    I'm sure gateway just flashes new bios when this problem occurs. Of course, since the power supply caused the problem who is to say bios wasn't corrupted (evidence does suggest otherwise though). Nonetheless, I am more interested in the answer for personal educational reasons. My brother-in-law did offer the client a new mb and they did accept. The bottom line is that knowing the answer to the question wouldn't have any negative value. Even if the answer involved something cost ineffective at least I'd know all the options.

  10. #10
    PC Fixer-Upper Waldo2k2's Avatar
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    you can physically install a new bios chip on the board if it's old enough.
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