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Tom_ZeCat
04-13-2010, 11:58 PM
Am I ever frustrated. My troubles began on my home-built Windows XP machine, which had been working fine for years. My Kapersky Antivirus had expired, so I bought a new copy on Amazon. I had Kapersky Internet Security 2010, but the one I bought was 2009. I thought I could just type in the product key and keep using 2010. No such luck. The code would not work. No big deal. I figured I could just uninstall KIS 2010 and install '09, then use the key code. I could either stick with '09 or install '10 over it and I would be done. KIS '10 uninstalled, though it froze for a while and took a long time. Then '09 installed and the product key worked. However, when I tried to update the definitions, it took FOREVER and then finally said it could not update. I tried over and over, but it would not work and said its database was corrupted. So I installed KIS 2010 over it. Then it was able to update the definitions, and I figured I was finally done. No such luck. I wanted to look and see what date my new subscription was good till, expecting to see today's date a year from now. Nope. It said something to the effect of “license undetermined.”

I had a bunch of work to do and didn't have time to fight with it. However, I planned to do a complete Acronis restore of my OS, applications, and all my data when I got the chance. Then I could install KIS 09, do the key code, and then install '10. But it could wait.

However, my problems were only beginning. My phone service is Magic Jack I had had it unplugged from the USB port while I fiddled with Kapersky. When I plugged it back in, my mouse quit working. I rebooted and it worked. Everything finally okay? Nope. The following day, I found my mouse was once again not working and so I rebooted again. I got the message that Windows could not start because “<Windows Root>\System32\ntoskrnl.exe” was missing or corrupt. And this right when I had a ton of work I had to get done. However, I'm well prepared for such emergencies. I keep multiple Acronis images of my entire hard drive, apps and all, and I religiously back up all my important data to an external hard drive. I figured I could either use Acronis to restore ntoskrnl.exe or I could just go ahead and do that complete system restore I had been planning to do anyway. So I boot to my emergency Acronis boot CD and Acronis comes up. However, I could do NOTHING because neither my mouse nor my keyboard works! Now it's getting extremely frustrating.

I reboot several times, but can't get the mouse or the keyboard to work when the emergency Acronis comes up. I try several times in multiple USB ports. This PC has four native USB ports in the back and two in the front. I can't get the mouse or keyboard to work in any of these. I also have two Belkin PCI-based USB cards in the back. I can't get keyboard or mouse to work in either of those either.

So I boot to an Ubuntu Linux CD. The keyboard and mouse STILL don't work in the native USB ports. Finally, I did get the mouse to work in one of the Belkin PCI USB ports. However, when I reboot to the Acronis CD, the mouse no longer works.

I'm at my wits' end. I'm extraordinarily frustrated because I'm much, much more prepared for computer disasters than the average computer user. All my data is backed up and I have multiple Acronis images, both on an external hard drive and on DVDs. However, I can't do anything about it if I can't get the keyboard and mouse to work in any of my ports!

Actually, I no longer have the Microsoft USB-based keyboard. I was so frustrated, I broke it in half over my knee. I do have an HP PS/2 based keyboard. That reminds me. I tried it and the mouse with its PS/2 adapter in that machine and couldn't get them to work either! This has been sheer frustration.

I did notice before any of this went down that my Microsoft keyboard was showing some bare wire from rubbing against my computer desk. I covered the wiring with duct tape. I notice the info on the error message does mention some things about keyboard problems sometimes causing these problems:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000646.htm

However, I'm not able to get any keyboard to work. Obviously I won't be using that keyboard anymore.

One more thing, and I'm not sure if it's relevant. About a week ago, the power supply went bad in this computer when my apartment's power went out and came back on. I had it replaced. However, after that, I didn't have any problems with any of my USB ports.

If anyone has any ideas on how I can get a keyboard and mouse to work so that I can restore this machine, I would be very grateful. I have an HP PS/2-based keyboard and two USB-based Microsoft mice, for which I have a PS/2 adapter if need be. I also have a USB to PS/2 adapter that I could use to plug this PS/2 keyboard into a USB port if need be.

I'm confident I can solve my Kapersky troubles once I get the keyboard and mouse working. The Acronis restore that I'll do will contain an expired Kapersky 7 on it. I should just be able to install my KIS 2009 and put the key code in, then install 2010 over it if I want to.

But I can't do any of what I want to do if I can't get a keyboard and mouse working. Any insight is appreciated.

Tom_ZeCat
04-14-2010, 12:00 AM
PS: Both keyboard and mouse are working fine on this Ubuntu Linux PC that I'm using to post this.

The Wise Monkey
04-14-2010, 02:35 AM
That it... strange. To say the least.

So it is just the combination of any mouse/keyboard on the original (not working) PC?

Tom_ZeCat
04-14-2010, 12:40 PM
That it... strange. To say the least.

So it is just the combination of any mouse/keyboard on the original (not working) PC?

Very strange for certain. None of them work when booting to the Acronis recovery CD. However, here's an update. When booting to an Ubuntu Linux 8.04 CD, I was able to get a USB-based mouse to work in a frontal USB port and in a port in each of the Belkin PCI-based USB cards. I did not try all ports, but the mouse worked in the first port I tried in each of those cases. However, it would not work in the native USB ports on the back of the computer.