[dwolnie]

I have a Presario 7RPME2 that is about 4 years old, and I have updated to XP SP2. I have a cold-start problem which is more annoying than a problem. When I cold-start, my Compaq screen shows, I hear the beep from the motherboard, then a black screen with white lettering tells me what is installed on my computer, that the USB ports are detected, and the keyboard is enabled. It wants me to press F1 to continue, which lets the startup go on as it normally used to do. I have made sure that all my connections are tight, and in the past I have replaced the keyboard. The replacement seemed to clear out the problem for about a year, then it started doing it again. If I remove the keyboard entirely, the same scenario occurs, but the screen description only stays a moment, and startup continues without my interaction. I routinely scan for viruses, ect., and have the XP firewall on. Could some mal-ware have caused this? Could a registry value be corrupted? I have not changed any drivers or other software, as all seem to be current and were working properly before.

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Welcome to G2G

Is the problem just that you get the 'Press F1 to continue' message every time? I assume the keyboard functions normally after that, right?

What ever the cause of this is, it won't be malware, registry or a driver issue because the F1 message is appearing as part of the bios's post test (i.e. before windows starts to load). Correct me if I have this wrong obviously.

Normally, you only get this message if some hardware has been added or removed but it's normally accompanied by a message telling you whats changed.

Are you using a PS2 keyboard or USB?

[Samm]

Welcome to G2G

Is the problem just that you get the 'Press F1 to continue' message every time? I assume the keyboard functions normally after that, right?

What ever the cause of this is, it won't be malware, registry or a driver issue because the F1 message is appearing as part of the bios's post test (i.e. before windows starts to load). Correct me if I have this wrong obviously.

Normally, you only get this message if some hardware has been added or removed but it's normally accompanied by a message telling you whats changed.

Are you using a PS2 keyboard or USB?

[dwolnie]

Yes it happens every time now. I added a new scanner a few months ago, and it didn't happen then. It just starts on it's own. The device manager says that the keyboard is current and running properly. The only other thing I am wondering is that a Microsoft keyboard has a yellow exclamation under the same drop-down, but I checked and it says that the device is disabled. I have tried, but I can't remove that entry. The keyboard I have is the original style that came with the computer (USB) which works just fine, and the mouse is an optical one that I replaced instead of the old ball-roller style. That is a replacement I got from Compaq, and it has a PS2 connection. I have also checked the BIOS settings, and it seems OK to me.

[Samm]

Can you just confirm for me that this F1 message definately appears before windows starts to load please?

[dwolnie]

Yes it does.

[Samm]

OK, have you checked that USB Legacy Support is Enabled in the bios?
I believe this setting is under the Advanced menu in your bios.

[dwolnie]

What I have looked at seems OK, but I can't say for sure.

[Samm]

Just double check that setting when you can. I can't promise it will solve the issue but its worth a go.

[dwolnie]

Thanks for the help. I'll look and get back tomorrow.

[dwolnie]

Thanks for the help. I'll look and get back tomorrow.