Member Avatar for hwaniblu

My computer's motherboard got toasted so I replaced it with new one.
Everything is still attached just like before. The hard disc(with windows XP installed), CDROM, same 1gb DDR RAM(checked the new motherboard's compatibility and it should work fine).. etc.

Now, whats interesting is that I checked CMOS setup and nothing was wrong.
USB support/legacy support, blah blah were all enabled.

Keyboard works before it loads Windows XP. I can navigate through CMOS setup and everything.
Once it loads Windows XP, it shows "please reactivate your windows because your system hardware has been heavily modified since last boot".
Thats when keyboard and mouse don't work. Im assuming something is going on between the windows and USB.

THEN, I decided to just re-install Windows XP, so I put in the good old GateWay recovery CD.
I went into CMOS setup again, made the computer to boot to CDROM before the hard drive.
Now, the computer reads the CD from the CDROM just fine, but I can't use the keyboard again once it reads it.

I have no friggin' idea what is going on. Somebody please help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

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Short summary and a practical troubleshooting path.

The behaviour you described (keyboard/mouse work in BIOS but stop once XP takes over) almost always points to an OS driver/hand‑off problem rather than a hardware failure or Windows activation. Activation prompts do not deliberately cut off input devices. Since several people here already suggested trying alternate ports/keyboards (, , ) and mentioned chipset/USB drivers, follow a methodical flow to isolate whether this is Windows, vendor recovery media, or firmware/driver mismatch.

  1. Quick hardware check: boot a Live Linux or WinPE USB/CD and confirm keyboard works there. If it does, the motherboard/ports are OK and the problem is Windows.
  2. Safe Mode and boot log: press F8 -> Safe Mode (or Enable boot logging). If keyboard works in Safe Mode, disable non-Microsoft startup/services (msconfig) and look for third‑party input/keyboard utilities. Check C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt for drivers that failed to load.
  3. Remove ghost drivers: open a CMD and run set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 then start devmgmt.msc. In Device Manager choose View -> Show hidden devices and uninstall greyed‑out entries under Keyboards, HID and USB controllers (these are often left over from the old motherboard).
  4. Registry/driver checks (backup first): if comfortable, inspect HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt and keyboard/HID service entries to ensure they are not set to Disabled. Also run sfc /scannow or chkdsk from Recovery Console if files may be damaged.
  5. If Windows still won’t accept input: avoid OEM recovery media (it can include vendor drivers that expect original hardware). Use a retail/standard XP install to perform a Repair install (in‑place) or a clean install so XP can bind correct chipset/USB drivers, then immediately install the new motherboard’s chipset and USB drivers.

Caution: back up the registry and important files before edits. If multiple keyboards and PS/2/USB ports already failed (as some have reported here), prioritize the Live CD test and then a repair install — that path resolves the majority of this exact symptom.

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Member Avatar for coolraj003

Hi

Maybe just maybe the copy of windows installed on ur machine was an OEM version. Now since you have changed the MOBO it would be void as it does not allow system critical changes such as Mobos, cpu etc. Now i think what u ll need is new drivers for the keyboard and mouse but that only once u ll be able to get ur windows working again, u know reactivate it and stuff. Its a pain in the de rierre and i wish i could have put it in more comforting words dude.

Member Avatar for hughv

Is this a Gateway keyboard?
Try a standard keyboard, or a PS 2 keyboard.

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

My computer's motherboard got toasted so I replaced it with new one.
Everything is still attached just like before. The hard disc(with windows XP installed), CDROM, same 1gb DDR RAM(checked the new motherboard's compatibility and it should work fine).. etc.

Now, whats interesting is that I checked CMOS setup and nothing was wrong.
USB support/legacy support, blah blah were all enabled.

Keyboard works before it loads Windows XP. I can navigate through CMOS setup and everything.
Once it loads Windows XP, it shows "please reactivate your windows because your system hardware has been heavily modified since last boot". THIS IS NORMAL IF YOU MAKE SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES IN WINDOWS
Thats when keyboard and mouse don't work. Im assuming something is going on between the windows and USB. TRY USING A PS2 KEYBOARD, OR SWAP THE SLOTS BETWEEN THE KEYBOARD AND THE MOUSE.

THEN, I decided to just re-install Windows XP, so I put in the good old GateWay recovery CD.
I went into CMOS setup again, made the computer to boot to CDROM before the hard drive.
Now, the computer reads the CD from the CDROM just fine, but I can't use the keyboard again once it reads it.

I have no friggin' idea what is going on. Somebody please help.

TRY THE STEPS ON RED

Member Avatar for markymark

Hi there, I have exactly the same problem and cannot work out what is wrong.

The mouse is fine, just the keyboard won't work once Windows starts.

I have tried 3 PS2 and a USB Keyboard but still nothing???

PLease Help!!!!

Member Avatar for caperjack

Hi there, I have exactly the same problem and cannot work out what is wrong.

so you changed to a new motherboard ,did you install chipset drivers and usb drivers for the new board

The mouse is fine, just the keyboard won't work once Windows starts.

so you can get around in windows with the mouse but the keyboard will not function correct .

I have tried 3 PS2 and a USB Keyboard but still nothing???
PLease Help!!!!

thats really weird ,one or the other should have worked ,especially on a new mother board .

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