On Tue, 9 Jul 2019 04:25:08 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Eric Stevens wrote:

I have two computers. One a fairly recent machine I call Corsair based
on an Asus X00-AII with an i7-6800K CPU and the other being a nearly
10 year old Dell XPS something or other an i2-2600.

There's an Intel CPU family called "i2"? I remember i3, i5, and i7, but
not an i2. Are you calling the Core 2 [Duo] family as i2?

Sorry. An i7-2600.

Both are running Windows 10 Pro with the 1903 update. Both are
equipped with Logitech USB keyboard and mouse, although not the same
model. The DEll has very recently experienced a change of keyboard
and mouse.

Did you leave the PCs configured to use the embedded/default drivers for
the keyboards, or did you install the Logitech software for them?

They are probably on whatever drivrs Driver Detective fished out for
them Your point is a good one. I shall try it.

I remember back on my older PC (running Win7) that Logitech had two
different driver packages for their mice. The later one was called
Setpoint (don't remember the earlier one's name). Setpoint caused
problems with the older hardware, so I had to go back to the older
driver package (Mouseware perhaps?). As I recall, I got rid of Setpoint
on one PC and Mouseware(?) on the other PC because I didn't need any
extra features (I don't get mice with more than 3 buttons, so no need
for macro software to define the actions of them or others), and just
used the default or embedded mouse driver in Windows.

Since the update both machines have experienced keyboard problems but
Corsair has recently lost its mouse unti after a repair install and a
reboot.

You never identified the models of the keyboard an mouse? Are they
corded? Cordless? Use RF or Bluetooth? Use a unifying USB receiver to
handle both, or separate USB dongles for each device?

Uniied corded. If I have identified the model correctly Corsair has a
K520R and Dell has just been fitted with a MK270R.

If cordless, have you tried replacing the batteries?

Brand new batteries in all.

While the problem
showed up after the 1903 OS update, it's possible the batteries were
getting weak just before the update and now they're too weak after the
update.

I thought that was a problem with the Dell when I found the battery in
the mouse had ruptured and oozed inside he mouse. Cleaning it didn't
restore proper functioning and didn't cure the original propblem.
Hence the new mouse and keyboard.

The problem with Dell is that it does not respond to text entry until
some time after the machine has started. This makes password entry
(and hence logging on) difficult. At first you can type anything you
like and get absolutely no response. After two or three minutes you
will get a response but the first two or three characters are missing
and I have to start again. I have to watch the screen like a hawk to
ensure that the machine responds to each keystroke. After some time
the machine appears to respond normally.

I have not encountered this problem if I boot in safe mode. This seems
to suggest that with a normal boot one or more of the lesser services
are tripping over something and preventing Dell from detecting the
keystrokes. However whatever it is does not seem to interfere with the
screen cursor's response to the mouse.

I could go through deleting one service at a time and then trying
rebooting to see if that solves the problem. Howevere I have only a
few more years to live and I would be grateful for any suggestions
that might speed up the testing process.

Despite your witicism, it won't take but a week of evenings to do that
isolation.

Oh! The Joy!


The other problem manifests itself mainly on Corsair although Dell
occasionally suffers from it also. What happens is that I will be
happily typing away and I will suddenly realise that without any
warning characters have stopped appearing on the screen in response.
All I have to do is select the starting point with the cursor,
left-click, and start typing.

Are these RF or Bluetooth cordless keyboards and mice? Both work on the
2.4GHz frequency, but so do cordless phones, microwave ovens, and
several other devices than cause interference.

I don't think that installing 1903 would have changed the general
interference field. Besides, I have experienced interference in the
past but have generally dealt with it succesfully.

Bluetooth is more
susceptible. Do these cordless devices have a reset or other means of
changing which channel they use?

Nope. Just a small buttonless dongle.

All that makes me think that the two types of problems might be
connected is that the both started after 1903, both involve keyboards
and mice, both keyboards and mouse are of the same make (although not
the same model) and there could be a common factor which has arrived
with 1903.

Dell packs a lot of bloatware into their software suite. I'm assuming
you bought this as a pre-built PC and didn't build it yourself. Even
then you have to be careful of what Dell-supplied drivers you install
because they could be packages of multiple component support. As I
recall, Dell had its own keyboard driver which was to add more
functionality, like define what the Fn+key combos did.

It had a clean install about 18 months ago but I expect it still
salvaged settings, but not the bloatware.

You could work from either end: disable all startup programs and
non-Microsoft services, like safe boot, and then add them back one at a
time. Some folks think a binary approach is faster where you enable
half at a time and then either cut it in half if the problem returns or
add half of the next bunch if the problem didn't appear in the first
half bunch. Problem with that is the problem could be a compounding of
conflicts between startup programs/services. You'll want to know which
one you load that causes the problem and then determine if you want to
keep it or determine with what other startup program/service it causes
problems.

You could work from the other end where you first target whatever
startup programs/services seem related to keyboard functionality (if you
can tell what each program/service does), and disable those to see if
the problem goes away. Then you don't have to bother focusing or
testing on the non-keyboard programs/services. You might get a hint at
what to first target by looking in Device Manager to see what is used as
the software/driver interface for the keyboard device(s).

Do you think people really can tell exactly what role the various
startup programs/services play in the swamp that is Windows 10?

In any case I will sort out the driver situation. Tomorrow.