My external keyboard stopped working

have an intex keyboard, usb.
i was using it as a permanent keyboard replacement to my laptop.
recently i bought a new laptop, and often use the same keyboard for gaming on the new laptop.

here's the problem: today, when i reconnected it to my old laptop, windows (XP) is recognising that a device is plugged in the usb port, but not able to recognise what the device is. it says the device malfunctioned.

i've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the device from hardware tab in system in control panel. it worked for 1 mintues, and then windows stopped running it again.

now randomly sometimes if i reconnect 5-6 times, it works for another 1 minutes and then stops again.

*this problem is with all the 4 ports in my laptop
other usb devices are working fine

PLZ HELP

PS: i'm very sorry if this isn't the right place to post
and also if this kind of thread was posted earlier, i checked the first 3-4 pages and the search engine and didn't find one regarding this

 

Do you have another PS2 to USB dongle/adapter to try?

 

possible WinXP doesnt have the required drivers for the PS2 to USB converter?

 

i'm sorry, by adapter do you the male USB part of the keyboard?

i never had to worry about any coverter before
just plug it into a usb port and it used to work fine

 

You said you had a PS2/USB keyboard. In computer parlance, that usually means a PS2 keyboard that came with a PS2->USB adapter. There might be something wrong with the controller in the keyboard if it can't stay connected. Does it disconnect after a while on the Win7 laptop?

 

Oh Naw! my bad, it's merely a usb keyboard SORRY!
used to work fine on my laptop, now it just stops randomly

yes it has started malfunctioning on my win7 laptop too. it works for about 15 minutes and then just stops.
reconnecting it works, but only to see it stop in another 15 mintues

 

you've probably already tired, but use a different USB port. It will install additional drivers for that specific port.

Edit: I didn't read the 15 minute malfunctioning statement on the above post. It sounds like the keyboard is smegged.

 

come on there might be some thing that could be done

what's the life of an external keyboard anyway?

 

I've had PS/2 and serial keyboards last for 15 odd years and are still kickin... but USB unfortunately is a little less reliable as there is more logic to communicating over a bus. Take for example the HID controller within the keyboard that makes it possible to stick that little USB to PS/2 adapter. That's 1 more thing to fail.

I've only seen 1 or 2 USB keyboards fail in the past. If you've tried it on a different computer and your still having issues and its not an expensive mechanical keyboard, I'd get a nice shiny new one... But you could try a PS/2 adapter or get all UFC on it and try a good hammer fist.

 

okay
so u mean its a problem with hardware and not software?
could this have happened due to my regular switching in the past 2 weeks?

 

I need your interpretation please
all the above comments are valid,
but recently something miraculous happened

NOTE: the keyboard had stopped working completely on my xp. but still working on 7, randomly disconnecting after some time.

i decided to uninstall the driver from both my laptops.
surprisingly, after i uninstalled the keyboard from my windows 7 laptop, it's working fine on my xp.
what just happened?

EDIT: DAMN SPOKE TOO SOON. Stopped working again!
its not getting recognized again. howcome it worked at that time ?

 

To me, it sounds like a hardware problem with the keyboard. The keyboard is the common failure between different hardware and operating systems so logically the keyboard is faulty. The other thing is the keyboard just stopped working without any major changes (I assume) to your computer.

I don't know what else to tell you... If you can try another keyboard (same make if possible) and see if it does the same thing.

 

thanks flangemonkey,
i've convinced my dad to buy another one!

although i just can't leave it alone,
it's one of those irrational itches, you just cant give up

does this sound logical?
1) it doesn't stop working if its in use constantly. if it's kept without use for some time, it stops working

2) it works when it's wire is stretched to the left side (in tension). if it's removed from that position it would disconnect in some time.

just 2 things i noticed. might be true


anyways, buying a new ext. usb keyboard.
any suggestions for brands?

 

Either solder joint inside the keyboard broke or the copper strands inside the cable are falling apart. The former is relatively easy to fix if you know how to solder and already have the materials. Otherwise, neither problem is particularly cheap or easy to fix.