"IntelliType" killed my Fn key

Hello all,

I have a new Inspiron 1525 and just the other day I installed the software on it for an external USB keyboard from Microsoft. The keyboard works fine, but now I am having a problem with my built-in keyboard's Fn key.

It will still adjust the brightness of the screen correctly, but now everytime I do so, I get a pop-up from Microsoft's keyboard software titled "Reassign a Key" that tells me "The current assignment for this customizable key is not available" and prompts me to choose an action to take when I press the key combination.

Areas other than screen brightness are hit and miss. The Scroll Lock, which requires the Fn key, works fine. The 'Sleep,' 'Battery,' and 'CRT/LCD' keys, however, all do not. It seems that Microsoft's software has taken over my built-in keyboard and made the Fn key somewhat unusable.

Does anyone know how I can fix this so that:
a) I stop getting an error message every time I try to adjust the brightness, and
b) The rest of my Fn+[key] combinations work correctly?

Thank you very much.

 

Is Dell QuickSet installed on your system? The three shortcuts you mention as not working, are all dependent on Quickset.. If it is installed, and somehow the key bindings have changed, try reinstalling Quickset.

 

Thank you very much for the help, but after reinstalling QuickSet, I am still having the same problem.

 

Does any one else have any ideas as to how to fix this?

 

Haha well yours is less bizarre than mine. When I turn my brightness down with the FN key, AOL Instant Messenger launches.

I've just dealt with it personally, not sure how to fix it.