Do some games not support remapped keys in the registry??

I remaped my application key to the esc key because my esc is malfunctioning. In games like MW2, the remapped keys work fine but in games like DiRT 2 and Fallout 3, it doesn't seem to work. Also, do you need the software installed on your computer that you used to remap the keys?

 

bump need help on getting this fixed

 

Need to be more specific on what you mean. Is it a different keyboard layout you've selected or what? If it's some program you downloaded that did it for your (zomg keylogger trojan) then chances are you can't expect it to work globally and you'll need to have the program running in the background.

 

I used keytweak to disable my esc key as its malfunctioning and remap my app key to esc key. It works fine when im not gaming and it works fine in modern warfare 2 but it won't work in Fallout 3 and DiRT2.

 

It's probably because you mapped it to "App Key" which is not a standard keyboard key found on a Microsoft Windows compatible 104-Key keyboard. And some games only recognize those standard keys for mapping.
Have you tried to remap your "Esc" key to any other standard keyboard keys? Like "Insert", "F11", or any other keys that are not commonly used.

Also, try Microsoft's own keyboard mapping utility:
Download details: Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator 1.4

 

Thanks for the suggestion but stil doesn't help. I remapped Insert to ESC now. Anyone else?? You know when you press home in GFWL or Shift+Tab in steam you get to their "menu" screen, weird when i press my remapped key from their it seems to work because it exits out of it and goes back to the game. I really want to get this fixed.

 

Wait, so is your physical Esc key completely not working? or is it "glitchy" that it only works on some programs?

If so, then you might wanna reinstall or update keyboard driver. Or use some Microsoft keyboard drivers.

If not, then it's probably a good idea to buy a new keyboard from eBay or laptop manufacturer and replace it with your current one.

Meanwhile, try this:

For DiRT2, go to:
Game installation directory\dirt 2\actionmap Folder, open "Keyboard.xml" with Notepad, press "F3", type in "esc", and click on "Find Next"
Then you should see the line:
Axis axisName = "win_key_escape" deviceName = "Keyboard" .... ....

Now change "_escape" to something else, like "_end", "_q", or "_insert" so it looks like this:

Axis axisName = "win_key_end" deviceName = "Keyboard" .... ....

Continue the search, change all of them to "win_key_end", save and close

Open "Windows XInput.xml" in that same folder, and repeat the process as above.

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Now you get the idea. I don't have Fallout 3 installed, so I don't know where the settings configuration file is saved, it shouldn't be hard to find, it's either in the game installation directory, or in your game save folder. The file format is normally in ".cfg", ".ini", or ".xml" format, Notepad should able to open those formats.

 

Its completely not working. Will replacing the keyboard fix this problem?

 

Sorry, was editing my last post, let me know if it works.

 

hmm weird i can get out of the menu by pressing the insert key now but i can't get to the menu by pressing insert. But like i said, will replacing the keyboard fix all this?

 

Yes.

But before you do that, let's make sure that it's indeed a hardware problem. So try updating or uninstalling/reinstalling your keyboard driver first, you can also try some Microsoft's own keyboard drivers here:

Software Download

Select the closest keyboard model that matches your laptop keyboard, select operating system and language, and download the driver.

 

well even if i do get this to work on DiRT 2, im worried about other games that i will be playing. The chances are I won't be able to edit the file with Notepad like in DiRT. So im looking for a permanent solution.
EDIT: Ill try the drivers that you provided.

 

Wait if i uninstall my keyboard driver from device manager, will it reinstall on boot?
Also under Keyboards in device manager, I see 4 things which one should i uninstall?
Keyboard Device Filter
Microsoft eHome MCIR 109 Keyboard
Microsoft eHome MCIR Keyboard
Microsoft eHome Remote Control Keyboard keys

 

It should. Even if it doesn't, you can access the Windows virtual on-screen keyboard found in Start - Accessories - Ease of Access

EDIT:

I'm not sure, I don't know much about your laptop model. But it should be "Microsoft eHome MCIR 109 Keyboard" and "Microsoft eHome MCIR Keyboard"

 

Yup the ESC key still doesn't work. Do you think replacing the keyboard is the only solution now? And are you sure that its going to work??

 

Keyboards are surprising durable (under normal usage), I have a 5+ year old HP laptop and a 9+ year old HP Pavilion desktop, and all the keys are absolutely fine even with all the gaming I did on them.

It sounds just too suspicious to me that a key on your keyboard would suddenly stop working completely, especially for a key that is not so frequently used.

From your experience, did you notice that your Esc was acting weird before it went completely dead? Like, it worked sometimes but not always. Did you install any drivers/updates that could potentially conflict with your keyboard driver before Esc went dead? Did you spill water or drink on your keyboard? Did you abuse your Esc (like super rage quit )?

Just to play it safe - before you go out and spend money on keyboard replacement - the real last option would be to reformat your HD and clean install Windows, so that your keyboard can be properly recognized by Windows and then install its driver (or update from laptop manufacturer website).

If Esc still doesn't work at that point, then open up your laptop, check the keyboard connection to the motherboard, make sure it's properly connected. Check the Esc key assemble, make sure there's nothing stuck/blocked underneath the rubber pad that prevents it from working properly.

Only until then, can I safely say, "Yes, it's most definitely a hardware problem. Replacement will solve the problem."

 

No the key came like this. I bought this refurbished from ebay and the key was dead from the moment i got it. I just ordered another keyboard for this model and hwod o you take out the keyboard? I unscrewed the 2 (Ks) on the bottom of the laptop but i don't know how to take out the keyboard.

 

Oh, I wish I had known that information earlier. Oh well.

Removing keyboard should be easy, there's always one or two hidden screws somewhere. Just take it slow and be careful, check online tutorials, there are bunch of them, although not directly apply to your laptop, but they should give you some ideas. Good luck.