Trying to get the Fn key working on my CF73

Been having dramas trying to get my fn key working on my toughbook.

I've read a couple of the posts on here but nothing has yet worked.

I have downloaded the three drivers and installed them, checked on device manager that everything is functioning.

Could it be that I've installed windows service pack 3 (I recently completely flattened my hard drive and installed sv pack 3 straight away) ?

any help would be much appreciated

 

Hmm, im not sure what could be doing this but when you press control does that function as the FN Key, because some laptop bioses have an option for switching the FN and CTRL keys arround.

Might help? XD

 

Questions are vague and you can do better by being more specific.

For one, did you just received the CF-73 and in the process of driver installation? Is the key 'sticky', not responding or misbehaving, and what are you expecting it to do?

FN key does not work independently by itself but in combination with other keys. Example; FN+F5 and FN+F6 decreases and increases the speaker volume respectively.

By having "flattened" your drive, did you mean formatting? Since you also didn't mention which OS, I can only assume Win XP but could you play audio files prior to the OS reinstall?

Like I said, more details = better replies.

 

Tried the control ey but it didn't respond.

I'm trying to use the fn key to do things like control brightness (fn + F2).

The key itself definately does work as it worked before I formatted my hard drive but at the moment whenever I press it there is no response at all on my computer.

I am running windows XP professional service pack 3.

 

I run xp pro sp3 on my 29; your problem has nothing to do with that.

As Toughnut pointed out, you're going to have a yellow question mark when you go into your device manager. Make sure that you have the Panasonic driver for "sticky keys" and load that to the device that has the yellow ? mark.

I had the same problem when I first got my 29 and that is what the folks here told me, and it works.

 

Checked my device manager and there is nothing with a yellow question mark, problem is there isn't a 'sticky keys' driver either.

Whereabouts on the console key in the device manager is the driver? All my current drivers seem to be working properly.

thanks for all your replies so far.

 

Remember that with Toughbooks, the FN button for the hotkeys are a hardware function that needs to interact with the software.

 

Guys,
I re-read the poster's original and 2nd reply, and believe he's aware how the Fn key works with the appropriate drivers, since it was working before the re-install.

However, I'm not sure if the sequence of installation will make a difference. Personally, I'll install the OS, followed by OS inf., all the drivers and lastly, the service packs. [poster did wrote "recently completely flattened my hard drive and installed sv pack 3 straight away"]

My son's CF-73 now work as it should and I can't think of anything else, except... if the Fn+other keys do work, but not with F1 & F2, then I'm guessing it has to do with display-related components (eg. a dimmed-screen).

Ron in SG

 

Finally got it working .... Turns out the hardware that needed the fn drivers had a USB driver installed instead so I just changed the drivers.

Thanks for all your help gys, very fast replies and a really good forum.

Cheers,

 

It's true that the swap of Ctrl and Fn can be acted but you have access to bios and choose the replace under the choose of Fn key.