Compaq laptop 2500. Posts with no errors but keyboard is totally dead. Posts with no errors even when keyboard is physically detached from computer. Windowsxp also finds a keyboard that in reality is not there and says it works fine. What is going on? How can Bios find a keyboard that is not present?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Oh, yes. An external keyboard works fine and so does the on-screen keyboard.So your default keyboard will not work... When did this start? Have you made any changes to your system recently? Do you have virus/Spyware protection?

FlameHave you tried uninstalling the mouse/keyboard drivers and software? Reboot without the drivers.. then see if the keyboard is present in Device manager?Thanks to both of you.

Have installed and UNINSTALLED. Have a good anti-virus which is run regularly. Have formatted and installed windows xp pro on a "clean" drive. The new installation of wxp pro "found" a keyboard and installed it.

When reboot after uninstall drivers windows "finds" new hardware - that is not physically present- and installs drivers for a keyboard.

WHY does bios find a keyboard at post when there is no keyboard connected to the computer and says the keyboard is working OK?

Thanks much for your thoughts.If the Internal Keyboard is connected, it will read it.

FlameThe internal keyboard is removed. No external is attached. Are you saying the bios finds the "on screen" keyboard and reports it as if it were either the internal or an exteernal keyboard?

Driving me nuts and showing me how little I really know about posting. This sounds like a keyboard controller error (If onboard) or a keyboard interface error. Either way, it doesn't sound good.you are right. I doesn't sound good.

If it is keyboard controller problem why doesn't bios detect and report the problem on post?It MAY be that an internal flip-flop is stuck or a pullup/pulldown resistor is fried. If that's the case, it simply won't bork because it always believes a keyboard is present and working.Could you simply have a faulty keyboard & the bios is not set to Halt on Keyboard Error?
Of course on the Windows side, anything could happen.Thank you to all.

I think the idea that something may be fried and keeps bios from GETTING a "true report" hits the nail on the head. This is all not a great big problem. Everything else works fine so I think I'll just get a roll-up external kb for the very few times I travel and plug in a regular 101 kb for home use. Wifi is fine, cd burner is fine, everything aok except the darned keyboard. Again, thanks to each of you for your time and thoughts.It may be worth talking to HP/Compaq although in my experience, only for the comedy value.
This an excerpt from a transcript of a recent conversation with them:

Me Hi, I have here in front of me an HP Pavilion that's dead except for the emitting a single but repetitive 10 second beep. This code is undocumented by Phoenix.

Them We can run a hardware scan for you right now sir.

Me How? it's dead.

Them In that case, you have a serious problem with your computer sir.

Me Yes, I'm well aware of that. I was hoping that you could shed some light on the beep code it's emitting.

Them It's undocumented sir

Me I realise that but you are supposedly an experienced HP technician. Have you any idea of where the problem could be?

Them It's probably a hardware problem.

Me I gathered that much! I know that it's a motherboard or processor failure. I got that much from Phoenix. I don't have SUBSTITUTES for either to hand, so would you have any idea as to which has ACTUALLY failed?

Them It seems that you have a fault on the motherboard, or it may be a processor failure.

Me Thank you and goodbye.Thanks for the transcript. Been there and done that. The transcripts from 3 different techs were as ridiculous as the one you posted. I don't think they can either read or listen. Anyhow, there suggestions of what was wrong in my case were painfully ignorant. "Sir, it seems you have a keyboard problem". Well...duh. Thanks for the laugh.