From: Barry Watzman on
No, wrong, not ALL USB devices are hot swappable. But USB keyboards
are. However, if a USB keyboard is not plugged in when the system is
powered up, some BIOS' will not subsequently recognize one if it is
plugged in later. It depends on the bios, and, also, on some of the
settings inside the bios to enable/disable USB keyboards (this is bios
and therefore motherboard dependent).

MOST USB devices are hot swappable.

AdeW wrote:
> I have a Technika H38FE2 wireless USB keyboard and mouse.
>
> In the instructions it says: "Ensure the PC is switched off. Plug the
> receiver into the USB port. ... Restart the PC"
>
> I thought all USB devices can be plugged in while the computer is
> switched on right?
From: Barry Watzman on
You can USUALLY "hot swap" a PS/2 keyboard. But not always. As I
mentioned with respect to USB keyboards, it is bios and motherboard
dependent.


AdeW wrote:
> On 5 Dec, 01:06, "(PeteCresswell)" <x...(a)y.Invalid> wrote:
>> I have a few of Microsoft'swirelesskeyboard/mouse combos.
>>
>> I also have an MS "Arc Mouse" for my laptop.
>>
>> No problem hot-swapping any of them.
>>
>> Windows XP.
>> --
> Are they all USB? none of them PS/2?
>
> PS/2 isn't hot swappable is it?
>
> The instructions also say "Windows 2000/XP/Vista: You do not need to
> install software for operation of the mouse and keyboard."
>
> I'd have thought it was for installing any software drivers - you're
> told not to have any other programs running - but if you've Win2000
> and above I can't see why you can't plug the keyboard in while the
> computer is on.
>
> Here's a weblink to see the keyboard.
> http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-3676.aspx
From: Paul on
Barry Watzman wrote:
> You can USUALLY "hot swap" a PS/2 keyboard.

But is that a good thing to recommend to people ?

Paul
From: kony on
On Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:56:03 -0500, Paul <nospam(a)needed.com>
wrote:

>Barry Watzman wrote:
>> You can USUALLY "hot swap" a PS/2 keyboard.
>
>But is that a good thing to recommend to people ?
>
> Paul

I've often seen systems where if they had been booted w/o a
PS2 keyboard connected, you can't get it to work w/o a
reboot even ignoring the safety or wisdom of doing so.
From: Paul on
kony wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:56:03 -0500, Paul <nospam(a)needed.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Barry Watzman wrote:
>>> You can USUALLY "hot swap" a PS/2 keyboard.
>> But is that a good thing to recommend to people ?
>>
>> Paul
>
> I've often seen systems where if they had been booted w/o a
> PS2 keyboard connected, you can't get it to work w/o a
> reboot even ignoring the safety or wisdom of doing so.

I'd rather have people spread the notion of PS/2 not
being hot swappable like USB is, in order to prevent
more lost motherboards due to blown PS/2. I don't hot
swap mine. If I need to move my favorite keyboard and
mouse (both PS/2) to another machine, I power off to
do it.

I'm also careful with Firewire, because there
are enough sad stories around, to be suspicious
of the design of the Firewire connector system.
There are theories about how failures occur,
but no proof.

USB, I don't have concerns about that, with at
least the hot swap end of things. The only motherboard
I'm careful with, is my P4C800-E Deluxe, due to it
having the failure-prone ICH5R. If I use the USB on
that system, I plug the USB device in with the power
off. There have been enough failures of ICH5/ICH5R
without me adding to the list. I don't have to worry
about that with the other machines. My current VIA
based system has been trouble free on USB.

Paul
First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Prev: Looking for a new video card
Next: P5Q Premium bios chip