deskthority

Has anyone ever developed/written a specific PC driver for the IBM Model M Keyboard? If so, I'd love to have it. In my case, I'm using three Model Ms on two XP-driven systems and one W7 Home Premium.

... and if there are no drivers, any "tweaking" suggestions [I've already maxed out the BIOS and the settings within Windows] as to how to increase the typing speed/keyboard responsiveness for the Model M would be appreciated as well.

So you type faster than the Model M can handle?

lal wrote:So you type faster than the Model M can handle?

No ... I am not that fast a typist, and that's my point. Or put another way ... it seems that this system -- or this keyboard, I don't know which -- is about three characters behind my typing. When I typed "typist" just now, I was through with the word, and the "p" was just showing up on the screen.

I've been told that -- perhaps -- purchasing a powered PS/2-USB adapter, which would allow the Model M to be plugged into the mobo as a USB device -- may improve overall speed.

But there is something afoot ... something is very sluggish, indeed.

OK ... I'm back. I've logged via Safe Mode with Networking ... and the speed of this keyboard is phenomenal. So, it isn't the keyboard, per se ... it's the system . In Safe Mode, the Model M is definitely "faster" than I can type.

Suggestions?

If it works in safe mode it sounds like a software/driver problem. Do you have any applications installed that capture keystrokes (e.g. for hotkeys)?

Certainly something is going on your computer, get HijackThis and post log to some security forum, it would be my suggestion one is monitor which programm takes a lot of cpu time and getting rid of junk.

Thanks for the suggestions; as it stands right now, this is a fairly junk-free system as-is. But I will see if there are any conflicts I can resolve via some tweaks & investigation. I am surprised that someone who is a dedicated Model M nut has not developed a specialized driver for this particular keyboard's controller [if I had the ability, I'd be one of the types that would do it] ... because I am a member of the school that says the Model M is the only "real" keyboard to have.

Other thoughts about this ...

1)--I'm running XP Pro SP3. Would things be better if I made this a "standard computer" versus the "ACPI feature" driven one, with everything being channeled through IRQ 9?

2)--The people at ClickyKeyboards suggested that I purchase a "powered/active" PS/2-to-USB adapter dongle for my Model M [$15 plus shipping] -- as they are of the opinion that a lot of the problems I am having could be because of PS/2 port problems, not the keyboard itself.

Thanks, folks!

IBMs are having troubles with LOTS of modern motherboard PS/2 ports.

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title= ... ility+List

Yapz wrote: I am surprised that someone who is a dedicated Model M nut has not developed a specialized driver for this particular keyboard's controller

Ignoring the superior switching technology and build quality the Model M is as generic as a keyboard can get. Malfunctioning systems aside there is absolutely nothing to be gained from a "specialized driver". I highly doubt the default keyboard drivers of modern OSs could be improved in terms of "speed" or "performance" by any significant amount. There is clearly something wrong with your system.

Have you tested it on normal rubberdome? Model M shouldn't be anything special apart from needing some more juice.

Is the problem just on one system or more than one? Or is it with one board?

Yapz wrote:I've been told that -- perhaps -- purchasing a powered PS/2-USB adapter, which would allow the Model M to be plugged into the mobo as a USB device -- may improve overall speed.

This proves that it is not a hardware issue. If the problem was still present in safe mode, then I'd say sure, try that adapter.

It's something with your software. Try updating everything you can from video to sound drivers. Uninstall anything you aren't using or don't use. Make sure anti-virus is off, etc.

If you can't reformat, you need to stop anything that could possibly be interfering.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. This is my first topic posted here at Deskthority -- and I appreciate it. Update: Yup, it's the system -- not the hardware.