# USB Keyboards & CMOS **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048 "2003-10-17T16:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ookpik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@ookpik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ookpik)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/1 "2003-10-17T16:41:11Z")
I just installed some USB ports and a USB capable keyboard in order to bypass a problem with the original kbd port that had blown it’s fuse on the motherboard. I enabled USB from the CMOS setup, and the keyboard works fine. However, I noticed that at bootup, the keyboard is not powered until well after the time I would need to hit the DEL key in order to get back to the CMOS settings. Is there a way around this? Thanks, Steve ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/2 "2003-10-17T19:31:28Z")
If your system did not have USB onboard and you added it with the card per your description I assume we are dealing with a pretty old system as USB has been around for almost 4 years now. If this is the case you are pretty much SOL re pre OS boot USB hardware activation. If your system _does_ have USB onboard in the BIOS it will may have a section for enabling “legacy” USB items that will activate USB recognition when the system boots. Make sure this is toggled to “On”. This is a bit a a catch 22 however as you need to get into BIOS mode to enable it in the first place, which you can’t with the current situation. Sometimes on older systems there are key combos you can hit in DOS that will activate the BIOS but this by no means a universal feature. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/3 "2003-10-17T22:40:02Z")
I don’t understand - how did you enable USB in the BIOS in the first place if you couldn’t connect a keyboard to it? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/4 "2003-10-17T23:24:50Z")
Also if the KB wasn’t reconized wouldn’t you get the ‘no keyboard found, hit F2 to continue’ which is sort of self defeating way of acknowlegment, but that’s another beef. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/5 "2003-10-18T01:51:42Z")
Just adding a little note: I have fixed the blown picofuses on several MBs. The quick and very dirty is to just put a jumper across the blown fuse, that’ll allow you to get into BIOS settings, etc. Then remove it. I take picofuses off old MBs and solder them onto the MB I’m salvaging. (I have a peculiar idea of a fun evening at home.) A lot of picofuses I’ve seen are green with an amp indicator number on them. But not all are. The size of a 1/8 watt resistor or so. Sometimes there are two (one for PS/2 mouse). Use an ohmmeter. ---
**Author:** ![ookpik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c68b51/32.png) [@ookpik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ookpik)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/6 "2003-10-20T14:03:59Z")
As mentioned, I simply bypassed the blown fuse in order to get the original keyboard to work so that I could access the CMOS settings. And yes, it’s an older board (1996?) which means an alternate solution will be needed down the road… Thanks for all your replies! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/7 "2003-10-20T19:53:37Z")
if one of the PS2 ports still works, you can get a splitter cable so that mouse and keyboard can both be plugged into the remaining one. [http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3436334774&category=3668](http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3436334774&category=3668) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/8 "2003-10-21T03:20:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > if one of the PS2 ports still works, you can get a splitter cable so that mouse and keyboard can both be plugged into the remaining one. This _rarely_ works. Some PS2 ports are designed for it, e.g., laptops with a single port, but not at all common on desktops. Even then, the splitter cabling is occasionally non-standard. So, check with the MB maker first and foremost. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-keyboards-cmos/208048/9 "2003-10-21T06:10:59Z")
> [@](#): > > USB has been around for almost 4 years now 4 years? My former job used to have AT&T Catalyst PCs (oh the joy!) with a manufacture date of 1996 that had USB ports, so it’s much closer to 7 years, not 4.