# Windows 10, no keyboard, no mouse **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600 "2016-05-24T23:54:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/1 "2016-05-24T23:54:09Z")
ARRRRGGGGHHH. I have been ignoring this damn Windows 10 upgrade for a year now, and one day I come home to find my desk top asleep and unable to wake. A restart shows why. I see a Windows 10 login screen (I guess it finally got sick of me telling it to piss off and decided to upgrade on its own. Either that or I accidentally pressed the upgrade button). The problem is that neither my keyboard nor my mouse respond at all. Aha, I think, there must be a driver issue. This is exactly the reason I have an old wired USB keyboard lying around in the back of a closet. I plug it in and… nothing. So, Mad Catz wireless mouse, logitech wireless keyboard, and Dell USB keyboard all fail. I restart the thing and hold Del to access the BIOS and both keyboards and mouse function for this. This seems to indicate it is a driver issue, but how do I update the drivers when I can’t even log into the damn machine because I have no functioning button other than power? Very annoyed here. I would appreciate any help you could throw my way. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/2 "2016-05-25T00:22:00Z")
Just to ask the obvious question: if you unplug the keyboard & mouse with the computer off, then boot the computer, then plug in the keyboard or mouse, it still doesn’t recognize them? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/3 "2016-05-25T00:28:32Z")
Try plugging them into different USB ports on your computer, as far away as possible (i.e. front of the computer vs the back, and different groups of ports). It’s possible WIndows 10 doesn’t have drivers for one or more of the USB chipsets on your computer, but might have it for the others. Also look in your BIOS for something like “USB Legacy” support and try turning that on or off and see if it makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/4 "2016-05-25T00:34:22Z")
Yes, I have tried plugging them in on the login screen, and I have tried every USB port. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/5 "2016-05-25T01:01:37Z")
What model of computer is it? Edit: Also, try letting Windows start up halfway. Reboot it before it reaches the login screen using by using the reset button, holding down the power button, or just unplugging it during that process. That will force it to restart from scratch the next time. From there, try to get into recovery mode or even just booting normally – as long as the previous attempt was aborted halfway. Does that change anything? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/6 "2016-05-25T01:04:58Z")
Custom made by Cyberpower. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/7 "2016-05-25T01:07:26Z")
Guessing you can’t boot back to a win7 disk? And try again? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/8 "2016-05-25T01:08:21Z")
Simulpost: Try the interrupted boot/reboot method above. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/9 "2016-05-25T01:08:47Z")
Don’t have a win7 disk I am aware of. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/10 "2016-05-25T01:09:59Z")
Aha, that pulls up a menu I can work from. Playing with that now. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/11 "2016-05-25T01:22:49Z")
Ha Ha! Thank you much. After a selection backing up to the previous build, a stalled restart, and a couple more attempts I seem to have Windows 7 back. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/12 "2016-05-25T01:30:31Z")
Cool. You might want to try Never10 to prevent it from happening again: > **[GRC | Never10  ](https://www.grc.com/never10.htm)** > > Never10 - Disable Windows 10 Automatic Upgrade After July, though, Windows 10 should become a paid product and hopefully you won’t have to deal with it again then. Edit: Wish I did that. I hate 10 and still miss 7 ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/13 "2016-05-25T10:07:14Z")
If you have multiple screens with different DPI settings, then Windows 10 is a must-have. Do install an alternative start menu, because the Windows 10 one still sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/14 "2016-05-25T10:50:48Z")
You might have fallen for this trick: [Microsoft accused of Windows 10 upgrade 'nasty trick' - BBC News](http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36367221) > [@](#): > > Clicking the cross in the top-right hand corner of the pop-up box now agrees to a scheduled upgrade rather than rejecting it. > > This has caused confusion as clicking the cross typically closes a pop-up notification. > > The upgrade could still be cancelled when the scheduled time for it to begin appeared, Microsoft said. > > The change occurred because the update is now labelled “recommended” and many people have their PCs configured to accept recommended updates for security reasons. > > This means dismissing the box does not dismiss the update. I’m guessing “cross” means “X” here. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/15 "2016-05-25T20:37:04Z")
Those bastards. That is quite likely what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-no-keyboard-no-mouse/755600/16 "2016-05-26T01:53:26Z")
Does the computer respond to keyboard BIOS requests, i.e., before Windows starts to boot? If the keyboard isn’t even working for that, then it’s not a Windows issue. Once you get into the BIOS, you can do as already suggested above and enable legacy support, which will drive the keyboard from the BIOS rather than from a Windows HID driver.