# Wireless keyboard switch out issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705 "2012-04-03T16:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/1 "2012-04-03T16:41:42Z")
I just bought a brand-new all-in-one HP Omni computer and I HATE the wireless keyboard it comes with. I tried to switch in my old wireless keyboard (also an HP product. The keyboard from my last HP all-in-one, which worked great). But the new computer won’t recognize it. Here’s what I’m doing: [ul] [li]I take the batteries out of the current keyboard (so it doesn’t interfere somehow with the old keyboard)[/li][li]I pull the bluetooth USB dongle out of the computer and reinsert it. The light on it blinks a couple times.[/li][li]I put the old keyboard right next to the computer and press its ‘connect’ button for ten seconds (BTW, it has fresh batteries).[/li][li]The USB dongle light does NOT blink and the keyboard does not work.[/li][li]The new keyboard works fine, but I hate the layout of the shift and enter keys.[/li][/ul] Anybody have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/2 "2012-04-03T16:46:40Z")
Do both keyboards have their own USB dongle, or is one of them built into the computer? If two separate dongles, are you using the old dongle with the old keyboard? Because using the new dongle with the old keyboard probably won’t work. Other than that (which is fairly obvious) I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/3 "2012-04-03T19:53:31Z")
No. Both keyboards have a little ‘connect’ button on the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/4 "2012-04-03T20:17:10Z")
Are you using the new dongle with the old keyboard, or the old dongle with the old keyboard? ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/5 "2012-04-03T20:29:10Z")
New dongle with old keyboard. Old dongle went with the old computer to the recyclers. Maybe that’s it. But, a bluetooth keyboard should work with all bluetooth dongles, right? Isn’t that kind of the point? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wireless-keyboard-switch-out-issues/617705/6 "2012-04-03T21:19:11Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > New dongle with old keyboard. Old dongle went with the old computer to the recyclers. Maybe that’s it. Almost certainly. > [@](#): > > But, a bluetooth keyboard should work with all bluetooth dongles, right? Isn’t that kind of the point? Not all wireless keyboards even use bluetooth, and although I’m not an expert on the subject, even among bluetooth devices there are different spec revisions that might not make them all compatible.