Keyboard and Mouse do not work after the computer leaves BIOS and starts loading Windows XP

Hello Dann Dollaz,

1.     Was the keyboard and mouse working fine ever before on your computer?

2.     Did you make any changes to the computer before it stopped working?

I suggest that you boot you computer to ‘Safe Mode’ and check if the keyboard and mouse is working.

Follow the below steps to boot the computer to ‘Safe Mode’:

a.     Restart your computer if it is powered on.

b.     Tap the F8 key after your computer initially powers on.

c.      Once you see the Advanced Boot Options menu you can stop tapping.

d.     Use the up/down arrow keys to highlight your selection.

e.     Select Safe Mode and press Enter.

f.       Logon to your computer using an account with Administrator privileges.

If it works fine in ‘Safe Mode’ I suggest that you set your computer to clean boot as this issue can be caused by some of the Third Party services.

a.     Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

b.     If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

c.       On the General tab, click Selective Startup.

d.      Under Selective Startup, click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.

e.     Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.

f.        Click OK.

g.      When you are prompted, click Restart.

After the computer starts, check if the issue is fixed, then follow the steps mentioned in the following KB article to narrow down the exact source:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

You can also set the computer to normal startup once you determine the service causing the issue. See the section on how return your computer to a Normal startup mode by following the steps under “Reset the computer to start as usual” in the above article.

Thanks,
Irfan H, Microsoft Answers Support Engineer. Visit ourMicrosoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Use a live Linux CD and see if the keyboard and mouse work. My guess is they will since the same keyboard was working while you were in the BIOS.

You can also use another USB keyboard and USB mouse to see what happens.

What is this Dell's model and model number? What kind of restore disk are you using? Have you considered a Clean Install? If not, you should (assuming the hardware is sound).

Look at the motherboard. Certain Dells have had problems with bulging capacitors.

Old thread, new reply which may help people with this problem. The solution is for Windows 8, but the principle will probably work on XP as well.

http://www.eightforums.com/drivers-hardware/48907-keyboard-mouse-cd-rom-drive-stopped-responding.html

are the keyboard and mouse USB? if yes, enable USB Keyboard and USB mouse controllers from BIOS

if no,

-when the computer boots, unplug the keyboard and mouse then plug them again

-try using them on another computer

Support for Windows XP ended on 8 April 2014, to continue receiving updates and free support from Microsoft you need to upgrade to a modern version of Windows