Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

[rovernaut]

My keyboard has stopped working , it won't let me type anything, the back space key works though.
I can log in as root and it works fine.
It works fine on my XP dual boot so I can discount the hardware is ok.
I am still learning linux, so any user friendly help would be appreciated. I believe it must have something in my account settings preventing it working?

[jankushka]

Re: Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

alright...

I can log in as root and it works fine.

how can you log in if the keyboard doesn't work?
can you pls clarify what happens?
you get to the login screen, right?
does your keyboard work there?
pls...

can you pls also try to
a) boot your box
b) wait till it gets to the login splash screen
c) hit ctrl-alt-f1 (that will throw you to a console)
d) try and log in with your normal username and password
e) tell us if that works

cheers

[rovernaut]

Re: Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

alright...

I can log in as root and it works fine.

how can you log in if the keyboard doesn't work?
can you pls clarify what happens?
you get to the login screen, right?
does your keyboard work there?
pls...

can you pls also try to
a) boot your box
b) wait till it gets to the login splash screen
c) hit ctrl-alt-f1 (that will throw you to a console)
d) try and log in with your normal username and password
e) tell us if that works

cheers

Ok, I don't need to log user and use a password as I am the only user and have set it up so it boots direct to my desktop bypassing the login.
How I get to use root

When I get the boot splash screen I can choose Recovery option , then it comes up as Root, I can type startx and it takes me into a root desktop and The keyboard functions correctly, (I am posting from the root desktop.)
When I am in my user desktop and I select switch user I get the login login box, I am able to type in the username and password ok, but then it starts my desktop and I can not type anything.
I can't use konsole in my normal user desktop as it also won't allow me to type.
So that's why I presume that there must be something in my normal user account settings that has gone haywire all of a sudden.

PS. I created another user account, and the keyboard works. No if this newb can figure out how to transfer these working settings of this new user to my faulty user account then all may be fixed.

[jankushka]

Re: Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

alright, i see.
so, it's kde specific.
i don't know what is causes it.
but...
what i think really happens is that your keyboard does work.
it's just that's very very slow to respond.
the keyboard is controlled at higher level (the x server in this case).
so, it doesn't make much sense to me that it works with a user and it doesn't with another.

so, to me, it gotta be some setting you (or some installation utility for another program)
have made...

there would be a drastic way of solving it, by removing the .kde directory/folder from
your user account.

but don't do it.
that would basically reset all your kde settings and data.
like if you use kmail you'd lose all your emails and stuff.

could you please post the result of this command (you'll have to do this from root):

cat /home/keyboard_not_working_user/.kde/share/config/kaccessrc

cheers

[rovernaut]

Re: Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

alright, i see.
so, it's kde specific.
i don't know what is causes it.
but...
what i think really happens is that your keyboard does work.
it's just that's very very slow to respond.
the keyboard is controlled at higher level (the x server in this case).
so, it doesn't make much sense to me that it works with a user and it doesn't with another.

so, to me, it gotta be some setting you (or some installation utility for another program)
have made...

there would be a drastic way of solving it, by removing the .kde directory/folder from
your user account.

but don't do it.
that would basically reset all your kde settings and data.
like if you use kmail you'd lose all your emails and stuff.

could you please post the result of this command (you'll have to do this from root):

cat /home/keyboard_not_working_user/.kde/share/config/kaccessrc

cheers

Too late, after searching this forum and doing a google there seems to be a lot of referebence to keyboards stop working, but no solution so I bit the bullet and am reinstalling it at present. Thanks for you help though.

[jankushka]

Re: Keyboard suddenly stopped working--Help please

yeah, a fresh installation will almost certainly solve the problem... 8)