HP Envy change keyboard

[PYANAGAWA]

I bought this machine a few months ago, and after a while, I got tired of using that **bleep** chicklet keyboard because it is so small and flimsy that I want to fling it across the room.  I replaced the keyboard and mouse with a different manufacturer's (MS) products, and the machine would not boot Win10 no matter what I tried.  I went through several iterations of boot-up options for repair, and none of them worked - they all looped back to the same starting point.  Even after I replaced the MS keyboard and mouse with the original HP chicklet piece of crap, the computer would not boot to Win10.  I finally had to restore the machine to its original configuration and spent hours upgrading the OS and reinstalling software.

Now that about another month has gone by, I am frustrated again with the piece of **bleep** keyboard, and want to change it (and the mouse which operates through the same USB mini-dongle). How can I do this and NOT have to end up at the same place a month ago where my only option after trying to change they keyboard was to give up and spend hours restoring the machine?

Does HP sell another keyboard and mose combo separately which can successfully replace that piece of **bleep** chicklet keyboard? I would prefer to get a third party product (like Logitech) because they are probably cheaper and appear to be better made (otherwise why would you buy a third party replacement). 

Thanks,

Peter

[mdklassen]

> How can I do this and NOT have to end up at the same place a month ago

> where my only option after trying to change they keyboard was to give up and spend hours restoring the machine?

Without disconnecting your current keyboard, connect the new keyboard (which I presume has a USB interface), and allow Windows to use "plug-and-play" to load some device-drivers for it.

Does the new keyboard now work correctly?

Are you saying that your current mouse is "wired", and is directly connected to a USB port on your computer? If so, that's good.  If it is plugged-in to your current keyboard, unplug it, and plug it directly into the computer.

Are you saying that your current mouse is "wireless", and that there is a small wireless receiver currently connected to one USB port on your computer?  If so, that's good.  If the receiver is plugged-in to your current keyboard, unplug it, and plug it directly into the computer.  Test it, to ensure that it still works.

Now, the "dangerous" step: disconnect the "chicklet" keyboard.   Try the new keyboard. 

If everything works, shutdown and reboot to confirm that the two devices still work after the reboot.

If you have a problem, reconnect the "chicklet" keyboard.

[PYANAGAWA]

Thanks for the info. This new machine has a chiclet keyboard and almost close to decent mouse running off the same wireless USB mini-dongle. These are the human interface devices you get when you buy a supposedly top of the line core i7 machine from HP these days.

The problem I have is that I have 7 old keyboards and discovered that all of them are the round KB plug type connectors.  I tried using a dongle which connects to the round keyboard connector with a USB connector on the other end, and when I plug in the USB connector the computer, and try to attach this legacy device, it is recognized as an "unrecognized" USB device. No matter what I do to try and configure the OS, and even try to reconfigure through the BIOS, the keyboards do not attach.

I guess I will go out and buy a new plug and play keyboard and mouse combo which runs off a different mini-USB dongle, and follow your advice on seeing whether the plug n pray (not a typo) instructions you provided allows connection without another reinstallation fiasco, after I remove the old new crappy devices which came with this "powerhouse".

Take me back to the days of DOS 3.11 when everything was simpler to use. Nah, never mind. The graphics and stuff are much better now. And this thing called the internet sure is great.

Thanks.

Peter

[PYANAGAWA]

Thanks, bought a new pnp keyboard/mouse (Logitech) and it worked right off the bat.

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

>  it worked right off the bat.

Good to hear.  Occasionally, threatening a computer with a cricket/baseball bat catches its attention.  🙂

Please click "accept as answer".