F8 problem - new Win XP installation

[ColinJ]

I've just spent nearly 2 hours on the phone trying to talk an old pal through the process of installing Windows XP on a replacement HDD - what a kerfuffle!

He had tried doing it last night and got stuck at the point where he had to press F8 to accept the licence agreement. It just wouldn't let him accept it and eventually he had given up and switched the computer off.

He tried again tonight and all he got was a black screen with a flashing cursor in the top left corner.

I correctly surmised that he had ended up with an incomplete installation which the computer was trying to boot from rather than the Windows setup CD. I then had the problem of talking him through how to get into his BIOS and change the boot sequence. His BIOS is different to mine so he was having to read everything out to me. Eventually I got him to the right menu option and got him to set the computer to boot from CD. Nope - didn't work!

He made repeated reboots, Del key, BIOS, oops, old boot sequence displayed, change sequence, Save & Exit, blank black screen ... I was pulling out what is left of my hair!

Finally, I got him to repeat what I said, and to tell me what he was doing in response. Mismatch! I'd been telling him to select the Save & Exit menu option, and he'd instead been pressing the F10 key because he had spotted a shortcut for it at the bottom of the BIOS screen. I got him to use the menu option and the Enter key instead - bingo - the new boot sequence stuck and the setup CD sprung into life!

Hmm, it looked like two separate function key problems. Surely too much of a coincidence for two F keys to be faulty?

WTF was going on? Google is definitely my friend so I typed in the facts and ... immediately found somebody reporting the same problem! The answer in that case was the F-key lock. I told him that I had never heard of an F-key lock and he promply replied that it was the thing that operated the F-key padlock light! He never uses his function keys so the fact that his keyboard has a weird function key lock which changes their, er, functions had never bothered him!

I got him to unlock the F-keys, and press F8 to accept the licence agreement. Houston, we have lift-off!

 

[gaz]

You usually get function lock keys on keyboards which have two uses for the function keys. such as my F11 key will increase the system volume if i don't have function lock on.

 

[ColinJ]

You usually get function lock keys on keyboards which have two uses for the function keys. such as my F11 key will increase the system volume if i don't have function lock on.

I've seen that kind of thing on laptop keyboards but never on full size ones.

I've just had to talk my pal through setting the regional options to get his keyboard working properly. He was trying to type his email address and couldn't get the '@' key to work!

His system is now running a 2002 version of Windows XP so he has an awful lot of updates to upload and instal!

I told him to be sure to run his antivirus software once he has updated his system. He will have been running an ancient copy of Windows and especially Internet Explorer for a couple of days by the time he is finished and who knows what nasties might have found their way through their antiquated defences ...

 

[Garz]

More common on laptop keyboards!

But yes I hear your frustration, relatives and friends collar me for the same scenario's.

 

[machew]

Laptop keyboards. I hate them. Phone call a few days ago "I can't login, what's my password", so I reset the (l)users password, and due to the way that the system is set up the password need one capital letter and two numbers. So I set the password to Passw0rd1. Thinking that he should be able to spell that. Still can't login came the reply and it turned out that the number lock and caps lock was switched on and that's why he couldn't type his password in correctly

 

[2Loose]

You must have the patience of a Saint, Colin.

I nearly disowned my family after several on-the-phone support calls!

Good work all the same

 

[ColinJ]

You must have the patience of a Saint, Colin.

I nearly disowned my family after several on-the-phone support calls!

Good work all the same

I've known this friend for about 45 years. He never used to drink much and would run me to the pub and back on a regular basis, and put up with my drunken youthful ramblings so I don't mind giving him a hand with his computer now.

I was going to go round and do all this for him on Sunday but I was feeling too tired after doing 72 miles on my singlespeed bike on my forum ride in the Midlands.

I must admit that I had some terrible rows with my ex about unpaid PC support ... The worse the problems were, the longer they took to fix, and therefore the more incompetent I was - allegedly!

 

[ian turner]

Nothing should get through the aged defences as long as they're not using an aged usb modem instead of a router and didn't start running round the internet before downloading updates.
My desktop keyboard has the F lock key but then it's one of the microsoft natural keyboards (not that I use the extra keys , I bought it for the ergonomic shape)

 

[Judderz]

I've seen that kind of thing on laptop keyboards but never on full size ones.

Here you go, I actually use this particular one at work. The F-Lock is top right (just under the Microsoft logo to the left)

 

[ColinJ]

Here you go, I actually use this particular one at work. The F-Lock is top right (just under the Microsoft logo to the left)[attachment=5764:Keyboard.jpg]

Ah, I see!


I'm a bit old skool and use my Fn keys for their original purpose so I'd find it annoying to accidentally do something else with them if the Fn key lock was in the wrong state.