strange keyboard problem

[bbutcher85]

My ps2 keyboard works fine until I try to boot from a CD running MaxBlast5. The keyboard seems to quit responding at the point where BIOS displays the message "Boot for CD:" I can enter BIOS and select the Boot Menu from the keyboard prior to that, but then it quits. I have tried two working keyboards with same result. I think it may work when I plug in a USB keyboard, but am not certain yet. This is an Alienware motherboard with NVIDIA bios. If I boot Windows 7, the keyboards all work fine. Perhaps I changed something in BIOS or maybe the motherboard has a problem?

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... Is your CD have a BOOTable table for the MB to read?
And does it have a device driver for your keyboard to use?
Do you a need a DOS version to run it?

 

[i7Baby]

There's something obviously wrong with trying to boot from the disk with maxblast5 so why do it?

 

[bbutcher85]

The USB keyboard works with MaxBlast. Why do it? Because I need to use MaxBlast to format HDD's and restore images when I replace a HDD. The images were saved using MaxBlast so I have little choice here.

As a side note, I tried installing Windows 2K to a HDD from this computer to use in another system where the CD drive did not work, and neither the PS2 or USB keyboard will function at the point where the install program says "Hit enter to install Windows". Other versions of Windows (XP and Win7) can be installed just fine, but not Win 2K.

 

[i7Baby]

Install Maxblast on your HDD.

Don't use Windows 2K. Use Windows 7 or 8.

 

[bbutcher85]

Those are good ideas, but unfortunately I cannot use Windows 7 or 8. The computer I am trying to set up is being used as a CNC controller and has two issues. First my CNC hardware interface is a quite expensive plug in board requiring an ISA slot, and it is hard to find a computer today that has ISA slots. The second problem is my software that interfaces with the CNC controller card is Mach3, and that software only works with Windows 2000 or Windows XP. At least part of the reason for that is the software is frequently interfaced with the CNC hardware through the parallel port and newer versions of Windows do not allow real time control of the parallel port. Even Windows XP requires some tricks to access the parallel port.

 

[i7Baby]

Why stuff around with wierd bits? It leads to problems every time.

 

[bbutcher85]

Unfortunately that is the only option available at a reasonable cost, meaning a few hundred dollars as opposed to several thousand dollars for fancier CNC controllers. Since I am retired and this is a hobby, I cannot justify spending the big bucks for it. There are tens of thousands of other folks using the same Mach3 software for the same thing, although many of them use the parallel port for output. I don't like that option very well either, which is why I am using the Galil DMC-1750 ISA controller for my interface. This is an old but widely used CNC controller. I did purchase a more modern version today, a DMC-1830 that plugs into a PCI slot and will allow somewhat newer computers to be used as the platform. Mach4 software is in the beta testing stage and hopefully will work with Windows 7, but may not be finalized for a year or more

 

[i7Baby]

Is this a PC or a CNC controller?

I think you've got the wrong forum.

 

[bbutcher85]

It is a PC being used to control a CNC machine. Very standard practice among hobbyists.

 

[i7Baby]

Then just boot into Windows. Then load you cnc app.