0211: keyboard Error - PhoenixBios 4.0 Release 6.0

[Geek-9pm]

Get back to where the USB keyboard works. Then while using it, go into device manger and remove the internal keyboard driver, if you can. Reboot and let Windows 'discover' you laptop keyboard. Maybe this with force a re-install of the keyboard default driver. I don't know.Just one of my dumb ideas.

[problems]

Geek et al,

I did the implementation of your suggestion a little different, as follows:
 1. I checked and the internal keyboard (laptopīs keyboard didnīt work, no USB or PS2 keyboards phisically present),
2. I went directly to Device Manager and deleted PS2 keyboard, THERE WAS NO OTHER KEYBOARD PRESENT, though.
3. It asked me to reboot, before doing that, I checked and the laptopīs keyboard worked.
4. I rebooted, laptopīs keyboard didnīt work, no USB or PS2 phisical keyboards present, it installed the new device (PS2 keyboard), finished installing it, laptopīs keyboard didnīt work.
5. I rebooted again, I didnīt do anything else on Device Manager, just checked that PS2 was the only keyboard present.
6. when it got to windows, laptopīs keyboard didnīt work. No USB keyboard present either, nor PS2.

My guess once more is that a driver or something in that fashion is failing. keyboard is phisically ok as we determined with the tests. Any new procedure to test?

Patio and Geek, thanks for your valuable help.

[Geek-9pm]

A look on the Sonay site would suggest that others have had this problem too. So, if you are crazy, so are they!

Follow this procedure to remove the keyboard from Device Manager.

   1. Click the Start button, point to Settings , and click Control Panel .
   2. In the Control Panel window, click the System icon.
   3. In the System Properties window, click the Device Manager tab.
   4. On the Device Manager tab, double-click keyboard .
   5. Under Keyboard , click to select Standard 101/102 key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard .
   6. Click the Remove button.
   7. In the Confirm Device Removal box, click the OK button.
   8. In the System Setting Change box, click the Yes button to restart the computer.

Source:
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=C161913&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KNOWLEDGEARTICLES_1_1&dialogID=89486158&stateId=0%200%2089488390
  (scroll down that page)

[problems]

Here I'm here again. Geek et al,

I followed the procedure and checked for updates the Sony website. The results:
- I followed the procedure, and here I am, results negative once more.
- I downloaded the bios update available for the Vaio PCG-F430 and the utility rejected the laptop> not needed.

Now, I really don't know what to do. The workaround that I am doing is erasing the device and the keyword works until I reboot, but ....

Geek, could you please give me the link to the posts of the other users having the problem, just to read more about it. Thanks.

[Geek-9pm]

The Sony forums are far and all over the place. You may get just as much help here. I tok a look around and many complain about the keyboard. I do not think it is the BIOS. IME if it is a BIOS problem the company will fix it. Cheap fix. If it is a mechanical problem, not an easy fix for the company. So my gut feeling is that it is not BIOS thing. Nobody says that it is. The efforts  fix up the windows drivers may be un Faux pas.

(What i want to say is it is easy for the company to issue a new driver, hard to replace hundreds of keyboards.)

The wires that connect the keyboard to something can be damaged, loose or dirty. Be careful. The link below is one of the best sites for that issue.
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic46669.html
More: edit
httq://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-xp/39949-keyboard-failure-trying-reinstall-win-xp-home.html
For more, Google  Sony Vaio Keyboard Failure
That is the best I can offer. You may be able to find a replacement keyboard at a fair price. You should not pay more that $35 for a good one.

[problems]

Thanks Geek.

I agree with you on the Bios opinion. thanks for the links I read more about the different keyboard problems.

On buying the keyboard I already talk to a shop here, Colombia, and they are trying to get one for the laptop, the price is still high , US$ 75 here in Colombia, no cheaper than that and they donīt have it, but they are trying to get one. Since I posted this I called them, a couple of weeks ago, no luck yet, and I understand that, if they import a new or used one, is about US$45 for the Fedex or UPS international, and a used one in the US is about $15, that times 2.5 is $150,000 local currency, plus their profit.

I think for now the solution would be the usb keyboard until I get back to the US or find a fix, I will use the machime in DOS or something lighter, since I believe that phisically the keyboard is OK, I have tested it, as I posted. I checked ribbons and everthing and looks fine, and works in DOS and when deleting the device,it  has to be phisically OK.

I will keep you posted on news about this topic.

Once more thanks for your valuable help and time.

P.S. I know, I am stubborn about this issue, but there are clues that the keyboard is OK, and it is not the Bios, probably a case for Dr. House. 

[Geek-9pm]

You are sure it works in DOS? very odd.
Hewe is a hunch. Go into regional settings and set it up as Latin or Brazilian or German. Anything other that USA English. This forces a new layout and will invoke more other stuff to support regional layout. Just a hunch. It may alter the keyboard driver just enough to make it stable with the weak keyboard.Try installing two reginal layouts and flick between then and note what that does.

[problems]

Geek et al,

I am positive that it work in DOS and in XP when I delete the PS2 Device, in device manager and before it reboots, when it reinstalls it fails. Most of this posts have been typed with the faulty keyboard, in XP after the device is uninstalled.

I did your suggestion, I changed the Regional Settings, and when rebooted it tried to install a PCI device, I tried to supply the XP cd, then in the internet but it said that could not find the controller or device or driver. I remember that when I installed XP, some time ago, it also happened, but I clicked in the box "do not show again".

After last paragraph, I tried to re install Xp, but I could not, the error was that when XP installer begins, after I delete the device, the keyboard works, but when the installer reboots the keyboard doesnīt work again. I have win98, I will try to install it , since the keyboard works in win98, then install XP and see how it works, without changing the regional settings, now that I remember the fault started when I tried to change the keyboard to Spanish, not yesterday but a long time ago, and I disabled the error message of the PCI, then the keyboard didnīt work, after that I started this post. Apologies because I didnīt supply this information before, I just remember it. Though, the 0211 problem was there before that.

Thanks for your time and help.

[problems]

Geek et al

Here I go again, more news.

As I posted before, I started the "migration" as follows:

1. I tried to create several partitions with a Linux utility named gparted-live-0.4.3-2 , before doing that (as usual) I deleted the keyboard device and the keyboard was working. But when booting from the cd, the keyboard didnīt work with gparted.

2. I decided to wipe out the disk and start from there. I had FreeDOS and win98 boot disks, in both the keyboard worked completely.

3. I installed win98 second edition, since I remembered that the keyboard worked with that OS without any tricks.

4. The laptop works and the keyboard works without tricks in win98 SE. Now, when I tried to install XP SP2 or SP3 it goes "black" and does nothing at all. I have not done anything else yet, I will keep trying tonight.
Though, a few errors came up from the win98 installation, drivers for firewire, infrared and others and a vnetbios.vxb or something like it.

I will keep you posted.

[problems]

Good News !!!

Geek, Patio et al

As I stated a few days ago, I started doing the solution that I believed was correct, since I strongly believed that the keyboard was phisically OK, let me write it: install again XP with a fully funtional keyboard.

I installed win98 and the keyboard worked perfectly.

I tried to install XP over win98, since the keyboard worked, but it failed since XPīs cd got the keyboard error again, and nothing worked, so I couldnīt install XP, in that instance.

I decided to put the USB keyboard again and start the installation process once more.

It finished the process and both keyboards worked OK. I unhooked the USB keyboard, and laptopīs keyboard worked OK. I rebooted and the keyboard kept working OK.

conclusion: laptopīs keyboard worked OK after the installation of XP, with the help of USB keyboard.

I am thankful that it works now with a fresh and new XP installation. But the 0211 error at boot process continues, and the question remains: what happened?. Probably it was the change of regional configuration that Geek suggested, that when trying to get the PCI information it couldnīt get it and then XP disabled the keyboard. Remember that win98 recognized the keyboard and then XP, with the help of USB keyboard, could install a new version and got it working.

Once more thanks to Geek, Patio and all that contributed with ideas for this fix.