Sharing this here in case anyone gets confused in the future as to why their laptop suddenly is not accepting their password on their laptop as was my case -or - typing numbers for the keys ( UIO, JKL ) as 456, 123.Laptops either have a NUM LOCK or a Fn Key combination that will make laptops generally lacking a dedicated numeric keypad, convert these keys into number keys for those who dont want to use the linear 1 thru 9 & 0 below the F1 thru F12 Function keys.
I have known about this for years but something I did yesterday confused me for a few minutes this morning when I wasnt able to logon to my laptop. I have faced this on desktop computers for years, look at the LED and if the NUM LOCK is enabled then shut it off. This is a first that a NUMBER LOCK state was remembered from an external keyboard and inherrited by the dedicated laptop keypad, probably because I generally use the keys on the laptop vs a USB Desktop Keyboard.
Even better is that this laptop with NUM LOCK enabled doesnt have an LED to show the state of the NUM LOCK.
But it has a CAPS LOCK LED status
I guess ASUS couldnt spare an extra LED indicator to show the Number Lock state on this ASUS X401A laptop.
I typed my password over and over again and it wasnt working. My password didnt change. What could it be....
OHHHHH I had a USB keyboard connected to laptop so I could type with a desktop keyboard with laptop to the side... maybe the laptop remembers the NUMBER LOCK state from the USB keyboard with keyboard disconnected.
Sure enough that is exactly what happened! Desktop keyboard not connected and the laptop remembered the NUM LOCK state as enabled, so those keys were acting as number keys instead of letter keys.... well when your password when you type it is masked you cant see that a number has been typed in place of letters and so I was up against an interesting one for a few minutes until I thought why would my password no longer work when it didnt change in which use of that USB keyboard that is no longer connected must be the cause. I reconnected the USB keyboard and it powered up with NUM LOCK enabled. When I disabled NUM LOCK with USB keyboard and then went back to laptop keys i was then able to type in my password and get on finally.
