Drivers for the built in PS/2 keyboard?

[cmpxchg8b]

Greetings to all.

I've got an old T42 here that I'm trying to get working so I can run some antiquated software. Unfortunately, said software doesn't like the generic Windows XP drivers that get loaded for the built-in keyboard, and absolutely refuses to work no matter what I do. I know the software will work if I force another keyboard driver instead, but this has the unfortunate side effects of messing up some other stuff so I'd rather not go there.

Did IBM or Lenovo ever release a manufacture specific PS/2 keyboard driver for these systems?

The only thing I can find on Lenovo's website is a bunch of drivers for some external USB keyboard. I'd like to think that the original recovery disks might have included a customized PS/2 driver for the keyboard, but unfortunately I don't have access to those and the system has been clean formatted numerous times over the years so there are no recovery partitions.

Cheers,
-CMPX

[dr_st]

What software are you running that is so particular about a low-level keyboard driver?

Is it a DOS application? Try running it in DOSBox (even though officially DOSBox is just for games).

[cmpxchg8b]

IBM Personal Communications.

I recently picked up an S/390 Multiprise 3000 mainframe for next to nothing, and it came with a pair of T42s that have never been used as well as a binder full of IBM software CDs and licenses. Since I don't have support contracts for anything, I am unable to access the later versions of PCOMM- but from what I hear, the 6.x releases have the exact same issue under Windows XP (it doesn't like the way the generic Microsoft branded PS/2 keyboard driver identifies itself).

Oddly enough, the actual terminal emulator works fine under Windows 7 inside a VM on my Mac Pro (but some of the other utilities don't). However, I'd like to keep all my IBM stuff running on IBM hardware, if at all possible, so I was hoping there was a way to get PCOMM running on the T42s under Windows XP, but that doesn't work for the aforementioned reasons.

-CMPX

[RealBlackStuff]

Have a look at Windows FLP (Fundamentals for Legacy PCs), the title explains it already.
That's an older, streamlined version of XP, which might have the KB drivers you are looking for.
http://windows-flp-download.blogspot.com/

[cmpxchg8b]

Just FYI, in case anybody ever encounters the same issue...

The problem had nothing to do with the keyboard drivers per say, but how the keyboard was being detected by Windows XP. For some reason, the OS installation overrode the keyboard type in the registry to some weird Korean layout (even though I know these units were sold and purchased in the USA). I'm guessing it might have something to do with the additional non-standard keys around the arrows and at the top of the keyboard (which may be standard for a Thinkpad, but not the PC/104 keyboard layout).

Anyways, the relevant registry keys are located in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters

You can either delete the keys in there, or reset them to a North American layout using the values found here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/927824

Once I did that, PCOMM started working immediately, no questions asked. Didn't have to mess around with the PS/2 drivers or anything either. It seems like 99% of the software out there really doesn't care about this sort of thing, but PCOMM certainly did, and that's what was causing it to throw spurious errors about the keyboard type/subtype being incorrect and/or failing to initialize the keyboard tables.

-CMPX