Friday, September 30, 2011

Keyboards & Wrists

The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 arrived at home today, and I am very pleased.  One nuisance: I have a dual boot Ubuntu Linux/Windows PC sharing a monitor, keyboard, and mouse with my primary notebook through a KVM switch.  It turns out that the new keyboard is incompatible with the KVM switch.  The KVM switch expects a PS/2 connector, and the new keyboard is USB.  I have a couple of working USB-PS/2 connectors, which I was using with the previous keyboard--and the new keyboard does not work with it.  I have searched a bit, and discovered that I am not the only person with this problem.

I have a spare flat panel monitor, and the old keyboard, but it seems a bit absurd that this doesn't work.  Perhaps I need to buy a KVM switch intended for USB connectors.  (The PS/2 connector is so 1980s now.)

3 comments:

  1. I have a KVM switch with USB that works great. I'd recommend it, except it is outdated because it switches VGA video, not DVI. If you find a good USB and DVI based KVM switch, let me know. The last time I looked, I had no luck.

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  2. we have had an issue with using the usb kvm with our dells at work. one system or the other won't see the keyboard and mouse at startup and won't initialize them once the kvm is activated... we stopped using them.

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  3. Which brand of USB KVM is not working? I just ordered the IOGEAR GCS632U because, among other things, it combines the keyboard and mouse USB information into a single USB to each computer--reducing the number of cables on my desk and freeing up some USB ports on my notebooks.

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