URGENT: Keyboard works Pre-Boot; Doesn't Work at Windows Startup

have you tried a ps/2 keyboard? (if you have any ps2 ports)
It could be a bad keyboard bios (motherboard must be replaced if thats the case)
thinks to check see if your bios has the option to disable USB ports

Does the keyboard work in Safe Mode with Command Prompt?

If not, you could try restoring the registry from the recovery console:
      How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting
      http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

Hi, thanks for your comments thus far.

I don't have a ps2 ports unfortunately. I tried all the safe modes including command prompt, and I still could not use the keyboard at the Windows side of things. I can't even log in because I can't type in the password.

Please keep the ideas coming, I really need to access this computer. I greatly appreciate it!

what about a usb card to make sure that the onboard ports are not faulty?

try if it works with a bootable cd like knoppix, or BartPe; then you can run any commands and tests you like :
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/knoppix/KNOPPIX_V5.0.1CD-2006-06-01-EN.iso      Knoppix      
www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/                               BartPe

Excuse this one, but have you actually turned the computer right off, then re-started, not just warm-boot, standby or hibernated it?
Regards
Mike

try switching the usb port that it is in could be some device on the same port messing with it i know i had to do my usb mouse that way.

When booting up can you select the "last know good" option?
I also like venom96737's idea of a different USB port ... could be something else that Windows is trying to enable on that port that is keeping windows from making the keyboard available.
Check your BIOS settings and make sure that your USB settings haven't changed ... I know its working during boot up but it something at the BIOS level changed that could be making Windows go screwy.

I have tried using different usb ports, and the keyboard has the same problem on each one. I wish I could go into System Restore and rollback a few days before this happened, however I cannot press "ctrl-alt-del" to  get into the login screen.

Is there perhaps a way I can either disable the ctrl-alt-del screen from showing up so I can go into windows and do a system restore (there currently is no password set so I can simply mouse click "ok"), Or perhaps a way for me to use pure command prompt to get Windows and into system restore (not safe mode with command prompt- it has the ctrl-alt-del screen)?

I am pretty desperate for a solution now, thanks so much for your help.

Take a look at that microsoft tech support article I posted above.  That explains how you can pretty much, do a System Restore manually from the Recovery Console.

Hello Crash2100, part 2 of that article requires the Windows interface, I am unable to enter that- so not sure if this would be applicable in this particular case..not sure..

Did you actually do any of that yet?  Becuase, I think, the way this works is when you copy the files out of that Repair folder, it restores the registry from when you first installed windows.  Which should hopefully allow you to get into windows.

You could also just try copying the system restore files directly into your windows config folder.  

1.      Start the computer using the Windows XP CD, and at the menu, press R to start the Recovery Console.

2.      Then go to the following folder that contains the restore points (the "_restore" subfolder is not the same on every computer):
      C:\System Volume Information\_restore{0E4B8418-7E7E-43B4-BAC5-E50B048028B2}
      OR JUST TYPE:  "CD C:\system~1\resto~1"

3.      Then in the folder, type "Dir" and find a "RP###" folder that was made at a date before the problems started.

4.      Then go into the "RP###" folder you want to restore from, and go into the "Snapshot" folder:
            C:\System Volume Information\_restore{0E4B8418-7E7E-43B4-BAC5-E50B048028B2}\RP742\snapshot

5.      In the "snapshot" folder for the restore point, and copy the registry files.  Be sure to BACKUP the files in the config folder that you're replacing before you copy the snapshot to it!
            md c:\windows\tmp
            copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
            copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
            copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
            copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
            copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

            copy _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT c:\windows\system32\config\DEFAULT
            copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY c:\windows\system32\config\SECURITY
            copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE c:\windows\system32\config\SOFTWARE
            copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM c:\windows\system32\config\SYSTEM
            copy _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM c:\windows\system32\config\SAM

6.      Now restart and see if you can login now.

Hello Crash2100,

I tried what was recommended in http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545, my keyboard still doesn't work and I can't ctrl alt del into the logon screen.

For your second method I don't see anything within the "C:\System Volume Information\_restore{0E4B8418-7E7E-43B4-BAC5-E50B048028B2}" directory with the format of "RP###" with dates.

Please keep the ideas coming. Thanks for your trouble.

In the recovery console, what does it list, if you type the following?  It should list several "RP###" folders.
      cd C:\system~1\_resto~1
      dir

Oh, when I type that in, I get an "Access is Denied" notice..

Try typing this, then see if it will let you access that folder.  Replace "username" at the end with the name of the user you logged into the recovery console with:

cacls "C:\System Volume Information" /E /G username:F

If you have an install CD you could trying doing a repair install ... if this is a corrupt registry entry or file this will fix it without wiping out your current installation.

Crash2100, the cacls command is not recognized when I type in that string into the Recovery Console.

CJ_1969, I tried doing a repair install, and it didn't resolve the issue.

Don't mean to drag this out, but if you guys have any more ideas, I could sure use them. Thanks so much, I appreciate it.

See if you can execute it like this:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\cacls.exe "C:\System Volume Information" /E /G username:F

I get the same problem with that..command not recognized..

>>>what about a usb card to make sure that the onboard ports are not faulty?
did you try that?

try a repair install :
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm      

It sounds like your keyboard drivers are corrupt ... probably due to a bad sector, hence doing the repair did nothing since it would have just written the new file over top of the old one, thereby corrupting the new file.

You can try doing a restore from a command prompt, I don't know if this will do any good if it is a corrupt file due to the disk, for the same reason the repair did not work ... but worth a try ... here are the insturctions from MS ...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449/

Also, if we can find out the name of the keyboard driver file then you could manually rename it from the command prompt ... this would force window to install a new copy in a new location on the disk ... thereby getting around the corrupt file issue.  So, what type of keyboard are you using?  Did you install drivers for it or is Windows using what ever it had available?

Hello Experts,

After 2 days of struggling with this issue and attempting all the solutions recommended on this thread, I ultimately decided to do a fresh reinstall of my system as per the recommendation of a tech support rep.

Usually I award points in this type of situation to the closest answer, however in this case I don't think there is a close enough fit. Therefore I have sent a request to close this question.  Thanks very much for all your help, it certainly is still appreciated- for what it's worth.

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Community_Support/Q_22126651.html

Best,
Frogpad

Sorry we couldn't solve the problem, but at least it's working again.

This is one reason why I stress the importance of backing stuff up.  It's important to image your hard drive at least once and a while, so if something like this happens, and you can't solve it, you can just restore the image.  So you don't have to reinstall everything.

I use Norton Ghost and a network hard drive to do this myself.  My computers are scheduled to automatically backup their crucial personal files every day, and they image the system partitions once a month.  Then if your hard drive crashes, or your system doesn't work right, you have a backup of everything that's no more than a month old, and your personal files that are no more than a day old.

Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/

LinkStation Network Storage Center 160GB
http://buffalotech.com/products/product-detail.php?productid=71&categoryid=16

sorry i been busy for a few days all you would of had to do to get around the access denied message when you went to recover console was
Type cd \ and press the <Enter> key.
Type cd windows\system32\config and press the <Enter> key.
Type ren system system.bak and press the <Enter> key.
Type exit and press the <Enter> key.
Restart the computer.

then proceed with the steps mentioned before and you would have been able to complete the procedure sory for the fresh install.

i suggested a repair install, but got no reaction on it.

nobus, I tried that as well, didn't work. I still had to reinstall a clean copy in the end.