TOPIC: COMPUTER PERIPHERALS
Carrying out a hard reset of a home KVM switch
20th March 2017During a recent upgrade from Linux Mint 18 to Linux Mint 18.1 on a secondary machine, I ran into bother with my Startech KVM (keyboard, video, mouse and audio sharing) switch. The PC failed to recognise the attachment of my keyboard and mouse, so an internet search began.
Nothing promising came from it apart from resetting the KVM switch. In other words, the solution was to turn it off and back on again. That was something that I did try unsuccessfully. What I had overlooked was that there were USB connections to PC's that fed the device with a certain amount of power which was enough to keep it on.
Unplugging those USB cables as well as the power cable was needed to completely switch off the device. That provided the reset that I needed, and all was well again. Otherwise, I would have been baffled enough to resort to buying a replacement KVM switch, so the extra information avoided a purchase that could have cost in the region of £100. In other words, a little research had saved me money.
A very silly mishap
15th April 2009Last night, something idiotic happened to me: I tripped up in my main PC's cables and brought the behemoth crashing about the place. There was some resulting damage, with the keyboard PS/2 socket being put out of action and a busted USB port and mouse. When this happens, thoughts take on the form of a runaway train and the prospect of acquiring a new motherboard and assorted expensive paraphernalia trot into your mind; there are other things that more need my cash. Of course, the last time to be making such big decisions on computer components is when a mental maelstrom has descended upon you.
Eventually, I got myself away from the brink and lateral thinking began to take over. What helped was that most of the system is unaffected, enabling me to write this post with it. While a spare will work for now, a new ergonomic mouse is on order, cheaper alternatives to the keyboard conundrum have come into play. If PS/2 wasn't an option, then USB remains one, and that was the line of attack that was taken.
It involved a visit to the nearest branch of PC World after work, from where I came away with a new USB hub and a USB-compatible keyboard for less than the price of a new AM2+ Gigabyte motherboard that would have served my needs. Though an otherwise functional Trust keyboard may have been retired, that was a less expensive option than a full PC rebuild, which I may still need to do, albeit with far less immediacy than what flashed before my eyes within the last 24 hours. In fact, acquiring some cable ties should be higher on the acquisition wish list to avoid cable-induced tumbles in the future. It really does pay to be able to step back and see things from a wider perspective.
One mouse at a time please…
29th October 2007I am referring to computer pointing devices, of course. Though his may sound a daft thing to do, I have two mice attached to my main PC. One is my ergonomic Evoluent, a device that I am growing to like a lot. To explain the set-up of the other mouse, I am going to have to say that I use a Belkin OmniCube 2-port KVM switch so that I can have two PC's controlled with the same keyboard, mouse and screen: the main machine and a backup for when things go awry. To the switch, I have attached the base unit for a Logitech MX700, my usual mouse at home until my hand troubles began (the symptoms now seem to be easing, thankfully).
Strangely, I cannot just have the KVM cable for the keyboard attached to my main computer, or the keyboard itself seems to lose contact. Alternatively, I cannot seem to get the KVM switch to recognise the Evoluent either. The result is that I two mice attached to a PC and the thing will not boot up in those circumstances. Unplugging the Evoluent and doing a cold boot seems to do the trick; the wonders of USB mean that I can always hook it up when all is running fully. I still must sort out my set-up, though...