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Microsoft Arc Keyboard not working

Anonymous
2011-11-24T21:51:35+00:00

I have a Microsoft Arc keyboard that has mysteriously stopped working. It used to work fine, but know it doesn't work at all. I get no notification that a USB device has been plugged in when I plug in the transceiver. When I uninstall the IntelliType driver, the keyboard shows up as a HID Keyboard Device in Device Manager, but doesn't work; when I install the IntelliType driver, the keyboard disappears from the device manager. I know that there is nothing wrong with the keyboard itself because it works fine in my other computer.

I have a Lenovo x220 running Win7 x64.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-09-29T15:58:57+00:00

    Thanks for this - popping batteries out and back in again worked a treat !

    20+ people found this answer helpful.
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  1. Anonymous
    2014-06-22T13:21:30+00:00

    I have the same problem as the original poster, and actually even worse.

    I have tried to toggle the batteries on the keyboard, plugged the transceiver into an extension cable, and all this without any other bluetooth devices active nearby.

    My computer does not even react when I plug the transceiver, and it does not show up in the device management.

    Also, a minor inconvenience is the "F" key, which registers only very hard pushes/presses. Thankfully that key isn't in use very often, but when the problem arises, you'd really like to say some f-words out loud.

    I am disappointed with this keyboard, regarding the price one has to pay for a faulty device.

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2013-12-03T13:28:59+00:00

    Was having a similar problem with the ARC keyboard. It was working fine and then just stopped. Tried unplugging and plugging back in receivers, troubleshooting device like its suggested here, restarting computer, switched out batteries...still nothing. Then I just popped the batteries in and out again and all of a sudden it works.

    This is the second time I've had pretty much the same issue with it. Would love it if Microsoft would come up with a quick fix for this.

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2014-11-11T17:58:51+00:00

    yes, popping the batteries out and back in again does apparently reset the keyboard to clear this erratic non-responsive condition, but it is obviously a flaw that should be more adequately addressed. I have to believe so many others are experiencing this same problem, and like myself, just pop a battery out and back in to reset. The problem will erratically occur sometimes as frequently as once a week, and when is does, it may recur more immediately until multiple attempts to reset by popping a battery out and back in. The condition/symptom is that the keyboard just stops responding no matter position or whatever, including trying to turn power off and on with the Fn+Esc key sequence... and that key sequence even shows no response, as it normally does when you turn power on and off to the keyboard. The problem could be related to keeping the keyboard powered up for an extended period of time since I don't power off every night, but I have not changed my habits to test if that has any merit. I also did call Microsoft support and they immediately sent me a new keyboard, rather that attempt to further diagnose. At first I was relieved, but unfortunately the exact same condition occurs with the new keyboard at about the same frequency. So back to searching for a more permanent solution. I really like the styling of the keyboard, and don't want to give up just yet. Unfortunate though that there isn't a straight-forward response or acknowledgement to what appears to be a very definite bug/flaw with the device.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-11-25T11:13:55+00:00

    Hello,

    Were there any changes (hardware or software) made to the computer prior to the issue?

    Method 1: Run the troubleshooter and check whether the issue is resolved.

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Open-the-Hardware-and-Devices-troubleshooter

    Method 2: Perform the steps from the articles  mentioned below and check whether the issue persists.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/838398

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322609

    Important:  This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more infor

    However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/)

    Note: Also Check Under Hidden devices in Device manager

    If the issue persists, then you can contact the hardware support team for better assistance.

    http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/support/contact-us

    Hope this information helps.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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