NT i8042 driver reinstall

Need a work around for reinstalling the default Windows NT keyboard / PS2 driver on a DEll Inspiron 750 Laptop. POST and OS load ok. Keyboard works during POST and BOOT.INI. At log on screen (CTL + ALT + DEL), OS drops PS/2 driver for a serial driver thus disabling keyboard (PS/2 is a strobed / shared input). (When the OS starts to load keyboard driver is blown out). OS / keyboard was fine until a driver was installed for a serial Microsoft Intella Mouse. Computer can be accessed through the network by mapping to the hard drive (so file system IS accessable). We have reloaded the Dell drivers from a networked computer mapped to the laptop drive. The drivers loaded fine but the problem remains. Am considering writing a VB exe to hack the registry and replace the keyboard key and value. The reason for not reloading is the configuration of some 17 custom network applications. Any better ideas???

I suppose you have tried "The Last Known Good Configuration"? or renaming the problem driver files?

It is possible that the i8042prt service may have failed to start. From a remote computer, start regedit, use Registry|Connect Network Registry... Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt and change the "Start" value to "1".

You can then reboot the server or use netsvc from a remote machine.

If the mouse still works, perhaps you can modify the registry remotely to logon automatically:
http://support.microsoft.com/support...s/q97/5/97.asp

[This message has been edited by Prince (edited 06-18-2000).]

Mouse does not work because it is a shared PS/2 port...We tried to access the registry using regedit on another workstation (same network)by mapping to the laptop registry but the (regedit) utility will let us see the hives but not the keys or values (maybe permissions, but I am in the local admin group, and also the CADD admin group with full control). Last known good did not work either. What about using the NT4 Workstation disk to "upgrade" the OS. My fear here is it will overwrite the reistry app entries including personal settings for the user??

Prince, I thank you for the hint... Instead of using regedit, I used regedt32 from a workstation mapped to the registry of the laptop... Microsoft Intella Mouse has keys that (luckily) start with MSI****... we installed the driver on another workstation using Install Watch to track ini, reistry, and other files..then ran DEP32 to see what the dependant dll's and etc were...had it not been for your message I probably would have reloaded (30 to 40 hours)...TNX AGN MarkN

[This message has been edited by MarkN (edited 06-18-2000).]

[This message has been edited by MarkN (edited 06-19-2000).]