Windows Function Keys Not Working

The Windows function keys stopped working on my systems - both my home system and my work system. That should have given me a big clue, but...

sometimes I'm a little slow.

Since I tend to install and uninstall many programs, I figured something I had installed/uninstalled had broken something in Windows.

This has actually been going on for quite a while, and every now and then, I've tried to find a fix for it but doing Google searches on

windows functions keys don't work
can't use windows function keys
function keys broken

and so on...

The searches tend to bring up a lot of hits related to program specific function key problems - i.e. function keys don't work in EMACS, or Word, or whatever, but nothing related to a general Windows configuration or registry problem - which is what I assumed the problem was.

Well, to make a long story short...

I use a Logitech Wireless Duo keyboard and mouse.

In addition to the "normal" keys, the keyboard has all sorts of special function keys to do things like raise and lower the speaker volume, fast forward, rewind, pause, launch programs like e-mail or the browser, blah, blah, blah

These special functions only work if you install the Logitech iTouch keyboard driver. So, I figured, maybe there was something funky that required the keyboard driver in order to allow the function keys to function.

So, I installed the driver on both my notebook and my home system. The driver worked fine, and all of the special keys started working - but not the function keys.

In the past, this is the point at which I would give up, and resign myself to having to use the mouse or alt command. For whatever reason, this time I decided to keep on digging.

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled onto the solution, but somehow, I did:

The keyboard has a feature (and associated button) called F-Lock. By default, when the computer boots, F-Lock is turned on. In the F-Lock mode, rather than sending the standard key commands for the function keys, the keyboard sends special alternate commands (like print for F7 and save for F8) that are configured in the iTouch program. In order to force the keyboard to send the standard function key commands, you must TURN OFF F-Lock by pressing the F-Lock button! Oh, and by the way, there are no indicator lights on the keyboard, and the F-Lock button is an always up momentary button - just like the keys on the keyboard, so there is no way to tell what state it is in, other than by pressing it and then pressing an F key to see what happens!

I have done more searches to find out how to configure the keyboard to default to F-Lock off - guess what? Logitech says "NO" right on their support web site Amazing, no?

Fortunately, since I have the wireless version, as long as I don't accidently press the F-Lock button, the keyboard should function normally even when I reboot my systems - at least until I have to change the batteries...

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Posted by David at October 28, 2004 10:37 AM