Keyboard works in startup - NOT in Windows! How smart are you?

Ok... sounds easy enough "You stupid idiot you don't have the right keyboard drivers installed!"

Here's the full low down on the situation.

Picked up a PIII 500 mhz computer. The guy had windows 98 running, with a wireless keyboard and mouse, everything worked (with regards to keyboard/mouse). surprisingly enough when I went to format the PC, the wireless combo was actually recognized during start up and format of the disk (NOTE: The wireless keyboard/mouse duo actually plugs into the PS/2 slots on the back of the PC). and I by recognized i mean it worked- it didnt load any special drivers. I formated the disk on NTFS using windows 2k to clean it up. No problem.

Well, no problem until of course it reboots and wants to finish the setup with my Network Setup. Now the neither the keyboard or mouse respond.

Steps taken:

1) Try to access the BIOS with the same keyboard - SUCCESS! The wireless keyboard works to access the BIOS. I can also boot it up in safe mode this way! I am not sure but I do believe that the menu to choose which type of start up (safe mode, safe mode with networking, etc etc) is part of the OS - which would mean the OS ?can? detect my keyboard?

2) Try new keyboard/Mouse combo - both PS/2 connections, Verified functional on another machine. Same results as step #1

3) Get on the internet and ask WTF!!!

Conclusions:
- Not hardware problem with keyboard / mouse - confirmed functionality on other computers.
- Not Motherboard issue with PS/2 jacks - keyboard works fine until windows actually loads
- * IM CONFUSED * It's a clean install of windows 2000.... I'd prefer to not have to reinstall it, thus wasting my time and achieving the same results, however, at this point, unless someone has any advice I'm thinking I may have to... bleh...

Its a Dell Dimension XPS T500 btw

HOW SMART ARE YOU? THE ULTIMATE KEYBOARD CHALLENGE!!!!

Yogi For Peace!

 

I posted an answer here yesterday and it got deleted so I cant be bothered now
except to say - try some different combinations of settings
its a driver problem -= look on microsoft update site or on the keyboard manufacturers site

 

Go to the manufacturer's website and see if there is a W2K driver & software utility.

If there isn't, then it is not supported under W2K. The manufacturer
s website can also say that it is supported with the Windows W2K drivers. In which case make sure that your Plug and Play service is started up and running.

But if it is an older "Internet" keyboard, the type where you push a button to start "IE" and another to start your Email, then you definitely need a W2K software utility which assigns the keystroke to the application. If there is no such utility then the keyboard is not supported.