RESOLUTION
You can modify this setting by editing the registry on the portable
computer.
WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide
problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them.
Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of
Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.
Normally, the computer applies the user settings when the user logs on, but
it uses the default user profile when it is first turned on, before the
user has logged on. To turn this functionality off, the default user
settings must be modified. The Keyboard entry contains user preferences as
defined by choosing the Keyboard icon in Control Panel. Entries are found
under this registry path:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard
InitialKeyboardIndicators REG_SZ Number
Default: 0
Specifies initial values for keys. 0 means that NUMLOCK is turned off after
the user logs on; 2 means NUMLOCK is turned on after the user logs on. This
value is set when logging off or during shutdown to preserve the state of
the NUMLOCK key at that time.
This value can also be changed on a user basis by modifying
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard and the same registry key.
For more information, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
102978 REG: User Preferences Entries, PART 3.