Windows NT Remote Boot Clients Lose Enhanced Keyboard Support (183464)

SYMPTOMS

Following a remote program load (RPL) boot from a Windows NT server, enhanced keyboard functionality is lost on the client for some applications.

CAUSE

The Rpldisk.sys driver, used during the initial phase of a remote boot, mistakenly clears a bit in the BIOS area in the memory of the client system that indicates whether the attached keyboard is an enhanced keyboard.

Applications that check this flag to determine how to interact with the keyboard will fail to detect an enhanced keyboard, and may elect not to use enhanced keyboard functions.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the following fix.

This fix should have the following time stamp:

   04/02/98  10:14a                26,761 Rpldisk.sys (Intel)

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. A supported fix is now available, but has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next service pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.

MORE INFORMATION

An MS-DOS client can check the status of the enhanced keyboard flag using Debug.com. At the debug prompt, type d 40:96 L1. You will see a line like the following:

   0040:0090                    10                                    .

The enhanced keyboard flag is set if the value in the middle of the line is 10. If, instead of the value 10 you see the value 00, the enhanced keyboard flag is clear. Type "q" to exit from debug.

Rpldisk.sys only clears this flag if the keyboard is used to respond to the following login prompt:

Type remoteboot username, or press enter if it is XXXXXXX:

If this prompt is allowed to time out, the flag will be left unchanged.