apple keyboard with windows XP [Archive]

macOSX-tastic

Feb 16, 2005, 09:55 AM

hi all,

although i am afraid to say it, i am a windows user as much as a mac user (although i use mainly macs). my dell keyboard recently broke and i want to use a new apple keyboard with it instead of a PC one, mainly because of quality.

i know that this has been covered in the forums before, but i need a bit more convincing.
is an apple keyboard able to function fully with windows XP?
will the USB ports work?
are there any drivers needed/error messages that people have encountered?

sorry to be persistent, but i am going to london tomorrow and shall be spending some time in regent street.

thanks

tastic

morningrise

Feb 16, 2005, 09:57 AM

macOSX-tastic

Feb 16, 2005, 09:59 AM

true....i guess i should stop worrying so much lol

thanks anyway

tastic

Spock

Feb 16, 2005, 10:02 AM

I hooked my Apple keyboard to my Win XP PC and the little found new hardware popped up and told me it was a Apple Pro Keboard and worked fine

ClarkeB

Feb 16, 2005, 05:00 PM

Do you get to use real shortcuts (Command+etc.) or do you have to use Control?

Ringo

Feb 16, 2005, 05:24 PM

LOL i was thinkin about the SAME thing yesterday night!
you sort of beat me to post the thread

jsalzer

Feb 16, 2005, 06:02 PM

Spock

Feb 17, 2005, 10:09 AM

You guys got XP to recognize it right away? I've never had a problem using my Apple keyboard and mouse before (on Win98 and Win2000), but at my current job, I have XP, and it wouldn't recognize the keyboard. I had to get a little piece of shareware to get it to work.

For the original poster - you can also use your Apple Mouse!!! I've actually converted two of my coworkers (we're all Wintel at work) to Apple Mice because they loved mine so much!!!

Yeah My XP box popped up and told me it was their and then it also came up and said it was a generic USB hub and the USB ports on the keyboard worked as well.But I have heard stories about the Bluetooth keyboard not working well with XP.

Mord

Feb 17, 2005, 10:18 AM

i have used apple keyboards with windows and linux before and they work great, i have yet to find a keyboard i like more than the apple pro keyboard, allot of gamers use them now.

joetronic

Feb 17, 2005, 10:22 AM

i use a apple pro keyboard at work on my wintel box. The command key does the same as the windows key, and all other keys just seem to work. I am usign windows 2003 server.

neoelectronaut

Feb 17, 2005, 11:16 AM

A few months back I connected the keyboard that came with my eMac (Would this be considered the "Pro" keyboard?) to my Win2k PC. Not only did it recognize it and automaticlly start working, but the eject and volume keys worked just as they are supposed to.

NICE.

reh

Feb 17, 2005, 11:46 AM

The current USB Apple keyboard works just fine for me in Windows XP.

control -> control
option (alt) -> alt
command -> windows

The three volume keys work just fine. I don't recall if the eject key worked or not. All the other keys worked as expected. There is a piece of shareware called AppleK Pro (http://www.trinityworks.co.jp/US/software/AppleKPro/index.php) that allows you to use all of the typical Mac shortcuts such as command-s, command-w, screenshot combos, etc... Very cool!

Omen88

Feb 17, 2005, 02:19 PM

For the original poster - you can also use your Apple Mouse!!! I've actually converted two of my coworkers (we're all Wintel at work) to Apple Mice because they loved mine so much!!!

They don't miss the right button and the scrollwheel? I feel limited by the single button even on a mac.

jsalzer

Feb 17, 2005, 05:44 PM

They don't miss the right button and the scrollwheel? I feel limited by the single button even on a mac.

Actually, it was the scrollwheel that had one of them wanting a different mouse - in FileMaker, she kept accidentally hitting it and moving to a different record (very dangerous during data entry).

Besides, once you get my in-person explanation about how a one-button mouse is the superior way to interface with your computer (be it Mac or Windows), you can't resist. I'm like a master preacher when it comes to my mouseys. :)

Col. Panic

Feb 17, 2005, 07:01 PM

This may be a bit OT but I have both a mac and a pc at work. I was using the pc through RDC (until I got VPC 7) so that I could use my Cinema Display and Mac keyboard for both. For the longest time I could not get the number pad to work. That is until I figuired out that you need to press the "Clear" key first. I guess this acts like the "Num Lock" on a PC key board.

jsalzer

Feb 17, 2005, 07:16 PM

For the longest time I could not get the number pad to work. That is until I figuired out that you need to press the "Clear" key first. I guess this acts like the "Num Lock" on a PC key board.

You know - I still can't figure that one out. When would you *not* want your number pad to be turned on? Weird Windows people.

I've also never understood why Windows keyboards use the word "Enter" for both the carriage return and the enter. Even Microsoft's products treat the two differently. Why give them the same name? It also makes it tough to write directions. Instead of "Press Enter", I have to specify, "Press the Enter button on your number pad." Windows Freaks. ;)

sjpetry

Feb 17, 2005, 07:28 PM

macOSX-tastic i love your sig.

I have used a pro key board on a win box before (it worked nicely). :)

dotdotdot

Feb 17, 2005, 07:31 PM

You know - I still can't figure that one out. When would you *not* want your number pad to be turned on? Weird Windows people.

I've also never understood why Windows keyboards use the word "Enter" for both the carriage return and the enter. Even Microsoft's products treat the two differently. Why give them the same name? It also makes it tough to write directions. Instead of "Press Enter", I have to specify, "Press the Enter button on your number pad." Windows Freaks. ;)

Windows comes default with Num Lock turned ON... so they do want the number pad... and the second comment... I don't know what you mean, but Enter on the keyboard and enter on the num pad do the exact same thing...

jsalzer

Feb 17, 2005, 07:40 PM

Windows comes default with Num Lock turned ON... so they do want the number pad... and the second comment... I don't know what you mean, but Enter on the keyboard and enter on the num pad do the exact same thing...

I've had computers at work that default to NumLock OFF each time you boot up. And even when it's ON, you're bound to accidentally knock it off and spend 30 seconds baffled trying to figure out why the numbers you're typing aren't there.

As for Enter - open up Excel. Type something into a cell and then press "Enter". Type something into that cell and then hit the other "Enter". One accepts the data and acts as a Carriage Return. The other simply accepts the data.

AppleWorks also treats them differently. In Word Processing, the one acts as a carriage return, while the other inserts a page break.

I think Word treats them the same, though.

Col. Panic

Feb 17, 2005, 07:53 PM

and the second comment... I don't know what you mean, but Enter on the keyboard and enter on the num pad do the exact same thing...

Not all the time. For example: In QuarkXPress the "Return" key gives you a hard return in a text box. Then "Enter" key bumps you to the start of the next linked text box. Two entirely different but useful functions.

I do not have XPress on a PC but if it functions the same then both keys having the same name would be confusing.

joetronic

Feb 18, 2005, 10:01 AM

I've had computers at work that default to NumLock OFF each time you boot up. And even when it's ON, you're bound to accidentally knock it off and spend 30 seconds baffled trying to figure out why the numbers you're typing aren't there.

numLock is a setting in the BIOS, not Windows itself. Tokk me a while to find it when the wife got her hunk 'o' junk, opps, I mean Dell.

TDM21

Feb 18, 2005, 10:32 AM

numLock is a setting in the BIOS, not Windows itself. Tokk me a while to find it when the wife got her hunk 'o' junk, opps, I mean Dell.

Actually it is kind of a bios setting and a Windows setting. I had my computer at home set up to dual boot to Windows XP and Red Hat 8. The bios was set to have num-lock on and Windows recognized that. When Red Hat would boot the num-lock was always off. I never could find a way to set the num-lock on in Red Hat. Also there is a way to have Windows boot with num-lock off or on, but the setting is somewhere in the registry.

joetronic

Feb 18, 2005, 10:43 AM

Actually it is kind of a bios setting and a Windows setting. I had my computer at home set up to dual boot to Windows XP and Red Hat 8. The bios was set to have num-lock on and Windows recognized that. When Red Hat would boot the num-lock was always off. I never could find a way to set the num-lock on in Red Hat. Also there is a way to have Windows boot with num-lock off or on, but the setting is somewhere in the registry.

Oh yeah, I had that problem with a old version of suse.

If I remember correctly, RedHat 8 didn't have that setting. I use RH 7.3KTSP and I can only find a setting under KDE. I'm sure it there, but it's hiding.

Platform

Feb 21, 2005, 06:18 AM

If you were to use an apple keyboard, if you have several language's on the pc would the kyeboard be able to recognize the other input and can you choose different languages too so that you can use other letters :confused:

T.Rex

Feb 21, 2005, 08:57 PM

You know - I still can't figure that one out. When would you *not* want your number pad to be turned on? Weird Windows people.

With Num. lock off, the number keys works as a directional pad.

Max-tor

Mar 17, 2006, 10:04 PM

Hi all,

Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only Win XP user who appreciates the quality of Apple keyboards! I've got an Apple Extended USB keyboard attached to a Dell Inspiron 510m.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed keys sometimes 'sticking' (for example: brownnnnnnnnnnn...)? Does anyone know the cause?

If anyone has any experience of this, please share!

Thanks,

Max-tor.

jsalzer

Mar 17, 2006, 10:08 PM

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed keys sometimes 'sticking' (for example: brownnnnnnnnnnn...)? Does anyone know the cause?

Jelly or something else sticky under the key is usually the culprit. Use a large paperclip and pry off the key in question. Then use a Q-tip to clean the stickiness off.

HTH

portent

Mar 17, 2006, 11:39 PM

With Num. lock off, the number keys works as a directional pad.
Yeah, exactly. Why would you want a second directional pad--especially one that's right next to the arrow keys?

plinkoman

Mar 17, 2006, 11:55 PM

With Num. lock off, the number keys works as a directional pad.

and how on earth is a second directional pad right next to the first one, and extra home, end, pgup, and pgdn, also right next to the other set, useful? http://www.vwvortex.com/zeroforum_graphics/screwy.gif

Max-tor

Mar 18, 2006, 01:20 AM

Jelly or something else sticky under the key is usually the culprit. Use a large paperclip and pry off the key in question. Then use a Q-tip to clean the stickiness off.

HTH

Uh... thanks (I think), but in the several hours that I have had the keyboard I haven't yet managed to spill anything on it... nor would I have asked for suggestions if the answer was so blatently obvious.

Anyhow, reducing the repeat rate seems to have fixed the problem.

jsalzer

Mar 18, 2006, 11:47 AM

Uh... thanks (I think), but in the several hours that I have had the keyboard I haven't yet managed to spill anything on it... nor would I have asked for suggestions if the answer was so blatently obvious.

Sorry - what's obvious for some isn't obvious to others. I know *plenty* of people who would not link key stickiness to the pop they spilled in the keyboard the day before. Certainly didn't mean to insult anyone's intelligence. :)

I need more Apple friends. They seem to be brighter. ;)

dead_smed

Oct 15, 2006, 07:59 PM

I found that XP didn't have the right keyboard map for the UK apple keyboard, ¨ @ are swapped and so on.........

To fix this problem i extracted the Driver CD from bootcamp and found the keyboard driver for XP. This has given me the correct keyboard map and got the eject button kind of working which was dead before.

what i was wondering does anyone know of a way to reprogram the volume keys and eject keys todo somthing else?? i would much prefer them to skip tracks than change volume and do the Windows screen lock.

chrisworld

Nov 21, 2006, 09:45 PM

as long as your USB ports are in working order you should have no problems at all short of the windows start menu key missing off the apple keyboard.

a keyboard is a keyboard. USB is UNIVERSAL serial bus.... so why should you have issues?

i might point out that the apple key opens the windows start menu, and f14 takes screen, clear on the number pad is num lock and f15 is scroll lock

YS2003

Nov 23, 2006, 09:55 AM

Has anyone tried Apple's BT Keyboard with Windows XP? For some reason, I have not been able to pair it with my Windows machines (which runs XP Tablet).

lagwag

Dec 5, 2006, 01:15 AM

dead_smed

Dec 7, 2006, 07:41 PM

I've now tried KeyTweaK, and I am afrade its still not allowed me to remap the keys i want. I think they are hardwired so to speak and not possible to change.

Neonguy

Dec 7, 2006, 09:34 PM

You would be better off getting a PC Keyboard that support the PC instead of getting the Apple one. Sure, the Apple one look nicer but it was especially built for the Mac. Using on the PC it will be confusing since it doesn't have num, and other built - in keypad that made for the PC.

2ms

Jan 18, 2007, 03:44 PM

What key on Apple keyboard functions as the 'Insert' key?

I am running XP through BootCamp on new iMac

apfhex

Jan 18, 2007, 03:52 PM

Using on the PC it will be confusing since it doesn't have num, and other built - in keypad that made for the PC.
What key on Apple keyboard functions as the 'Insert' key?
The Apple Keyboard is full size and includes all the same keys as your typical PC keyboard—they're just labeled differently.

All you need to do is look in the same place you'd expect the keys to be. F14 is Print Screen, F16 is Pause/Break, clear is numlock (numlock is stupid!!!), and for 2ms's question, "help" would be the "Insert" key.

If you really want full functionality with the Apple Keyboard you could take the keyboard drivers from Boot Camp and install them. You'll get use of the volume and Eject keys.

ceogar

Jan 23, 2007, 07:28 PM

will one of these work with windows then?

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=BBE51B76&nplm=M9034LL%2FA

would love that, always loved apple design but i'm afraid i have more use for windows yet.

dead_smed

Jan 24, 2007, 12:11 AM

Yeh i think so, it just the same as mine i believe

papajoe

Jan 25, 2008, 05:05 AM

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Hi All

A newbie here, I have just purchased the aluminium mac keyboard after being assured that it would work with my PC and Windows XP. Most of it does except for one important feature. I have no way of typing the @ sign (how did I do it then, copy/paste)

I just love the look and feel of the thing and would really like to keep it but unless some of you lovely people out ther can help it will have to go back.

Can any of you help me to, initially be able to type @ and if possible, get some of the other functions to work

Thanking you in hope, please inundate me with emails.

Papajoe

eviltobz

Jan 25, 2008, 05:53 AM

on my work dell keyboard that i'm using (ugh) the keys go L. ;/:, '/@ so it should be shift and the key next to the colon/semicolon.

papajoe

Jan 25, 2008, 07:12 AM

Thanks Eviltobits,that worked.
Now guys how about the rest of the functions

Jerome42

Apr 17, 2008, 05:39 AM

Matching keys between apple and windows (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304270)

Hope i help ...

jakeythesnake

Jun 7, 2008, 12:46 PM

Sorry to bump an old topic, but it does seem quite popular, and like quite a common problem.

Install the drivers for windows on the bootcamp disc.

Then you can install and run this to create whatever layout you like:

http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/tools/msklc.mspx

Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator.

You can map whatever you want to whatever you want.

coveree

Sep 1, 2008, 03:37 PM

I'm seriously not good with computer know how and seriously getting desperate.

OK, so I have a (not too new) non Mac PC with Windows XP Service Pack 2 on it. I just bought the Apple USB keyboard and....it just doesn't work...at all. none of the keys. this is w/o any software installed (and seems it has worked for you w/o the software.) The computer recognises new hardware, but that's all. I tried getting the keyboard software update 1.2, but it's a dmg file. I tried making it an iso, but I can't get any sort of installation running anyway. (Why can't they just pack a CD with it, much less fuss)

But please, any idea, what I should do to get it working. I tried all my USB ports and even the special keyboard port for older keyboards.

coveree

Sep 2, 2008, 12:34 PM

OK, got it working now. aparently I made my own life hard when all I really had to do was some next-next-next-finish. I think it just scared me that it didn't connect right away like everyone else said.=)

bosberg

Dec 15, 2008, 11:35 PM

Hi All, I thought perhaps someone here could give me guidance...
My son has asked for a mac keyboard for Christmas (to use on windows xp). I am trying to figure out the best one to choose...I read this thread and someone mentioned the Pro being a popular model for gamers..can anyone direct me to a website that has them? I Googled it and found this:
Apple M7696LLA Pro Keyboard for Macintosh
Would this be a good choice?
Thanks for your time!

jsalzer

Dec 16, 2008, 07:52 AM

Hi, Bosberg,

If your son specifically asked for a "Mac Keyboard", then he probably had a specific one in mind. It would be odd for him to make that request if he didn't have a specific one that he liked. The keyboard you've pointed out was a great one, but it is very different (in both looks and feel) from the current keyboards, which may be the ones he likes.

I'd directly ask him which kind he was looking at.

Hope that helps.