Turn NUM LOCK on at start-up

Anonymous
2009-12-27T01:45:17+00:00

How do you edit InitialKeyboardIndicators in the registry editor so num lock is on at start-up? One instruction I read said to change the value to 2.  The number that is already present is 2147483648 which I have no idea what it stands for!  Can anyone help me out here? Thanks

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2009-12-27T08:21:38+00:00

By default the numlock status is the same as it was in when you properly shut down the computer. If it was on when you shut it down it will be on when you again turn the computer on.

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Richard Urban

Microsoft MVP

Windows Desktop Experience/Security

"BJ55" wrote in message news:b6f5c70d-a053-431 1-946d-ba9e8879f644...

How do you edit InitialKeyboardIndicators in the registry editor so num lock is on at start-up? One instruction I read said to change the value to 2.  The number that is already present is 2147483648 which I have no idea what it stands for!  Can anyone help me out here? Thanks

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Anonymous
2010-06-04T13:27:04+00:00

I haven't read through every reply, but just in case there has not been an answer for this, here is what you do.

By default, NumLock, CapsLock, and ScrollLock are set to off on power up in WindowsXP.  If you want to modify this to allow one or all of them to be on by default at power up, follow the below instructions.

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Run
  3. Type RegEdit
  4. Expand to HKEY_Users
  5. Expand .Default
  6. Expand Control Panel
  7. Expand Keyboard
  8. Find sting value InitialKeyboadIndicators. (By default this will be set to '0' which means Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps Lock are all turned off.)
  9. Double click the "InitialKeyboardIndicators" string value and make the following changes.
  • 0 - Turns off Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock
  • 1 - Turns on Caps Lock
  • 2 - Turns on Num Lock
  • 3 - Turns on Caps Lock and Num Lock
  • 4 - Turns on Scroll Lock
  • 5 - Turns on Caps Lock and Scroll Lock
  • 6 - Turns on Num Lock and Scroll Lock
  • 7 - Turns on Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock

Exit the Registry. When you restart, the new setting will take effect

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-02-03T15:42:11+00:00

    Yes, it safe to change it to 2 -> there will be numlock turned on on next boot (at login screen).

    I too dont know what 2147483648 stands for. By the way on every win7 machine i was using numlock is turned on/off properly only after login of user according to his profile setting, but before login it is always off on notebooks. I know that it was possible to turn on numlock and restart without login of user to save it in previous versions of windows, but this is not working anymore. So registry edit is needed, as windows still do not allow changes to this in any user friendly way (12 years of development and no checkbox in keyboard control panel?)

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-01-17T01:14:04+00:00

    I found that my DV7 laptop that it has a dword value and don't know how to change it to a string value. After I log in the number lock is on. On my desktop is set to a string value of 2 and I can sigh in using the numbers. The only way I have found how to change it is still saving settings from desktop and installing on laptop.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-01-09T19:40:07+00:00

    Yes, I was having the same problem.  Changing the last two numbers from 48 to 50 corrected it.  Thanks!

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