Keep Num Lock on after start-up

Hi Saint Bernard,

The link doesn't work anymore :(

It says 

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Can you please post a new link?

Yesterday a computer technician spent THREE HOURS with me in attempt to fix the NUM LOCK problem. He called three more technicians. Finally we were told that in order to make Windows 7 more 'User Friendly' Microsoft had ELIMINATED the startup code which in prior versions checked the BIOS in order to set the NUM LOCK key for the initial settiing. What Windows 7 does is to query the KEYBOARD for the initial NUM LOCK status! If the keyboard says that the NUM LOCK setting is ON then it adjusts the registry accordingly and vice-versa. The MORONIC MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE who came up with this STUPID AND EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING DESIGN DECISION should have a thesis written about him called: How to Become an Executive by being an Idiot! (I believe the saying 'Birds of a Feather Flock Together' would summarize this thesis.)

Those of you who think that I am the one who needs a new brain can very easily check my theory. Here is how:

1. Note the NUM LOCK status of your keyboard -- let's assume it is 'on' 2) Shut down your computer 3) Press the NUM LOCK key ONCE 3) Boot Windows 7 -- the NUM LOCK status, based upon our earlier assumption, will now be 'off' 4) WITHOUT PRESSING THE 'NUM LOCK' KEY shut down Windows 7 5) Press the NUM LOCK key ONCE 6) Boot Windows 7 -- the NUM LOCK status, based upon our earlier assumption, will now be 'on'

I certainly hope that the supervisor -- assuming that Mr. Steve Balmer did not come up with this -- of the executive who is responsible for this brings a mule to work, has the executive bend over while facing an open window, and tells the a_s to kick the guy bent out of the window in the a_s! After all, Windows has something called 'Hibernation' mode.

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Programmer for Visual C++ 6.0, and Microsoft Office including Access

That's a little over the top, ain't it? I mean, OK so they screwed up a little but considering the scope of the Windows 7 project and how great it turned out, (very high approval rating), I think it's a little extreme and actually, rediculous to demand that they fire the guy! (then again, maybe your a Mac/Snow Leopard user).

I willing to bet a very large some of money that you, (and YOU know who YOU are), has had a few 'bone-headed' ideas that defied common sence on several occasions throughout your life, yourself. I know I have, and I also know I'm man enough, (and realistic enough), to admit it... Are you?

Windows will remember the setting you use at shutdown, usually. If you have trouble with that, there is a registry setting you can make to do it. If you are comfortable with that, for now you can go to :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard] (or [HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard] for all users) "InitialKeyboardIndicators"="2"

Later, you can come back to this thread when the "FitIt4me" team has the button developed to do that for you. They should be finishing up development work on that pretty soon.

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Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP

Thanks.  On XP Pro SP3 this worked fine.  THe BIOS had the num lock setting to ON.   But until this registry was chaged to 2 it would not keep the num lock on.

I tried this and was not able to fix it. Is "pressing the num lock key" when the computer is off going to work? How does pressing a key when the computer is off going to do anything?

The directions, while they seem easy, are a bit confusing. Can you help?