If Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 is running in audit mode on a portable computer, the NUM LOCK key is always turned on

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Problem description

When Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 is running in audit mode on a portable computer, the NUM LOCK key is always turned on.

You experience this problem in either of the following scenarios.

Scenario 1

You perform an unattended installation of Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 that is initiated in audit mode.

Scenario 2

When you run the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) Wizard in Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 , you press CTRL+SHIFT+F3 to try to enter audit mode.

Note This problem occurs because the letter keys are overlaid with the number pad.

This article helps you work around this problem.

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Cause

This problem occurs because the value of the InitialKeyboardIndicators registry entry is set to 2. A value of 2 indicates that NUM LOCK functionality is turned on. This value is stored in the administrator profile that is used in audit mode. If the value of the CopyProfile tag is set to true, the administrator profile will be copied to the default profile and then to the user accounts. Therefore, you experience the behavior that is mentioned in the "Problem description" section.

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Workaround for scenario 1

Open the Unattend.xml file, locate the <settings pass="auditUser"> tag, and then set the RunSynchronous command to run the following command:

cmd /c reg copy "HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard" "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard" /s /f

After you run the RunSynchronous command, the Unattend.xml file resembles the following.

<settings pass="auditUser">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="<http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State>" xmlns:xsi="<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance>">
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>cmd /c reg copy &quot;HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard&quot; &quot;HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard&quot;  /s /f</Path>
                    <Description>Numlock Workaround</Description>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>......

This workaround copies the correct values from the default user profile to the initial administrator profile. These values are set in the InitialKeyboardIndicators registry entry. This registry entry controls keyboard behavior.

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Workaround for scenario 2

To work around this problem, modify the value of the InitialKeyboardIndicators registry subkey. To have us modify the registry for you, go to the “Fix it for me” section. If you would rather modify the registry yourself, go to the “Let me fix it myself” section.

Fix it for me

To work around this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then, click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.

Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note if you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Let me fix it myself

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To work around this problem, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard
Right-click InitialKeyboardIndicators, and then click Modify.
Type 2147483648 in the Value data field, and then click OK.
Exit Registry Editor.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Did this fix the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support.

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