Warren,
If your 80486 CMOS BIOS is that old, where it doesn't offer you the opportunity to ignore the a missing keyboard, then that's the way it is. I suppose someone may have devised a null plug to compensate. Late-model 486 boards came out with this capability and that's been the case with most motehrboards since then. An alternative is to shop around your local conputer stores and on-line for a keyboard that has a cover, especially one that locks. IT's and MIS's out there must have seen these in their monthly solicitations. Check out Processor.com. http://www.processor.com . I have been getting their periodical for years. Subswcription is free to those in the computer industry. I haven't been at their site in ages, so you will have to look to see if they have anything on-line that can help you. Most likely, a good computer store in your area would have something like this. You could also fashion your own locable cover. If you are gifted in that department, it may be the simplest solution for you. Of course, the most cost effective answer would be to look in your local papers for a used Pentium box. You would get the benefit of a newer system and with more upgrade possibilities as your needs grow. Good luck... T Warren Post wrote: This is a hardware problem, not a Linux problem. But perhaps someone has faced this problem before. I've amazed my friends by setting up a Linux-firewall-on-a-floppy in our city hall on an ancient 486 that was retired ages ago. But when I try to run it headless, it won't boot unless I plug a keyboard back in. As a workaround I've got an old keyboard that doesn't work very well plugged into the box, but that is both an inelegant solution and a temptation to idle fingers. Nor is this an idle complaint: our frequent power outages mean that the box must reboot often and reliably. I suspect that the problem is hardwired and the only solution is to change the motherboard. (I see no BIOS settings that should affect the keyboard.) But somebody prove me wrong, please. -- Warren Post Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras http://www.srcopan.vze.com/ Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com ------------------------------------------------ Changed your e-mail? Keep your contacts! Use this free e-mail change of address service from Return Path. Register now!
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