USB Trackpoint keyboard Numlock issues

[kevinsbane]

I recently bought one of these to use at work, and I am having trouble with numlock. Our numlock is always turned on because we use the numpad for input. However, when numpad is on, the keyboard doesn't work fully; it acts as a numpad on certain parts. My external numpad works correctly in this case. When I disable numlock to get my USB trackpoint keyboard working properly, it disables the numlock input on my external numpad.

Is there a way to disable the numpad function on my USB Trackpoint keyboard, but keep the numpad on for my external numpad?

[solar]

Look into the BIOS of your machine. I think there is a switch which either syncs external and internal keyboard or keep them independent. Let me know if that helped.

[kevinsbane]

I am running a Dell Vostro 460, which does not have any option for that. I saw it in my Thinkpad X220 bios, which ironically does not have a numpad on its keyboard at all.

[solar]

X220 does not have Numpad but has numlock and the keys have number printed on them on right side of keyboard. So on X220 you can actually turn that part of keyboard into NumPad and therefore we have in BIOS that switch.

I cannot comment how it works with Dell, sorry.

[kevinsbane]

I see. I've never actually tried it or used it so I guess I don't remember.

In any case, back to my issue... is there a way to disable the numpad on the thinkpad USB keyboard independently of any other numpads I have, given that I am using this on a non-thinkpad computer?

[solar]

if you have the keyboard attached and external numpad on - what happens if you turn it off by Numpad key on notebook internal keyboard?

You have to understand that the scenario how it was built is to use one or the other keyboard.

And I think the switch in BIOS in Lenovo systems is to better support external numpads, not external keyboards.

[kevinsbane]

I don't have a notebook internal keyboard; I am using this USB Trackpoint Keyboard on a desktop computer.

When I turn on the numlock from the external numpad, it goes to number mode and types numbers in. The Trackpoint Keyboard also goes into numpad mode and types numbers.

When I turn off the numlock from the Trackpoint Keyboard, it turns off the numlock for both the Trackpoint Keyboard and the external numpad. The Trackpoint Keyboard types normally, and the external numpad goes to left/right/up/down/pageup/page etc.

[solar]

Finally got it now - this is controlled by BIOS. I even do not think it would be possible to control via software/driver. 

[kevinsbane]

No way to get a modified driver that sets an option to ignore numlock status, I guess? If not, I'd like to suggest that the USB Trackpoint Keyboard have that option in its user interface.

[ ] Ignore Numlock status (Numlock always off)