IBM USB Keyboard with Ultranav - D20 problems

[BarryHull]

I purchased an IBM keyboard, model #SK-8835 to use with my D20 WorkStation. They discontinued this keyboard in 2009, a mistake I think because they replaced it with a Lenovo keyboard #SK-8855, which does not have the extra number keys on the right side.

My Lenovo ThinkPad W700DS has a great keyboard with trackpoint, touchpad, and number pad.

So anyway, I plug in the IBM keyboard and neither the trackpoint nor touchpad are working.  I tried to load the software which came with the keyboard and recieved an error that the software is not recognized by my current operating system.

I suppose I could purchase a seperate number pad, but I REALLY do not want to do that. I prefer having the number pad built into the keyboard.

I tried downloading software from Lenovo website with no luck.

Does anyone know how to get the IBM keyboard #SK-8835 working fully on a D20 WorkStation??

Thanks in advance.

[erik Community SuperMod]

that keyboard is ancient.   official support ended for it in 2006.   i have one on my shelf collecting dust.

however, you might try the drivers listed here: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=MIGR-60649

if that doesn't work, you might need to consider the keyboard i suggested earlier as it's both newer and currently supported.   not having a numeric keyboard is a hassle but it's about the best compromise at this point in time.   for numerical input i use a canon DK100i USB calculator.

[BarryHull]

Thanks Erik.  I bought that new keyboard, it is great, except I use the number pad so much I really need it on my keyboard, and so I am trying this old one, which types exactly like the new ones, it simply has the number pad.

I tried to get comfortable with this new keyboard except I kept reaching for the number pad, which didn't exist, so I bought this old one.

I'll try that software and hope it works.  If not I will probably break down and buy a separate number pad.  Like many others, I'm picky about my keyboard.

[erik Community SuperMod · Accepted solution]

no arguments there.   i definitely miss having an integrated number pad.   the canon calculator can switch from numpad to calc functions though, making it a rather useful alternative.

anyway, the keyboards are made by lite-on and use a combination of lite-on, synaptics, and IBM/lenovo hotkey drivers.   if you don't have luck with the package linked above then i'm not sure what else to suggest.    this particular piece of hardware is rather complicated for being so simple.   (that's an oxymoron, i know, but it makes sense in my head)

[BarryHull]

Well, tried and tried to get the "old" new keyboard to work, no luck, couple of times even had the blue screen of death.  I will purchase a seperate number pad and make do with the so called updated version of the Lenovo keyboard.  Bums me out having spent $245.  Without knowing what I am talking about, how hard can it be to keep an old keyboard working??

Anyway, my two cents for Lenovo is that there are likely many of us who, at different times, use and appreciate having a touch pad, track point, and number key pad all together, EXACTLY the way my current W700DS ThinkPad laptop has right now in its very current configuration.

Just seems odd that I buy this big ole' honkin fancy D20 WorkStation and I am limited to a keyboard less capable than my current ThinkPad.

The ironies of life.  I suppose I will have a cocktail with the wife and ponder that one.

Thanks again Erik for the easy to understand not overly technical description that even a computer knucklehead can understand.

Barry Hull