Remap keyboard on Toshiba Satellite 2545XCDT? (SOLVED)

[Clueless in Seattle]

Hi again!

I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I last posted here. I'm an old guy (I'll be seventy next year) and I'm disabled by a poorly understood chronic illness that severely limits me more-and-more as time goes on.

Last year about this time I tried to resurrect an MS-DOS based note-taking system on a hand-me-down Tosbiba laptop. I ran into trouble trying to remap the keyboard so that I could have the right side Alt and Ctrl keys that my DOS software relied on for keyboard commands.

In the meantime my health went to hell in a hand-basket and I'm only now getting back on my feet (so to speak. I have difficulty sitting up or standing for more than a few minutes at a time, so I spend the better part of each day in bed).

A few weeks ago I dug out that old Toshiba laptop and decided to tackle this project again, and am trying to get a utility called KEYMAP.COM working on it.

I'm trying to figure out how to use the program. The documentation, such as it is, is little more than a list of the command line options.

I suspect I'll need to put commands in my config.sys file, or something like that.

I'd be grateful if one of you could take a look at this utility to see if you could help me figure out how to use it.

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

[foxidrive]

Will, can you describe which keys you need remapped and to what commands?

Are you running MSDOS? What version?

Or Windows? What version?

[Clueless in Seattle]

Hi foxidrive!

Thanks for that lightning quick reply! This forum is terrific!

I'm running MS-DOS 6.21

I'd like to change the following keys:

From To
----- ----
F11 > Ins
F12 > Del
Ins > Alt
`~ > Alt
Del > Ctrl

In case you're wondering why I want to create two Alt keys, it's because neither the ~ key nor the Ins key is in a comfortable position for striking with my right little finger. The position my finger reaches for turns out to be the gap between those two keys.

I'm thinking that perhaps I could disable one of the keys and then tape a strip of plastic across the tops of both keycaps to cover that gap.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

When I use the Keymap/t option, it displays three scan codes for some keys, one scancode followed by a D, and two followed by a U like this:

SCANCODE: 53 D 'DEL' BIOS 5300 'DEL'
SCANCODE: E0 U ''
SCANCODE: D3 U 'DEL'

Can you help me figure out what that is trying to tell me?

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

[foxidrive]

When I use the Keymap/t option, it displays three scan codes for some keys, one scancode followed by a D, and two followed by a U like this:

SCANCODE: 53 D 'DEL' BIOS 5300 'DEL'
SCANCODE: E0 U ''
SCANCODE: D3 U 'DEL'

Can you help me figure out what that is trying to tell me?

That is saying the scan code is 53 when pressing the key Down and E0 and D3 are generated when releasing the key Up. The keyname is DEL. The BIOS code 5300 can be used too.

I'm not sure if it will work in MSDOS but try this bat file. The last line is what prints the current key assignments to the screen and shows you the keys that are changed.

On my screen it looks like this:

d:\>file.bat
`(29)=ALT(38)
INS(52)=ALT(38)
DEL(53)=CTRL(1D)
F11(57)=INS(52)
F12(58)=DEL(53)

Code: Select all

@echo off
keymap F11=Ins
keymap F12=Del
keymap Ins=Alt
keymap `=Alt
keymap Del=Ctrl
keymap /d

If it doesn't work then I have a number of similar tools from the MSDOS days and I'll look for one. Let us know.

[Liviu]

Last year about this time I tried to resurrect an MS-DOS based note-taking system on a hand-me-down Tosbiba laptop. I ran into trouble trying to remap the keyboard so that I could have the right side Alt and Ctrl keys that my DOS software relied on for keyboard commands.

Not an answer to your question per se, but looking up the specs of the laptop I wonder whether running DOS takes full advantage of its memory and drive(s). I'd easily see Windows 2000 as an alternative, and that one natively supports remapping of the keyboard (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/gg463447.aspx).

Liviu

P.S. ( to Ed Dyreen re: http://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8895#p8895 ) Sorry, no i387-SX here, but I do have a DX free for hauling, only it's on the other side of the pond

[Clueless in Seattle]

I'm not sure if it will work in MSDOS but try this bat file...

Code: Select all

@echo off
keymap F11=Ins
keymap F12=Del
keymap Ins=Alt
keymap `=Alt
keymap Del=Ctrl
keymap /d

Thanks a million, foxidrive! That did work!

Or rather, I should say that I typed in the commands manually from the keyboard, and got the results I wanted. So I can't imagine any reason why running your batch file at startup wouldn't produce the same result.

So, I'm assuming I can just put that batch file in my autoexec.bat file, right?

This has really made my day! I can finally pick up this project where I left off over a decade ago!

BTW; you said in your previous post that you were

not sure if it will work in MSDOS

So I'm wondering which DOS you use.

I'm asking because, once I get my old MS-DOS system up and running again, and have learned my away around MS-DOS again, then I think my next logical step would be to begin the transition to a current DOS system, such as FreeDos, for example.

Thanks again for helping get this old hand-me-down laptop working again. You can't begin to know how much this means to me!

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

[Clueless in Seattle]

Not an answer to your question per se, but looking up the specs of the laptop I wonder whether running DOS takes full advantage of its memory and drive(s). I'd easily see Windows 2000 as an alternative, and that one natively supports remapping of the keyboard (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/gg463447.aspx).

Hi Liviu,

Thanks for responding!

One of my pet peeves against Windows is that it is so complicated and is constantly doing things in the background without my knowledge or permission. Instead of of the nickname "Win" for Windows, I call it COW ("Can of Worms").

The appeal of going back to MS-DOS is to have a relatively simple and transparent operating system that does only what I want it to do, when I want it to do it.

I'll still be using my Windows based home computer network for email, web surfing, music, photos, movies, etc. But I so want to be able to have at least one computer with an operating system that works for me instead of obstinately (and maliciously?) working against me as Windows seems wont to do.

BTW, which side of the pond is it that you are on?

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

[Clueless in Seattle]

Thanks to all who responded.

This forum is terrific!
-----
Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

[Liviu]

One of my pet peeves against Windows is that it is so complicated and is constantly doing things in the background without my knowledge or permission.

The NT branch of Windows (i.e. not counting the 9x/ME hybrids) can be configured to run pretty lean and tight, as in "when you do nothing, CPU utilization should be near 0%, and there should be no network activity". Something like http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx is a good starting point to watch what's loading where. Granted, it's all more complicated than perhaps needed be, but it's still quite transparent and controllable. And, anyone who mastered the old DOS config/loadhigh/qemm/smartdrv/park/etc would be aptly qualified to tame windows, too

BTW, which side of the pond is it that you are on?

Chicagoland. If I guessed wrong and Ed is in Flanders, New Jersey, instead, then I'll just pretend that by "pond" I meant Lake Michigan

Liviu

[Squashman]

I usuallu refer to the pond as the atlantic ocean.
I thought Ed and aGerman were on the right side and Dave was in NJ or at least on the East Coast of the US. Left side of he pond.

I would be on the left side of either Pond.

[foxidrive]

So, I'm assuming I can just put that batch file in my autoexec.bat file, right?

BTW; you said in your previous post that you were

not sure if it will work in MSDOS

So I'm wondering which DOS you use.

Yes, plonk it in the autoexec.bat at the end before your file manager starts, if you use one. I'm glad it worked.

I was using a cmd prompt in Win7.