Don't buy an MS wireless desktop

Unless you like seeing things like this. It’s driving me mad! I’m still on the phone to MS technical suport after my shiny new Microsoft Wireless Desktop 6000 fails to recognise about every one in 100 keypresses, and keeps poppin up stupid error messages like the ones in the link — which for the lazy is a dialog box telling me the wireless strength is low…even though the Control Panel tells me it’s 100%. The receiever is literally 2 inches from the keyboard — signal strength isn’t an issue, even though I’ve succesfully typed from two rooms away. I’ve followed every step of the FAQ and still repeated keypresses seem lost and some other keys just missed entirely. Bonkers. If this doesn’t sort it I’m back to PC World to get me one with wires.

Update!

The problem is now ‘fixed’ — ironically it’s the wireless card in the Weebox that was interfering with the system: I’m be popping back to PC World to get a wired version of the product. Bugger. I assume any wireless network card would affect the keyboard in the same way — wireless packets every now and then just cutting out over the top of the messages from the keyboard and mouse.

Bit ridiculous really; most people have wireless networking these days, I can’t believe I’m the only one affected by this, unless it’s some strange property of the USB network card in the weebox and/or the lack of any shielding (cardboard box notwithstanding) from the internals of the box.

Filed under: Blog
Posted at 17:31:01 BST on 28th July 2006.

About Matt Godbolt

Matt Godbolt is a C++ developer working in Chicago for Aquatic. Follow him on Mastodon.