Alrighty, first of all thanks for opening my post.

 

Next of all, I've had my Microsoft Wireless Desktop for a while now, It's always worked fine up until about a fortnight ago. As its been getting quite cold I have noticed it and so has my computer in the morning, it takes longer to start up it makes louder noises, etc.

 

BUT the problem I'm having is that on mornings when it is quite cold my desktop set just WILL NOT work until it warms up and I reboot and replug-in. Take this morning for example, I boot up, GRUB loads, asks me which OS I wish to boot and.. Oh wait I can't choose because my keyboard isn't working. So I press the reconnect button on the wireless reciever and press the connect button on the keyboard/mouse and nothing happens, the receiver continues searching for the hardware. I've tried everything I can think of, batteries, different USB ports, plugging in when it is booting, everything! But none of it works.. Can someone please give me some ideas of what I can do as it's getting really annoying running downstairs to get my wired keyboard every morning...

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

 

~Sycrat@ZENDORA

some old cars don't work in the cold either...

Yeah.. true, same with bikes.. but somehow i dont think this is helping my poor computer lol. Its only ten.. i mean its not that cold but it seems to think it is haha

Unfortunately, we live in the age of throw away computer peripherals. 15 years ago one may have attempted to repair something like this, but today wireless desktops are so cheap it's not worth the repair cost.

 

 

 

If you're handy with a soldering iron I would suggest opening the KB and the receiver to check if there are any dry joints and re-solder them. It's unlikely however as these devices do not produce enough heat to cause them in the first place. But I guess if you are proficient with a soldering iron you would have done this already.

 

 

 

What I'm leading up to is: Throw it away and buy a new one. You could always sell the old one on eBay to someone in Jamaica!

Hmmm Its not that old.. But it wouldn't be a soldering issue if it only happens when it's cold would it? =\. Just asking.

Well yes, one of the things a dry joint causes is a bad connection. Basically a when something heats up it expands, and the dry solder joint would expand making the connection good again. A dry joint was one of the most common causes of problems in the electronic industry, especially where heat is involved as the constant heating and cooling breaks the solder around a component pin. But a bad joint can also be caused by an error at the manufacturing stage. I have had hours of headaches searching for these problems as they can be very difficult to find. Imagine how many connections there would have been on the old style monitors, Nightmare I tell you.

 

 

 

Take a look at this:

 

What's a dry joint?

 

 

 

I seriously doubt this is the problem though, it sounds more like a component is failing. Presently the fault is showing up at lower temperatures, but I bet you that it will start to get worse and eventually die completely.

Another thing my mate just suggested is that it could be the batteries as they give off less power in the cold, could be it i suppose? Ill try warmin em up tomorrow morning.

In your original post you mentioned that you had already tried the batteries, I assumed you would have replaced them with new ones. If not, I would do so, don't bother with the present ones, get new batteries. Oh and clean the contacts if you can too!

Yeah I did, but they were the same temperature aswell, anyways thanks for all your help, I'll let you know how it goes :).

lithium ion batteries are delicate... they lose charge with age, and they only work in a specific temp range, maybe put the battery under the covers of your bed? :P

R2D2, you do realise, blankets and mattresses rely on *your* body heat? They don't generate it themselves... #-o

I was assuming the person would actually sleep in his own bed...

 

and it keeps out the cold as well, insulation does.