Talk:Num lock

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Any explanation as to why some keyboards have a mouse symbol on the Num Lock now? -70.160.162.237 21:22, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

i believe windows can be configured to use NumLock as a toggle for "mouse keys", where the number pad can be used to move the mouse cursor around the screen. Bgruber 06:48, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Under Windows XP, pressing left shift, left alt and num lock simultaneously activates a keyboard mouse. The numeric keypad then acts as a mouse cursor interface: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 control the mouse cursor movement; 5 and "+" are the action keys. What action is done depends on the selection: "/" selects the left mouse button, "-" selects the right mouse button and "*" selects a combined "left mouse button - right mouse button" mode (left-right mouse buttons "pressed" in this order I guess). Pressing the "Num lock" button changes between "mouse mode" and "text cursor control mode". Pressing left shift, left alt and num lock simultaneously again deactivates the keyboard mouse, giving back the regular "number/operand mode" or "text cursor control mode", depending on "num lock" state.

I'm not sure if other operating systems or software use the shift-alt-numlock combination (or something similar) to active the keyboard mouse mode. But if any do, this fact may be noteworthy in the article. --Abdull 21:22, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Does anybody know why they don't remove the num lock now that almost all keyboards have arrow keys? It's a hassle constantly having to press it when you log onto a public computer or one on a network, it's the keyboard equivalent of the Queen of England why don't they just get rid of it?

Wow, you just owned the Queen of England.

...

Nice!

same with the INSERT key. some people like it. well, that did not bother them removing my well beloved ins-key from all modern keyboards (arf!). but does anybody know why the num-lock is the "last man standing" on a crashed system? i'd really like to know.

[edit] The Table

How about someone makes the table into more of a graphical one, instead of a mere list? Where the cells are arranged to represent the actual keys and whatnot. --21:58, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] BIOS "bug"

How about mentioning the "bug" in the IBM BIOS implementation of NumLock? If I recall correctly, on a system that's using IBM BIOS (eg DOS) pressing 5 with NumLock off still sends "5" to the system. The only way to prevent this is to check the keyboard scan code and NumLock status in your own Interrupt 09H handler (Windows provides a high-level interface for using scan codes). Zyxoas (talk to me - I'll listen) 08:27, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Zidane2k1's edit

I'm taking out these three paragraphs for the reasons indicated following them:

When a computer's operating system crashes or hangs the Num Lock key is usually the only key that responds to being pressed.

Generally on a PC running Windows, when the operating system hangs, none of the keyboard keys react, and the keyboard's LEDs won't even toggle, including the Num Lock.

The Num Lock key can be deactivated by a number of means. On a Macintosh, if Universal Access is set to enable "keyboard control of the mouse" then hitting the option key five times will disable the numlock key, since the keyboard is at that time being used to control the mouse pointer. To regain control of the Num Lock key, it is necessary to again hit the option key five times.

I won't really consider this "disabling the Num Lock key," it's really just "using the Num Lock key to enable or disable a different feature."

On Windows the numlock key can also be deactivated, and reactivated using the F6 key or shift F6 I believe.

Nope, doesn't happen. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Zidane2k1 (talk • contribs) 05:25, 3 December 2006 (UTC).