HOWTO: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 - enabling special keys

[cynoclast]

How do I make the favorites keys work with amarok?

Or perhaps more usefully: How do I make them work to launch a command?

I got it working with Rythmbox by binding them in keyboard shorcuts. It was remarkably easy that way.

But what if I wanted to use amarok?

the commands:

dcop amarok player next
dcop amarok player prev

do the trick, but it would be nice to be able to bind the keys to arbitrary commands.

[craig100]

How did you map your + - stop/pause and mute keys? Also the calculator key? I'm finding the +- keys show a speaker icon on the screen and the bar beneath increases and decreases but the volume stays the same. Using RythmBox.

Thanks,

Craig

[lkilcher]

Originally Posted by euphgeek Hi, I just bought this keyboard and plugged it in. It works fine, except for a few keys. The right control, end and the =, (, ) keys in the upper right-hand corner. I'm running Ubuntu 8.04 with kernel 2.6.24-21-generic. Here's an output of the relevant lines from dmesg: [ 30.098314] input: Microsoft Natural<AE> Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as /devices/ pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.0/input/input1 [ 30.129898] input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Keyboard [Microsoft Natural<AE> Ergo nomic Keyboard 4000] on usb-0000:00:13.0-2 [ 30.143173] input: Microsoft Natural<AE> Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as /devices/ pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.1/input/input2 [ 30.165854] input,hidraw1: USB HID v1.11 Device [Microsoft Natural<AE> Ergono mic Keyboard 4000] on usb-0000:00:13.0-2 Any suggestions?

I am having a very similar problem, except that the keys listed above work for me. The ones that do not are keypad 2,3,5,6,8,9 (the middle six in the keypad). I ran xev, and there was absolutely no events on the pressing of any of these keys. What does this mean?

I have the MS Natural Ergo. 4000 v1.0 (KU-0462, Part No. X802610-001).

thanx,
lk

[diegotorquemada]

Configuring the "Microsoft Ergonomic Natural Keyboard 4000" under Debian 5 Lenny


In order that they USB keyboard works in the GRUB screen, enable from the bios setup the
"Legacy USB keyboard support" option

Install the unstable package xkb-data_1.5-2_all.deb (available at: http://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=xkb-data )

In the kcontrol (control center) -> keyboard layout: activate the keyboard model "Microsoft Natural Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard 7000".

And voila!

If you want to test the keys use the
$ xev
command, and run
$ modmap -pke
in order to see all the keycode associations.

I also changed my /etc/X11/xorg.conf to

Section "InputDevice"
        Identifier      "Generic Keyboard"
        Driver          "kbd"
        Option          "XkbRules"      "xorg"
        Option          "XkbModel"      "microsoft7000"
        Option          "XkbLayout"     "latam"
EndSection

[CodeNosher]

I just upgraded from 7.10 to 8.04. On 7.10 the mute and +/- vol keys worked fine. Now I get a picture that changes, but the volume stays the same. I see others have the same problem.

Does anyone have a good fix for it?

[CodeNosher]

FINALLY!! After lots of digging I found this old post:

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-377740.html

"Navigate to System->Preferences->Sound. In the bottom combo-box, Ctrl-Left Click all the sound "devices" you want controlled by the volume keys."

Why it changed from Master to Capture I don't know, but it works now!!

The mute key is very handy in the office

[LinusX]

Hello,
I found a link to this thread on the german forum ubuntuusers.de.
I am using Ubuntu 9.04 64bit (german version) and the MS Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. Some of the extra keys like calculator, mute, volume+/-, e-mail, back/forward work fine, but some don't, like 1-5, the special f-keys and the zoom "wheel" and some don't work the way I want, like the browser button (opening nautilus instead of firefox) and play/pause (not working in audacious).
Could you tell me a way to fix these without having to read the whole 17 pages thread or being a professional programmer?
Thanks in advance!
Linus X.

[jeje2a]

Hi everybody
I am a french Linux Ubuntu user
I have a M$ Ergonomic Natural Keyboard 4000 over Ubuntu 8.04 with Kernel 2.6.24-25
i follow the instructions but it seems the patchset is for Kernel 2.6.21.1 or 2.6-22
it doesn't work for me...
Please , anyone have an idea ?
Thank you in advance

[Jens Getreu]

I just bought a "Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000"

I am running ubuntu 9.10 with kernel 2.6.31-17-generic (amd64).

In the keyboard configuration tool I did not find the 4000 model so I tried out
all the other ones.

My problem: all keys work fine except the function keys F1-F12 which I use
very frequently (the zoom wheel does not work either).
Furthermore it is not possible to switch with cntl-alt-F1 to a text console.

As I understand from this thread, there should exist a driver module for this
keyboard. How can I enable it?

[Samage]

You may want to investigate the 'F Lock' key right at the end of the 'F' keys. Make sure it is on.