How to use an Apple keyboard with a Windows PC

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How to use an Apple keyboard with a Windows PC

I have a 2008 Mac Pro and a Windows PC. They share the same monitor, keyboard and mouse via a KVM switch (I use the Belkin Flip DVI-D KVM Switch, model F1DG102D). My keyboard is the Apple wired keyboard with numeric keypad, which works fine with my Windows Vista PC, even with no Apple-specific Windows driver installed. My keyboard tray is pretty small, so I would like to get the new Apple wired keyboard which doesn't have a numeric keypad. I don't need the numeric keypad anyway. However, I will miss the home, end, page up, page down, and forward delete buttons. The Mac Pro has a way of simulating these keys. However, the key combinations to simulate these keys don't work in Windows Vista. My question is: how do I simulate these keys from Windows Vista? My guess is that possible options are:

1. Use some Vista keyboard mapping software. If so, any idea what might work?

OR

2. Use Apple's keyboard driver for Windows Vista (32-bit). The keyboard comes with boot camp, but I don't use boot camp (since I have a separate Windows PC). How do I go about getting a standalone Apple keyboard driver without having to install boot camp?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Mac Pro (Early 2008), Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Mar 23, 2009 6:41 PM

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Answer 1

randman Author

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Mar 26, 2009 7:48 PM in response to randman

Bump.

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Answer 2

j2048b

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Mar 27, 2009 12:33 AM in response to randman

randman wrote:
I have a 2008 Mac Pro and a Windows PC. They share the same monitor, keyboard and mouse via a KVM switch (I use the Belkin Flip DVI-D KVM Switch, model F1DG102D). My keyboard is the Apple wired keyboard with numeric keypad, which works fine with my Windows Vista PC, even with no Apple-specific Windows driver installed. My keyboard tray is pretty small, so I would like to get the new Apple wired keyboard which doesn't have a numeric keypad. I don't need the numeric keypad anyway. However, I will miss the home, end, page up, page down, and forward delete buttons. The Mac Pro has a way of simulating these keys. However, the key combinations to simulate these keys don't work in Windows Vista. My question is: how do I simulate these keys from Windows Vista? My guess is that possible options are:

1. Use some Vista keyboard mapping software. If so, any idea what might work?

OR

2. Use Apple's keyboard driver for Windows Vista (32-bit). The keyboard comes with boot camp, but I don't use boot camp (since I have a separate Windows PC). How do I go about getting a standalone Apple keyboard driver without having to install boot camp?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

not sure if this will help but it is listed under boot camp for apple keyboards on windows pc:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1216

might at least give you some help? if you want to install bootcamp?

sorry if it does no good

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Answer 3

randman Author

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Mar 27, 2009 1:23 PM in response to j2048b

Since I already have a PC, I don't plan on using boot camp (although my Mac Pro would make a better PC than my PC). I'm currently using the Apple Ultra-thin keyboard - the bigger one with the numeric keypad. I'm quite happy with the keyboard and can use it in both Mac and Windows. I'm interested in the smaller version of the keyboard though (the one w/o the keypad - I need more room in my desk), but I need a way to simulate the following keys in Windows: home, end, page up, page down, and forward delete. It might be worth using the Apple keyboard driver that comes with boot camp if the boot camp keyboard driver allows me to simulate these keys. If so, another issue is how to get the keyboard driver without actually installing bootcamp. I do have the Leopard DVD, so I can get it from there.

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Answer 4

j2048b

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9 points

Mar 28, 2009 12:23 AM in response to randman

yeah you might be able to use the leopard dvd and install the drivers?

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