usb apple keyboard/mouse on windows 7 problems

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Level 1

73 points

usb apple keyboard/mouse on windows 7 problems

I have Windows 7 PC (not bootcamp) and a Apple USB keyboard (Model A1243) and a apple mouse (Model A1152). Neither of these things perform teeibly effictively under Windows 7 (Home Premium 64 bit)

The keyboard has a problem with its control key for selecting multiple files. If I hold control and click through multiple files to select them, I have to release the control key then re-press it for every single file. If I continue to hold the key and click a second file, Windows opens the context menu.

The mouse has a problem right clicking in general. I have to release my whole hand from the device (so none of my hand is touching any of the mouse at all) then press the very top right area (not next to the trackball, right around near the usb cord) in order for it to register as a right click.

These are the USB models. I used have them hooked up through a KVM between my PC and my Macbook Air to switch between the two but now it is directly cabled to the pc. They work beautifully on my Air and don't have any problems. On Windows the behaviour is horrendous.

Sorry for posting in this "older hardware", there was no community around this hardware that I could see.

Is there a way to make the keyboard less terrible in Windows. I've gotten used to the command key as the windows key (next to spacebar, instead of a PC keyboard where option is next to space). But having it MISTAKENLY think that holding control is the same as right clicking is a FAULT with this keyboard.

I don't have the desk space for two keyboards.

Posted on Jun 13, 2012 2:06 AM

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Answer 1

Jun 13, 2012 8:59 AM in response to Tim St.Clair

Here's a blog that talks about solutions someone came up with for Apple keyboards in Windows:

http://www.happytocode.com/post/Can-I-use-the-new-Apple-USB-Aluminium-keyboard-o n-Windows.aspx

(p.s. google: apple usb keyboard on windows)

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Answer 2

Tim St.Clair Author

Level 1

73 points

Jun 13, 2012 2:46 PM in response to JustSomeGuy

Hi

Googling got me to this page, which mentions that there are specific mappings when I have installed the Apple Keyboard Support driver.

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

The page you linked to mentions I should download bootcamp and extract the drivers. I'd like to do that, but of course Apple don't have a bootcamp download any more (at least, the one mentioned in that article). It seems like it might be an appstore thing, and there is no app store on Windows, so how do I get the one teeny little driver that Apple have made already, since they don't have a download for it? Out of bootcamp's driver disk, which is ... where? Many sites mention that it is part of the bookcampesd.pkg file, which used to be located at:

http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/54/00/041-0694/sq2RLp7XVNQzRG8qdpsq9sj4 pHsgXkgPYg/BootCampESD.pkg

but is no longer available. Where do I get BootCampESD.pkg from, this sounds like it has the stuff in it that I need. The bootcamp page on Apple does not mention the ability to download bootcamp...

I guess the solution is going to be: 1. Buy a mac. 2. google for hours to find the bootcamp download since it's not on the obvious "download" link on the bootcamp homepage (no, that contains java updates). 3. Google for hours to find the bootcamp download again because the last one doesn't work. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 twelve more times. 26. Install bootcamp. 27. Extract the driver & copy it out. 28. Put it on Windows. Hooray!

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Answer 3

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,690 points

Jun 13, 2012 3:41 PM in response to Tim St.Clair

Tim,

I fully realize that you are not using BootCamp but that forum may be more helpful compared to this one. This one is for pre-1997 Macintosh computers and gets very little traffic.

Maybe someone in the BootCamp forum has a similar experience; it's a long shot, just not as long as posting in a forum for Dino-Macs!

You might also look through this forum:

Windows Compatibility

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