Firstly, let me list my PC stats:

HP Pavilion m490n
Windows XP Media Center Edtition (XP Professional) with all updates.
Pentium 4, 3.40GHz, 1GB RAM
ATI Radeon 9200

Keyboard (as listed in device manager):
HID Keyboard Device (Driver 5.1.2600.2180)
HID Keyboard Device (Driver 5.1.2600.1321) - Yes, HID Keyboard listed twice.
Microsoft eHome Remote Control Keyboard Keys (Driver 5.1.2600.1106)

The Issue:
My keyboard, which came with my PC, has customizable buttons along the top to launch programs, websites, etc. which is configurable in the Control Panel of Windows, obviously under Hardware>Keyboards. I recently went to change the configuration, and the button configuration tab is missing. Totally gone. I don't know what could have caused this, or exactly when this occured. No hardware changes have been made to my computer since the last time I DID see the button configuration tab, but I have obviously installed software since. I really have no way to "troubleshoot" by removing programs, as I don't recall which ones I installed since the issue, considering I don't know when the issue originally occurred.

My question is this: Can I simply delete the entries in the Device Manager, under keyboards (listed above), and reboot, forcing the PC to redetect the hardware? Or will this just make things worse, i.e. no keyboard drivers? Also, if I should delete these entries, is there any way to backup my settings in case this needs to be reversed? Will creating a restore point do this?

FYI: the mapping of the custom keyboard buttons that I last configured when the button configuration tab was still work. So I'm able to use the buttons as I last set them. I just want the configuration tab back!

I hope I'm being thorough enough here for someone to help. Any suggestions, advice, help, etc would be very much appreciated!

Kind Regards,
Daniel aka siouxdax

With a conventional keyboard uninstalling from the device manager should do as you say.

On reboot XP would load the drivers. In your case you appear to have custom drivers. My standard keyboard driver is Driver 5.1.2600.0 from Microsoft.

Check you Device Manager for the publisher of you drivers. Also see if you can update them without uninstalling.

Did your computer come with a driver disk?

Also creating a Restore point is a good idea.

---------------
I found drivers for that model and keyboard here:

Spring 2004 Original Keyboard Driver Collection
HP Media Center m490n Desktop PC

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...tem=pv-18450-2


More info on that model here:

Pavilion m490n

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/p...&lang=en&cc=us