Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard

[Chuck]

I thought I had run across just about everything, until I unboxed a new
MS X4 keyboard. There is a little tag covering the USB plug. On the tag
is a message to load the MS drivers from the included CD prior to
plugging in the keyboard!

While I do have another keyboard, if I didn't, how in the !@## am I
supposed to load the drivers when the OPs system is not even loaded!
(Brand new hardware!

Besides that, the driver software is on the list for possible
compatibility problems with Visual Studio developed applications and
multiprocessor CPU's.

 

[VanguardLH]

I thought I had run across just about everything, until I unboxed a new
MS X4 keyboard. There is a little tag covering the USB plug. On the tag
is a message to load the MS drivers from the included CD prior to
plugging in the keyboard!

While I do have another keyboard, if I didn't, how in the !@## am I
supposed to load the drivers when the OPs system is not even loaded!
(Brand new hardware!

Besides that, the driver software is on the list for possible
compatibility problems with Visual Studio developed applications and
multiprocessor CPU's.

My guess is that if you only had this keyboard that you would reject the
"found new hardware" dialog so the embedded drivers that come with
Windows don't get used. A generic keyboard would then get used
thereafter. Then you would install the new drivers and reboot. Also,
since multiple keyboards can be concurrently connected, maybe they're so
stupid as to think users of this keyboard already have another keyboard.

Amazing what they try shoving for features into keyboards so they can
maintain high prices on low technology. Slapping "gaming" on the
keyboard's description instantly raises the price by 5, or more, times.
Same with VCRs. When the market got flooded, they maintained higher
prices by adding often superfluous features over the baseline
functionality.