Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > alt.lang.asm > #6766

Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced

Show all headers | View raw

Bogus@Embarq.com (Steve) writes:

>Hi,

>"Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> writes:

><Snip>
>>It's mostly asm. Toggles a shift key then uses an extended keyboard call  
>>to see if it's changed.
>>Should be easily rewritten in asm or ascii asm for use in batch.

>   That seems more of a test to see if the BIOS supports extended keyboard
>functions.  The memory byte at 40H:96H should indicate a 101 keyboard is
>attached if bit 4 is set.

>Regards,

>Steve N.

      Thank you for your responses.  I tried the BIOS 40H:96H approach
several years ago, with the following MASM code:

----------------
;KEYBID5.ASM
;Tests bit 4 of keyboard status byte (set=enhanced kb attached;
; clear=nonenhanced)

CSEG  SEGMENT
      ASSUME      CS:CSEG,DS:CSEG

      ORG   0100H

START:

      MOV   AX,40H      ;Get BIOS parameters
      MOV   DS,AX
      MOV   AL,DS:BYTE PTR[96H]     ;Get keyboard status byte 1
      TEST  AL,00010000B        ;Bit 4 set?
      JNZ   ENH         ;If so, keyboard tested as enhanced
      XOR   AL,AL       ;If not, it didn't; return exit code 0
      JMP   SHORT EXIT
ENH:  MOV   AL,1        ;If it did, return exit code 1
EXIT: MOV   AH,4CH      ;Terminate with exit code
      INT   21H

CSEG  ENDS
      END   START
------------------

      I haven't been able to find any mistakes in the above code, but
unfortunately, it always returns 1 for every keyboard I've tried, 101-
key or otherwise.

      This BIOS keyboard-identification approach may not work for my 
laptop in any case.  I find that, unlike the display, which shows only on 
the external monitor when one is attached, both the external and internal 
keyboards can be used at the same time.  I have no idea how the BIOS 
keyboard-status byte, which appears to represent only one keyboard ID, 
would handle this.
							--Donald Davis

Back to alt.lang.asm | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced keyboard? "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-03 19:50 +0000
  Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Bogus@Embarq.com (Steve) - 2016-12-04 15:02 +0000
    Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Donald G. Davis <dgdavis@blackhole.nyx.net> - 2016-12-05 19:19 +0000
      Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Bogus@Embarq.com (Steve) - 2016-12-06 15:59 +0000
        Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Donald G. Davis <dgdavis@blackhole.nyx.net> - 2016-12-08 20:38 +0000
    Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-07 07:18 +0000
      Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-07 07:19 +0000
      Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Frank Kotler <fbkotler@myfairpoint.net> - 2016-12-07 09:24 -0500
        Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-08 11:58 +0000
          Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Frank Kotler <fbkotler@myfairpoint.net> - 2016-12-08 11:49 -0500
            Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Melzzzzz <mel@zzzzz.com> - 2016-12-08 20:37 +0100
              Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced JJ <jj4public@vfemail.net> - 2016-12-09 06:22 +0700
                Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Donald G. Davis <dgdavis@blackhole.nyx.net> - 2016-12-10 04:53 +0000
      Re: MS-DOS utility to distinguish between standard & enhanced Rod Pemberton <NeedNotReplyHere@xrsevnneqk.cem> - 2016-12-07 19:52 -0500

csiph-web