USB num pad (combined with mouse) overrides NumLock on laptop keyboard

[Adam Funk]

On 2011-11-22, Jim Byrnes wrote:

> On 11/22/2011 08:16 AM, Adam Funk wrote:
>> I'm running oneiric on an Asus laptop with a normal laptop keyboard
>> (i.e., no separate num pad, but a "special" key that makes one of the
>> F-keys turn num lock on, turning part of the main keyboard into a num
>> pad).
>>
>> I just got a Hama 2in1 USB combined mouse&  num pad.  The mouse
>> functions work fine.  The num pad works too, but when I press any of
>> the buttons on it, the num lock function on the main keyboard is
>> activated, so I can't alternate between entering words with the main
>> keyboard and numbers with the external num pad.  In order to
>> deactivate the num lock function on the main keyboard, I have to
>> unplug the USB device and then use the special-num-lock combination to
>> turn the on-board num pad off.  (I hope that makes sense.)  Using the
>> num-lock control while the USB device is plugged in, after any of its
>> keys have been pressed, has no effect.
>>
>> Is there anything I can configure to completely disable the num pad
>> functionality on the main keyboard, while still allowing the external
>> one to work, so I can use this set-up the way I want?

> I don't have a laptop with that feature to check, but have you looked at 
> the bios to see if the special key can be turned off there?

Good suggestion!  But I checked after you suggested that &
unfortunately there isn't.