Keyboard drivers usable on non-Apple machines?

Hello, I want to use the new Apple keyboard (wired, USB 2.0) on a Windows laptop (meaning *non-Apple hardware*). Connecting it is as easy as plugging it in but some keys do not map to anything. My question is: Can I use the Apple keyboard driver with non-Apple hardware? Are there dedicated drivers for non-Apple machines?

Aluminum Keyboards? Here is what I did...
I took my BootCamp drivers CD and loaded it into a PC notebook, as well as a desktop. It installed way too much stuff. I uninstalled.
Next I loaded the cd and cancelled the auto-install. I looked at the contents from (right-click) "explore". I dragged the Apple drivers into a desktop "new" folder. I recreated the contents of the cd exactly the same but without all the excess hardware drivers and stuff. It installed. I got the keyboard manager and everything. I plugged in the keyboard (wired and wireless - returned the wireless board because I don't like replacing batteries plus the "fn" key was unresponsive) and it works. So does Mighty Mouse (wired).
I forgot to "just try" the keyboard without the BootCamp drivers - maybe it works anyway! I'm happy with it.

Similar Messages

Apple Wireless Keyboard with Windows 7 on non Apple Hardware

Good Day,
I love the Apple Wireless Keyboard and it's the on I use when using my Thinkpad laptop as a desktop, meaning connected to an external Monitor and with an external keyboard and mouse. The Keyboard I use is an Apple Wireless Keyboard.
On my MBA 13 I use Windows 7 as my OS and the Apple lyouted keyboard works actually quite well with windows: The function keys perform very much like in Mac OSX with the volume, screen brightness, the fn+left or right for "home" or "end" etc.
Not I bought an Apple Wireless Keyboard to use in conjuction with my Thinkpad but all does features are missing. I guess that this has to to that on the MBA 13 the appropriate drivers where installed when the whole Bootcamp Software package was installed.
Since I obviously cant install the whole Bootcamp CD on non Apple Hardware, is there any way to just download somewhere the drivers for Apple KEyboards so the behave the same way as they would on a Mac running Windows?
Or is there any other way I could use my Apple Wireless Keyboard with non Apple Hardware the same way it behaves on my MBA 13 running Windows 7? Can somwhere lolely the Apple Keyboard drivers be downloaded?
I want to thank anyone who is kind enough to help mme with this mather in advance and please leave out comments of the kind that I it's my fault, I should have bought an Apple machine from the beginning. I have my reasons and If anyone can't handle that I kindly ask you to just ignore this post unless it's constructive and helpful contribution
Message was edited by: Apolloss

After 3 frustrating hours of trying every tip on the net, I found the answer: Try this.
"This finally fixed it for me: Device Manager - Open System Devices, you will find a Bluetooth HID Device. Double Click it, open Driver tab and click "Update Driver" Select Browse my Computer, then "Let me Pick". It should now show TWO compatible drivers with exactly the same name. One of them is the Microsoft one, one is the non-working Chinese ****. Install one of them and see if the driver properties changed to the right (Microsoft) driver. If not, try again with the other one. For me, the Microsoft driver was the first one in the list, but this may be different for you. Wow, an annoying and intense hour of trouble shooting finally over..."
Source: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_update/window s-update-yi-ruan-bluetooth-hid-device-driver/5bfd0c92-1771-e011-8dfc-68b599b31bf 5?page=2&tm=1304484508563
The issue is related to the Chinese version of the driver that the latest windows update applies that stops the keyboard from working.
I'm typing this on the Apple Wireless Keyboard on Windows 7 64 bit on my PC. Finallly!

Bootcamp 1.1.1, Apple Keyboard Drivers and Trojan.Bancos

I just upgraded to Bootcamp 1.1.1 (from 1.0) to get my camera, keyboard and soundcard working properly (on my rarely used Win XP); and, not to my surprise, stumbled upon a Trojan.Bancos warning (from PestPatrol in my WinXP partition) from the Macintosh Drivers CD (specifically the /Apple Keyboard/Setup.exe file). Since I created the file in my OSX partition, it's technically not possible to get this Trojan through Windows. I searched the Trojan but it looks like it's a PC pest (wow, that's shocking)... how did I get a drivers CD with a PC trojan through my Mac OS? Norton fails to recognize it and I can't get the same warning again when I scan the CD again with PestPatrol. Did anyone get this problem?
MacBook Pro 15'' (2.16; 1GB; 100GB; OSX/WinXP) Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I know that my machine is still vulnerable but I don't understand how a Mac generated CD could be infected with a PC trojan... the weirdest of all PC trojans (apparently it's a Brazilian banking trojan that steals bank passwords form portugese websites)...
MacBook Pro 15'' (2.16; 1GB; 100GB) Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I want a new and more powerful (non-Apple) wireless router but I still want to use my existing Time Capsule to continue with my Time Machine backups and I still need the Time Capsule's Network Attached Storage (NAS) features and capabilities

THE SHORTER STORY
My goal is to successfully use my existing Time Capsule (TC) with a new and more powerful wireless router. I need a new and more powerful wireless router in order to reach a distant Denon a/v receiver that is physically located in a master bedroom some 50 feet away from my modem. I need to provide this Denon a/v receiver with an Internet connection so that it can obtain its firmware updates and I need to connect this Denon a/v receiver to my network in order to use its AirPlay feature. I believe l still need the TC's Network Attached Storage (NAS) features because I am not sure if the new wireless router will provide me with the NAS like features / capabilities I need to share files between my two Apple laptops with OS X 10.8.2. And I know that I absolutely need my TC's seamless integration with Apple's Time Machine (TM) application in order to continue to make effortless backups of my two Apple laptops. To my knowledge nothing works with TM like Apple's TC. I also need the hard disk storage space built into the TC.
I cannot use a long wired Ethernet cable connection in this apartment and I cannot use power-line adapters. I have read that wireless range extenders and repeaters are difficult to successfully set-up and that they will reduce data speeds, especially so when incorrectly set-up. I cannot relocate my modem and/or primary base station wireless router.
In short, I want to use my TC with my new and more powerful wireless router. I need to stop using the TC to connect to the modem. However, I still need the TC for seamless TM backups. I also need to use the TC's built in hard drive for storage. And I may still need the TC's NAS capabilities to share files wirelessly between laptops because I am assuming the new wireless router will not provide NAS capabilities for OS X 10.8.2 (products like this/non-Apple products rarely seem to work with OS X 10.8.2/Macs to provide NAS features and capabilities). Finally, I want to continue to use my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also want to continue to use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Can someone please advise on how to set-up my new Asus wireless router with my existing TC in such a way to accomplish all of this?
What is the best configuration or set-up to accomplish my above goals?
Thank you in advance for your assistance!!!
THE FULL STORY
I live in an apartment building where my existing Time Capsule (TC) is located in my living room and serves many purposes. Specially, my TC is at least all of the following:
(1) Wi-Fi router connected to Comcast Internet service via Motorola SB6121 cable modem - currently the TC is the Wi-Fi base station that connects to the modem and has the gateway address to the Internet. The TC now provides the DHCP service for the Wi-Fi network.
(2) Wireless router providing Internet and Wi-Fi network access to several Wi-Fi clients - two Apple laptop computers, an iPod touch, an iPad and an iPhone all connect wirelessly to the Internet via the TC.
(3) Wired Ethernet router providing Internet and Wi-Fi network access to three different devices - a Panasonic TV, LG Blu-Ray player and an Apple TV each use one of the three LAN ports on the back of the TC to gain access to the Internet.
(4) Primary base station in my attempt to extend my wireless network to a distant (located far away) Denon a/v receiver requiring a wired Ethernet connection - In addition to the TC, which is my primary base station, I am also using a second extended Wi-Fi base station (a Netgear branded product) to wirelessly extend my WiFi network to a Denon receiver located in the master bedroom and requiring a wired Ethernet connection. I cannot use a wired Ethernet connection to continuously travel from the living room to the master bedroom. The distance is too great as I cannot effectively hide the Ethernet cable in this apartment.
(5) Time Machine (TM) backup facilitator - I use my TC to wirelessly back-up two Apple laptops using Apple's Time Machine (TM) application. However, I ran out of storage space on my TC and therefore added external storage to it. Specifically, I added an external hard drive to my TC via the USB port on the back of the TC. I now use this added external hard drive connected to the TC via USB as the destination storage drive for my TM back-ups. I have partitioned the added external hard drive, and each of the several partitions all have enough storage space (e.g., each of the two partitions used by TM are sized at three times the hard drive space of each laptop, etc.). Everything works flawlessly.
(6) Network Attached Storage (NAS) - In addition to using the TC's Network Attached Storage (NAS) capabilities to wirelessly back-up two Apple laptops via TM, I also store other additional files on both (A) the hard drive built into the TC and (B) the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB (there are additional separate partitions on this drive for these other additional and non-TM backup files).
I use the TC's NAS feature with my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Again, everything works wirelessly and flawlessly. (Note: the Apple TV is connected to the network via Ethernet and a LAN port on the back of the TC).
The issue I am having is when I try to listen to music via Apple's AirPlay in the master bedroom. This master bedroom is located at a distance of two rooms away from the TC's current location in the living room, which is a distance of about 50 feet. This apartment has a long rectangular floor plan where each room is connected to the next in a straight line. In order to use AirPlay in the master bedroom I am using a second extended Wi-Fi base station (a Netgear branded product) to wirelessly extend my WiFi network to a Denon receiver located in the master bedroom and requiring a wired Ethernet connection. This additional base station connects wirelessly to the WiFi network provided by my TC and then gives my Denon receiver the wired Ethernet connection it needs to use AirPlay. I have tried moving my iTunes music directly onto my laptop's hard drive, and then I used AirPlay on this same laptop to connect to the Denon receiver. I always get a successful connection and the song plays, but the problem is that the connection inevitably drops.
I live in an apartment building and all of the many wireless routers in this building create a great deal of WiFi interference on both the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands. I have tried connecting the Netgear product to each the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, but neither band can successfully maintain a wireless connection between the TC and the Netgear product. I also attempted to maintain a wireless connection to an iPod touch using the 2.4 GHz band and AirPlay on this iPod touch to play music on the Denon receiver. Again, I was able to establish a connection and successfully play music, but after a few minutes the connection dropped and the music stopped playing. I therefore have concluded that I have a poor wireless connection in the master bedroom. I can establish a connection, but it is intermittent with frequent drops. I have verified this with both laptops by working in the master bedroom for an entire day on both laptops. The Internet connection in this master bedroom proved to drop out frequently - about once an hour with the laptops. The wireless connection and the frequency of its dropout are far worse with the iPod touch and an iPhone.
I cannot relocate the TC. Also, this is an apartment and I therefore cannot extend the range of my network with Ethernet cable (I cannot drill through walls/ceilings, etc.). It is an old building with antiquated wiring and power-line adapters are not likely to function properly, nor can I spare the direct power outlet required with a power-line adapter. I simply need every outlet I can get and cannot afford to block any direct outlet.
My solution is to use a more powerful wireless router. I found the ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router which will likely provide a better connection to my wireless Internet in the master bedroom than the TC. The 802.11ac band of this Asus wireless router is totally useless to me, but based on what I have read I believe this router will provide a stronger connection at greater distances then my TC. And I will be ready for 802.11ac when it becomes more widely available.
However, I still need to maintain the TC's ability to work seamlessly with TM to backup my two laptops. Also, I doubt the new Asus router will provide OS X 10.8.2 with NAS like features and capabilities. Therefore, I still would like to use the TC's NAS capabilities to share files on my network wirelessly assuming the Asus wireless router fails to provide this feature. I need a new and more powerful wireless router, but I need to maintain the TC's NAS features and seamless integration with TM. Finally, I want to continue to use my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also want to continue to use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Can someone advise on how to set-up my existing TC with this new Asus wireless router in such a way to accomplish all of this?
Modem
Motorola SB6121 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
Existing Wireless Router and Primary Wi-Fi Base Station - Apple Time Capsule
Apple Time Capsule MC343LL/A 1TB Sim DualBand (purchased June 2010, likely the Winter 2009 Model)
Desired New Wireless Router and Primary Wi-Fi Base Station - Non-Apple Asus
ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router
Extended Wi-Fi Base Station - Provides an Ethernet Connection to a Denon A/V Receiver Two Rooms Away from the Modem
Netgear Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV & Blu-Ray (WNCE3001)
Addition External Hard Drive Attached to the Existing Apple Time Capsule via USB
WD My Book Studio 4TB Mac External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0
Existing Laptops on the Wireless Network Requiring Time Machine Backups
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012) OS X 10.8.2
MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2010) OS X 10.8.2
Other Existing Apple Products (Clients) on the Wireless Network
iPod Touch (second generation) is model A1288.
iPad (1st generation)
Apple TV (3rd generation) - Quantity two (2)

Thanks Bob Timmons.
In regards to a Plan B, I hear ya brother. I am already on what feels like Plan Z. Getting WiFi to a far off room in an apartment building crowded with WiFi routers is a major pain.
I am basing my thoughts on the potential of a new and more powerful router reaching the far off master bedroom based on positive reviews on cnet.com, pcmag.com and pcworld.com. All 3 of these web sites have reviewed the Asus RT-AC66U 802.11AC wireless router as well as its virtual twin cousin 802.11n router. What impressed me is that all 3 sites rated this router #1 overall in terms of both range and speed (in both the 802.11n and 802.11AC flavors). They tested the router in real world scenarios where the router needed to compete with a lot of other wireless routers. One of the sites even buried this Asus router in a media room with thick walls and inside a media cabinet. This Asus router should be able to serve my 2.4 GHz band wireless clients (iPod Touch and iPhone 4) with a 2.4GHz Wireless-N band offering some 50 feet of dependable range and a 60 Mbps throughput at that range. I am hoping that works, but it's borderline for my master bedroom. My 5 GHz wireless clients (laptops) will enjoy a 5GHz Wireless-N band offering 150 feet of range and a 200 Mbps throughput at that range. I have no idea what most of that stuff means, but I did also read that Asus could reach 300 feet and I got really excited. My mileage may vary of course and I'm sure I'm making some mistakes in my interpretation of their data. However, my Winter 2009 Time Capsule was rated by cnet.com to deliver real world performance of less than that, and 802.11AC may or may not be useful to me someday. But when this Asus arrives and provides anything other than an excellent and consistent wireless signal without drops in the master bedroom it's going right back!
Your solution sounds great, but I have some questions. I'm using OS X 10.8.2 and Airport Utility (version 6.1 610.31) and on its third tab labeled "Wireless" the top option enables you to set "Network Mode" to either:
Create a wireless network
Extend a wireless network
Off
Given your advice to "Turn off the wireless on the TC," should I set Network Mode to Off? Sorry, I'm clueless in regards to how to turn off the wireless on the TC any other way. Can you provide specific steps on how to turn off the wireless on the TC? If what I wrote is correct then what should the rest of this Wireless tab look like, or perhaps it is irrelevant when wireless is off?
Next, what do you mean by "Configure the TC in Bridge Mode?" Under Airports Utility's fourth tab labeled "Network" the top option "Router Mode" allows for either:
DHCP and Nat
DHCP Only
Off (Bridge Mode)
Is your advice to Configure the TC in Bridge Mode as simple as setting Router Mode to Off (Bridge Mode)? If yes, then what should the rest of this "Network" tab look like? Anything else involved in configuring the TC in Bridge Mode or is it really as simple as setting the Router Mode to "Off (Bridge Mode)"?
How about the other tabs in Airport Utility, can they all stay as is assuming I use the same network name and password for the new Asus wireless router? Or do I need to make any other changes to the TC via Airport Utility?
Finally, in regards to your Plan B suggestion. I agree. But do you have a Plan B for me? I would greatly appreciate any alternative you could provide. Specifically, if you needed a TC's Internet connection to reach a far off corner of your home how would you do it? In the master bedroom I need both a wired Ethernet connection for the Denon a/v receiver and wireless Internet connection for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Power-Line Adapters - High Cost, Blocks at Least One Wall Outlet and Does Not Solve the Wireless Need
I actually like exactly one power-line adapter, which is the D-Link DHP-540 PowerLine AV 500 4-Port Gigabit Switch. This D-Link power-line adapter plugs into your wall outlet with a normal sized plug (regular standard power cord much like any other electronic device) instead of all of the other recommended power-line adapters that not only use at least one wall outlet but also often block the second outlet. You cannot use a power strip with a power-line adapter which is very impractical for me. And everything about my home is strange and upside down. The wiring here is a disaster and I don't have faith in its ability to carry Internet access from the living room to the master bedroom. And this D-Link power-line adapter costs $90 each and I need at least two to make the connection to the Denon A/V receiver. So, $180 on this solution and I still don't have a dependable drop free wireless connection in the master bedroom. The Denon might get its Ethernet Internet connection from the power-line adapter, but if I want to use an iPhone 4 or iPod Touch to stream AirPlay music to the Denon wirelessly (Pandora/iTunes, etc.) from the master bedroom the wireless connection will not be stable in there and I've already spent $190 on just the two power-line adapters needed.
Extenders / Repeaters / Wirelessly Extending the Wireless Network
I have also read great things about the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Range Extender (Repeater) SR20000G and the My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender. The former is very powerful and the latter is easier to install. Both cost about $150 ish so similar to a new Asus router. However, everything I read about Range Extenders points to them not being very effective for a far off corner of your house wherein it's apparently hard to place the range extender in the sweet spot where it both gets a strong enough signal to actually effectively extend the wireless signal and otherwise does not reduce network throughput speeds to unacceptable speeds.
Creating a Roaming Network By Hard Wiring with Ethernet Cable - Wife Would Say, "**** No!"
Even Apple seems to warn against wirelessly extending your network (see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145#) and otherwise strongly recommends a roaming network where Ethernet cable is used to connect two wireless base stations. However, I am in an apartment where stringing together two wireless base stations with Ethernet cable would have an extremely low wife acceptance factor (WAF). I cannot (both contractually and from a skill prospective) hide Ethernet wire in the walls or ceiling. And having visible Ethernet cable running from room-to-room would be unacceptable, especially to the wife.
So what is left? Do you have a Plan B for me? Thanks in advance for your help!

Can I back up a non apple laptop if I had an external hard drive to my time machine?

Can anyone advise of a nice back up tool to use with time machine for non-Apple products?
Have used synctoy previously, and would like to auto back ups for all my devices, apple and non-Apple.
Have searched for advice on this in forum but could not find
Please help :-)

There is no such thing as a universal backup software. Each and every OS will have its own backup methods and software.
Time Machine is the Mac backup software.. it is not hardware.. what you are referring to is Time Capsule which is unrelated to the Time Machine.
We cannot give a generic answer to backup tool for every non-Apple device in existence..
The backup software is not on the Time Capsule.. it is nothing but a hard disk in a router. To every device Apple or Non-Apple the TC appears to be a Network Drive. Nothing more.
Windows for instance has the worst built in backup ever conceived of by man.. and if you own a home version of windows it will not even work to a network drive. So you need to buy one of the zillion backup programs available for windows that can actually backup to network drives.
But this forum is not about windows software.. look up what are good windows backup software in windows forums. Apple might sell the TC as windows compatible but they provide no backup software for windows. Or every other non-apple device in existence.
If you are interested,
I use Macrium Reflect free version for full disk backup and if you pay the licence you can get incremental to work.
Genius time line is a TM like backup that is promoted here in answer to this question all the time.. I am not sure. in windows circles, it rates very well, but here it looks like Time Machine so is popular.
Pick whatever.
For iOS it is not backed up to the Time Capsule at all and has no backup 3rd party I know of.. Apple designed it to backup to iTunes or iCloud.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1766
For Linux you will need to look it up yourself.
And the other Non-Apple products.. Android and the million other non-apple, all of them will have their own methods..

OS 10.4, non-Apple keyboard, How to open the CD tray?

How do you open the CD tray with OS 10.4 and a non-Apple keyboard?
F12 used to work but this was changed in 10.4 to trigger the stupid Dashboard.

F12 does not work for me, but I accept that if other people can make it work, then I need to figure out why it doesn't work for me. Glad to know there is a solution on the horizon.
Regarding adding the CD eject control to the Finder menu; that's a great idea. I should have remembered that was possible. For reference, the location of that menu add-on and others is:
System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras

Can I use a non apple wireless hard drive with time machine?

Can I use a non apple wireless hard drive with time Machine?

Some NAS (network storage) systems do claim to support Time Machine, with varying levels of success. For example, the Synology units have this feature. They're not officially supported by Apple, though.
Matt

Can i use a non-apple keyboard with my imac?

can i use a non-apple keyboard with my imac?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
You can use the keyboard you want with your iMac. However, note that some keys, as the Command key, aren't present in non-Apple keyboards. For example, in a non-Apple keyboard, you have to press the Windows key because that's the replacement of the Command key of an Apple keyboard

What non-Apple keyboards will work with the iMac?

We just got an iMac and it came with a wired mouse and a wired keyboard that we want to replace. What wireless keyboards will work that are NOT the Apple brand? Thank you.

You can use any USB wired keyboard with a Mac.
There are Windows keyboards (which will work, but have
odd 'other' key-faces.) And there are several third-party Mac
compatible keyboards with proper keys laid out for Macs.
Any reputable dealer often has these; and online, even more.
Doesn't the Apple Store page show a few non-Apple k/bds?
Good luck & happy computing!

Non-Apple Keyboard: any way to control system audio volume?

I have a non-Apple Keyboard on my new Mini Lion 7.2.1
Is there any way to control system audio volume via the keyboard ?

Well. I can do this. But just because, on my Apple keyboard, there are the keys that do the job. There's a key to mute, and the keys to adjust low and high the sound. But keyboard shortcuts, I don't think exist. The aren't in keyboard shortcut in Keyboard panel, within System Preferences. The bottom line is that isn't a menu item in Finder for lower sound and higher sound. The only option would be an AppleScript that you save as an applet within Scripts menu (activated in Finder via Script Editor) and you invoke with a shortcut... Well, you can do it, if you open the script Set Output Volume in UI Elements Script folder within Scripts folder. Try it out!

Have no mouse and a non-apple keyboard

i recently got this computer as a hand me down so I could get accustomed to Mac OS. unfortunately it did not come with a keyboard or a mouse and all i have available right now is a non-apple keyboard. I'm having difficulty trying to navigate my way through anything. Can anyone help?

Hi, s2loco -
Eww is correct.
For many things there are keyboard workarounds. For example, if you are looking at the desktop, press the up-arrow key - that should highlight the upper-leftmost icon on the desktop; you can then use the arrow keys to navigate from icon to icon on the desktop. Note though that you can only travel that way in a straight line, laterally or vertically.
You can also press the initial letter of the filename of the item - even the first two if you're fast enough - and the alphabetical-earliest item whose filename starts with that lerr(s) will be selected. You can then press Command-O as before.
You can also press 1 to select an item that starts with 1, or the earliest item alphanumerically, and then use the Tab key to move from one item to the next in alphanumerical order.
These methods will also work in a folder set to List view as well as one set to Icon view.
Once the icon of an item you want to activate (open if it is a folder, start if it is a program, open with its creator program if it is a document) is selected, pressing Command-O (that's the letter "O", lower case) will initiate that action.
However - although the Enter key can be used in most windows to activate the default button, there is no keyboard solution to using pulldown menus, or to select items in a radio-button array (like in control panels), or (in most windows) to click a button other than the default one. For those a mouse is needed.
Just as important is using a keyboard which is compatible with Apple command keys. Although there are many non-Apple keyboards which are Mac-compatible, many, if not most, PC keyboards are not - it is iffy whether the Window, Alt, or whatever-they-use keys on such will behave like the keys on Mac-compatible keyboards.
If you have a working mouse, then you can sidestep the absence of keyboard command compatibility on such keyboards - except at startup. No matter how well we maintain our Macs, at some point or another we will need to use one or more startup commands - to zap the PRAM or rebuild the desktop; or to select an alternate boot volume; or to access Extensions Manager before the OS loads; or for some other crisis-based reason. For that reason it is wise to have a Mac-compatible keyboard available.

New Non-Apple keyboard doesn't have Eject key.

I wear out Mac keyboards fast, so I got a non-Apple Mac keyboard, but it lacks a drive-open/eject key. Is there any way to program an F-key or a combination to open the drive door?

Hi-
Go to System/ Library /CoreServices /Menu Extras. Inside that folder, find and double-click on the file called Eject.menu.
Now, look in your Menu bar, and you should be the proud owner of an Eject icon, which, when clicked, ejects the optical drive (closes it too)!

PRAM reset with non-Apple keyboard??

Hi,
I have a generic USB keyboard connected to my G4 Mac Mini, no windows key, no apple option key. I need to reset the PRAM - is there any way I can do this with a non-Apple keyboard?
Thanks,

It is indeed strange that it doesn't work, unless...
Firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMD+Option+p+r, CMD +v, Option boot will show a lock, and Shift, as well as booting from anything but the Hard Drive.

Quicker Forward delete on a non-Apple (ANSI) keyboard

Could a charitable soul please suggest a script that would assign "Shift Delete" (that does forward delete) to the Print Screen key on my USB non-apple keyboard ?

DoubleCommand offers 20 specific actions, none of which enables using the PrintScreen key for Forward Delete.
The nearest is Backslash (\) acts as Forward Delete (but then I cannot use backlash any more) or Shift Delete acts as Forward Delete (But I can do that already!)
Trying to assign the signal presently sent by Shift Delete to the PrintScreen key looks pretty hopeless. I tried uControl, but it is the same. Is there a way?

Wireless keyboard (non apple) + usb receiver = wake from sleep?

Does a non apple wireless keyboard with its own usb receiver wake the computer from sleep? if so any other issues / concerns when using one?

With regard to the USB port, I have always had my keyboard plugged directly into an original USB1.1 port. I save the USB2.0 ports (PCI Card) for scanner, hard disks, etc that would actually benefit from the speed increase. I do know that the buttons on my scanner (for instant scan/copy etc) work perfectly if the computer is awake, but will not wake the computer from sleep.
With regard to programming the other keys, my microsoft keyboard has a preference pane that allows you to define different functions for all the keys. This came on a cd with the keyboard, but only windows version. Had to download the mac version from microsoft.com website.
I've never tried a bluetooth keyboard. Perhaps with next computer purchase.
When I was shopping for a keyboard - the one thing that pushed me to the microsoft keyboard was greater flexibility in defining functions for the keys. For instance, The play, fast forward, rewind, volume keys always access itunes regardless of what program is running, except for imovie, where they instead control playback. If I hold down the shift key and push them in imovie, then they again control itunes. Similarly, I set the "my favorites" keys to link to certain websites in safari, certain albums in iphoto, certain playlists in itunes, and certain folders in the finder or otherwise. This control was more robust at the time (5 years ago) and still functions well for me. Not sure if other manufacturers have this now or not.

Keyboard drivers usable on non-Apple machines?

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