Ok, I've done some searching about this already, and I'm rather perplexed (to put it politely). How can a feature like an f-lock function be "not programmatically controlled" (as stated on a Microsoft page), when something in my wife's current system (WinXP) is blatantly turning off the f-lock ???!?
OK; the problem. We have an "Internet 1500 wireless kbd/mouse combo" that has been working nicely for about a month now, but just today, my wife complained that the F2 key doesn't work in Excel anymore. Investigating I found the little [F] light on the receiver was off, and I remember when getting the keyboard, that this was always on because the keyboard has no f-lock key, presumably because it has additional little slim "media keys" that are programmable, leaving the F1-F12 to always act as originally intended!
Receiver is connected by USB (yes - seen posts about this also), and indeed, unplugging and plugging USB cable does turn on [F] light briefly, but then it goes off again within 1 or 2 seconds ! Sometimes, I can get the F1 to act as a "Help" key before the light goes out, but then it becomes dead again. Also tried the "remove batteries" trick too - no help (and had to secure keyboard connection again). Also, during boot, [F] key comes on whilst XP is logging in / loading things, but turns off near the end of the startup phase...
Hmmm... I had a thought, and I do appear to have found the culprit! The Logitech SetPoint software seems to be it - (says 4.0 on the CD). Disabling SetPoint from running has stopped the F-lock being turned off !
So I have "a" solution, but why is SetPoint now just decided to turn off F-lock on a keyboard where doing this makes no sense ?? Has it updated itself today? And surely there is a key-combo to turn on F-lock; why make a keyboard with no F-key and still have it support switching the f-mode off ? I can't believe the Logitech engineers haven't got some sort of "back door" way of switching the mode.
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