Problems with opening Consoles

[Winterz]

Well I've been having some "technical" problems when opening game consoles that require the FN key. Well the key seems to be working well but in this cases where I need to use the FN key plus the numbers(=numpad on my laptop) there seems to be a problem.

Lately it suddenly stopped working. I can't open them anymore.
For example, in Hearts of Iron 3 or EU3(Europa Universalis)

To open the console I used to use the "Alt + 2 1(holding fn key)". But now it doesn't work anymore.
Now I press and the only thing I see is the functions menu flashing.

I've tried it many times, consulted several websites and I still found no solution nor anyone that resembled my problem. So I decided to come here and see if you could give me a hand with it.

Is it really the FN key or something else? Also I doubt I'm pressing it wrong since I must've done it a thousands times before this and it always worked.

Thanks. An awnser would be appreciated.

 

[Ebin]

The FN key? Do you mean '~'? The FN key is a key which typically is only recognized by specific hardware in the computer and is not universal at all. This key cannot be reproduced via software either. Unless you are referring to the FN key to use as a method to cause an interception with a '1', for example, to inject a 'F1' as code to the computer.

What causes THAT to stop working are peripherals such as receivers. There is a reason involving the translation from the 'Special' code from the keyboard into Binary at the USB level which is intercepted by said peripherals. I don't know that it's true but I believe it's something to do with the ad hoc ASCII standardization of the Bit into 8 Bytes, as opposed to the Unicode 16 Byte, which limits the amount of 'Code' variations. Amurika for the win, taking out foreign characters in everyday type.

 

[G36E]

Check your numlock.

 

[Winterz]

Check your numlock.

How?

 

[Zerilius]

Check if you changed the function of fn key.
On my laptop it is in bios settings and also somewhere in the windows I don't remember.

 

[Lord Burgess1]

Console for me is alt+21 on the numpad, numlock or not.

 

[Winterz]

It used to be that for me too. But now apparently it doesn't work anymore. I'm thinking it must be a problem within the numpad functions on the laptop. FN key works fine, but apparently fn + a number doesn't work as the numpad, not anymore.

Check if you changed the function of fn key.
On my laptop it is in bios settings and also somewhere in the windows I don't remember.

Well thanks but that seems rather useless since I don't even know what are "bios" settings, my system is mostly in portuguese and so looking for that seems quite impossible. Don't you have a more specific name? Like an .exe file or something else.

 

[G36E]

Console for me is alt+21 on the numpad, numlock or not.

Funny story, I used to have a password that ran over the UIOJKL keys. Turned on numlock and ended up typing 456123. Pressing function with numlock on means you type letters instead of numbers.

How?

Fn + Insert or something. There should be a label.

 

[Winterz]

Well that didn't work.

Okay I'll just say what I see in my fn menu(when I press it). There are all those screen options(like brightness, saving energy), sound, zoom, blabla useless crap...than there's another tab with setting options (I'll try translate it):

-Computer Assist
-Computer Diagnostic
-ConfigFree
-User Zooming(or some **** like that)
-Disc Creator
-Setup(Where I found something about BIOS which was mentioned earlier by Zerilius).

 

[Zerilius]

I have dell laptop and I found the function key behaviour under windows mobility center.
Now I don't know if it applies to you as well. What is your laptop model?
Google (fn key your model no.) to find more about its behaviour.

 

[Ebin]

How to enter your basic input/output system, or BIOS. Turn off your computer (Write this down. Before this step preferably), Turn back on your computer. When your computer shows it's very first start-up screen Press F1, F2, F3, F4, or just hold them all down. Viola, you have now entered the BIOS.

 

[Winterz]

Okay I turned my numlock on..(changed the value from 0 to 2)..so I'm guessing that the 0 meant off.

Anyway that didn't work either.

 

[Lord Burgess1]

Could you not change it to 1?

 

[Lost-Lamb]

Most games allow you to change the button that opens the console by performing technomancy on either ini or cfg files, google is your friend for this.

Seeing as I'm from the frozen north, and thus my comp doesn't have a straight tilde button, I've had to do ****loads of this.

 

[Winterz]

Could you not change it to 1?

Funny (and idiotic) fact I just discovered about that.

Well the way I use, is a method Microsoft posted somewhere in the internet. I execute regedit and follow these steps:

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Keyboard \
3. Double-click the value InitialKeyboardIndicators, and enter 2 as it's Value data
4. Close the registry editor
5. Log off, or restart Windows for the changes to take effect

This supposely tuns numlock on and off but now I noticed that if I restart my Windows, nothing changes and the value remains 0.

@Lamb

Had already thought about that but I didn't seem to find anything useful on the web. Going to do a little search again.


EDIT: Wasn't there another way, by using the cmd shell?

 

[Ebin]

That's because HK_CURRENT_USERS is not saved to disk. Edit it in HK_USERS.

 

[Winterz]

HK_USERS has a lot bigger numbers...do I still change it to 2?


EDIT: Apparently that doesn't save after reboot either.

 

[Xlacier]

What's the make and model of your laptop?

 

[Winterz]

It's a Toshiba Satellite A305-S6916. (Ye I know, it sucks)