Keyboard unresponsive for first minute after booting Windows 8.1

Question

When I initially boot into Windows 8.1, my keyboard responds very slowly, if at all, until roughly a minute after login. I can start typing, but there will be about 5-10 seconds between each keystroke being registered. Once a minute has passed it behaves normally. The system itself responds normally, as I can use the mouse to launch programs and go into desktop.

I'm using a Corsair k70 and have already tried flashing the firmware on the keyboard itself, but that did nothing to resolve the issue. Any ideas?

More Info: I've now tried both a Razer Blackwidow and a Microsoft Sidewinder X4, and both have the same response. On another note, I've noticed that while I can load programs and use them, the taskbar has not been populated with icons until after the keyboard begins to respond.

mikesoft · Answer

I read somewhere that this may be caused by some USB HDD connected to the PC when starting windows. If you do have one, try powering up your PC with your external drive disconnected and there should be no delay using the keyboard.

I've yet to find the real cause and fix for this. It's annoying because my Windows boots in like 15 seconds (ssd) but then I have to wait like a minute before I can use the keyboard. Not good at all.

DrMoishe Pippik · Answer

Open Task Manager (Ctrl-Shift-Esc) while the issue is occurring. On the Details tab, order by CPU usage to find the culprit process.
On the Startup tab, note the Startup Impact column, and consider preventing high-impact unnecessary applications from starting. You can also disable some services that start automatically; see the Black Viper site for suggestions. Exercise caution, as disabling the wrong item could make your PC unbootable!
BTW, you might consider using Sleep, rather than Shutdown, as that could allow background processes such as disk optimization to complete, instead of resuming at startup.

benscabbia · Answer

I own a blackwidow 2012 keyboard and I have the exact problem (I run Win7 64x).

Although it doesn't bother me, I'm fairly certain it's to do with:

Synapse 2.0

When you do a cold startup, the PC needs to load a number of services to get the system running. The more software/programs you have on your rig, the longer this will take and this causes IO devices, especially those which require additional drivers and software to take longer to load (since they are lower down the booting-up pecking order).

Unfortunately, there is no way to adjust the startup sequence (not that I know of).

If it bothers you, I suggest you get rid of the software the devices come with (i.e. Synapse 2.0 for blackwidow) and configure it using Windows drivers. The driver will take precedence over the non-windows drivers, therefore it should minimise/remove the delay. You will, however, lose some of the functionality which can only be 'configured' with the official software.

Alternatively, try using a Virtual Machine with Win 8.1 (fresh install) which you'll then be able to determine if a fresh Windows install is a viable solution (i.e. startup VM and try use the keyboard onto it).

My best suggestion is to powerup the machine, make yourself a coffee and I promise you'll never see the problem again ;)

Keyboard unresponsive for first minute after booting Windows 8.1

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