IBM Thinkpads and port replicator num lock annoyance

[Booty]

A co-worker has a thinkpad and docking station. He'll have numlock on, then undock, go home, and is annoyed that numlock will still be on (he'll get numbers when he hits keys on the right side of the keyboard). Now, I know that all he has to do is remember to hit one extra button (turn num lock off) before undocking, but that is just way too much to ask of him.

I know Dell laptops have worked for me as far as knowing to sense their docked/undocked status and toggle numlock accordingly. Anyone know of a way (bios update/hack, driver, 3rd party utility) to accomplish the same thing on a thinkpad? Thanks...

 

[fbrdphreak]

I just started using my T42 with a docking station and it does the same for me.

Now I'm using the Mini Dock, which is essentially a port replicator with video output as well. Windows doesn't recognize this as a full dock, i.e. you can't "undock" the computer, so I think this is why. I believe when Windows "undocks" it restores previous settings like this. If your coworker has the Mini Dock, that may be the case. With the Advanced Docking Station or whatever its called, that may not be the case.

 

[Booty]

From what I've read online a lot of people have this problem, but no solution yet. I think there's something in the BIOS that does it on the Dell notebooks - who knows. It seems like such a simple option for the manufacturer to include, but I have yet to find anything. IBM's support site basically says you can try setting a registry entry in Windows to turn numlock off by default on startup regardless of the docking state, or you can just suck it up and turn it off manually. I'm sure if I set it as off by default the guy would complain that he had to turn it on manually when it IS in the docking station...

 

[Booty]

I just grabbed another co-worker's laptop - a T43. It has an option in the BIOS that pretty much does the trick - you can opt to either have the numlock on the thinkpad synchronized or independant of the external keyboard's numlock. I haven't tested this with a dock yet, but I'm hoping that takes care of it (because, really, most people are hardly ever going to have numlock turned on for their built-in keyboard).

Problem is I still don't see a BIOS update with this feature for the original T40 (or for your T42 for that matter)... do you have that option?

 

[fbrdphreak]

Interesting, I'll check and get back to you.