1. ir9708xpinstall.zip Driver
2. howtoinstall.txt File Contents

howtoinstall.txt Driver File Contents (ir9708xpinstall.zip)

Windows XP(/2000?) Support for the Parex WebBoard Wireless Mouse Remote Controller IR 9708
...and possibly other Parex hardware

DISCLAIMER: Don't blame me for any problems resulting from this.  This is just what I've done and had work.

(Technical info, as well as how I did this, follows the install guide)

I picked up a new 9708 for cheap and new on-line and was excited about it because I have a computer hooked up to my TV and have been wanting a remote, but not wanting to pay more than a few bucks for it.  I get it out of the box, notice it takes up both the keyboard and mouse slots, plug it in, and am disappointed with its functionality.  And the drivers don't work.  I know there must be a way, so I look on-line, and find out how keys can be remapped.  But this isn't enough - I need to also get software that will allow the correct functionality AND the scancodes for the keyboard I want the remote to "emulate" and perhaps allow me to change the button functionality.  But I found them all, and made it work, so now I pass this usefulness onto you.

How it works: a registry file makes the remote look like a Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard (that is, the scancodes (what the computer actually sees as a keypress) sent by the remote are changed to look like the scancodes on the Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard).  Then you simply install the Microsoft Software, and it functions the same.

Short Guide: 	Install the latest version of Microsoft's IntelliType Pro
		Double-click the file "ir9708.reg" and add it to the registry
		Reboot
		Change stuff in the "Key Settings" of "Keyboard Properties" to what you want
		Done!

Long Guide:

Go tO:

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/Download.mspx

Pretend you have a "Multimedia Keyboard" and select your OS 

(NOTE: I only know for certain this fix works on Windows XP, and I think it should also work on Windows 2000.  I'm pretty sure it won't work on Windows 98/ME, and if you're running that, you should be using the drivers provided by Parex anyway at: http://www.parex.com.tw/technical_support.htm and download the WebBoard software).

You should be sent to download "IntelliType Pro" (Version 5.0 at the time of writing this).

(LEGAL NOTE: The EULA for this software says you must have a Microsoft Keyboard attached to the computer to install it.)

Go through the install process, again pretending to have a "Multimedia Keyboard".  It should finish up and give you some icons for getting to the Keyboard Properties area, in which you will find a new tab labeled "Key Settings".  You now have a Multimedia Keyboard installed on your system, with all its cool little buttons ready to work for you, now you just have to make the remote function like a Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard.

(NOTE: You can also get to the Keyboard Properties through control panel).

(ADDITIONAL NOTE: I don't know for certain (I haven't tested it, that is), but you might be able to get limited functionality on the remote without running IntelliType and just using the following registry file, but I might be completely wrong.)

Here comes the fun part (for me, at least): double-click on the file "ir9708.reg" and click "Yes" to add it to the registry.  This file makes all the appropriate buttons on the remote look to Windows as if they are the corresponding keys on the Multimedia Keyboard.  Now you must reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

To undo these registry changes if they cause you problems or you want to uninstall them, run the file "undo.reg".

(NOTE: I regularly swap out a regular keyboard and mouse with the remote control.  I have had no problems hot swapping them (ie, while the computer is on).  This registry file will not affect the BASIC functionality of the keyboard, but MIGHT affect any special buttons on the keyboard.  No promises on what this will do the functionality of anything on other keyboards (I have had no problems using only PS/2 equipment), nor what the IntelliType software will do.)

You should now have full functionality of the remote!  Here's what the buttons do now by default:

Volume Up/Down - adjusts the volume
Page up - Standby (this is unchangeable)
Page down - increases the volume (it is identical to the volume up button-don't ask me why)
Scroll - Mouse function for scrolling
M - Print (keep reading for more functionality)
Mouse nub - Mouse control
Enter - Enter
L/Drage/R - Mouse clicks
|<< - Previous track
Stop/Eject - Stop
||> - Pause/Play
>>| - Next track
Close - Close (document or program)
Menu - Opens the My Pictures Folder
WWW. - Browser/Home Page
CD - Opens the My Music Folder
VD - Starts the default Media Player
On/Off - Save
Mute - Mute
Esc/BkSp/0-9 - exactly what they say

You now can use everything as seems natural, except the Page button.  Some of these assignments might seem random, and they sort of are, and here's the reason/good thing about this: You can remap most of the buttons (the non-basic ones, excluding the Volume button, the page button, and the mute button).

You can remap the buttons by going into the "Key Settings" tab in "Keyboard Properties" and finding the corresponding function and changing it to whatever you want.  I made M open up "My Computer" and Menu open a folder with all my videos.  Play around, have fun.

Hopefully this all worked.  If you have questions, comments, e-mail me at: nlevin13@yahoo.com .

Enjoy!

Noah Levin




(The technical information now follows for anyone interested):

A fully (mostly) list of the BIOS scan codes used in IntelliType can be found at: http://www.mvps.org/jtsang/flock.html near the bottom of the page (I am indebted to Jason Tsang and Doug Harrison for the information on this page)

For finding out BIOS scan codes (uninstall ALL keyboard software, including IntelliType, for this to work 100%) I recommend using KeyboardTest from PassMark software (http://www.passmark.com/).

You can actually utilize all of this information to create your own inputs for almost any multimedia keyboard if you know what you're doing.

		BIOS Scan Codes					Default functionality in
Remote button	Old	  New	 New functionality		intelliType Pro

Volume up/	0xe057 >> 0xe030				Save
Scroll Down
Volume Down	0xe044 >> 0xe02e				Nothing
nPageUp		0xe05f >> 	 (Standby, can't change this)	Nothing
M 		0xe014 >> 0xe058 (Print > My Computer)		Excel
Prev. Track	0xe040 >> 0xe010 (Prev. Track)			Close
Stop		0xe041 >> 0xe024 (Stop)				Reply
Play/Pause	0xe042 >> 0xe022 (Play/Pause)			Forward (e-mail)
Next Track	0xe043 >> 0xe019 (Next Track)			Send
Close		0xe03b >> 0xe040 (Close > I use Exit)		Help
Menu 		0xe03c >> 0xe064 (My Pictures > Movies Folder)	My music
WWW (IE)	0xe03d >> 0xe032 (IE)				Nothing		
CD		0xe03e >> 0xe03c (My Music)			New
VD (MediaPlay)	0xe03f >> 0xe06d (Default Media Player > WMP)	Open 
Power		0xe059 >> 0xe057 (Save) 			Nothing
Mute		0xe058 >> 0xe020 (Mute)				Print

Registry file information:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,15,00,00,00,30,e0,57,e0,2e,e0,44,e0,58,e0,14,e0,10,e0,40,e0,24,e0,41,e0,22,e0,42,e0,19,e0,43,e0,40,e0,3b,e0,32,e0,3d,e0,64,e0,3c,e0,3c,e0,3e,e0,6d,e0,3f,e0,20,e0,58,e0,57,e0,59,e0,00,00,00,00

What it means:

It's in sets of 4 hex bytes.  The actual form actually goes in reverse order, so to change the old scan code for volume up to the new one (e057>e030), it looks like this:

30,e0,57,e0


|---Header------------||#keys-----||-volup----||voldown---|...
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,15,00,00,00,30,e0,57,e0,2e,e0,44,e0,

(#keys is number of changes +1 for the ending set, which is null, or 00,00,00,00)