Hello,
For some reason my previous two replays have not been posted - I do not know what I'm doing wrong
RSP69, I completely agree with you, it’s nothing wrong with IL2 it worked for years without any problem, including about 3 years on my current laptop.
Anyway, first of all thank you Pursuivant and RSP69 for your advice!
Second - good news, I found the culprit !!!
So to summarise:
<> Issue: loss of keyboard (laptop built-in) input into IL-2 1946 (see the initial post for details)
<> Behaviour:
** Normal boot
a) Add new pilot name => OK! (backspace key is weird – it is not working on one char, it only deletes the whole word);
b) Binding new keys (Controls): Not working! No keys are recognized;
c) In game: Not working! No keys are recognized => exit by killing the application in Win Task Manager;
d) FMB->Mission Description: keys are recognized but behave like they are stuck (aaaaabbbbbccc, etc.).
** Safe Mode boot
a) Add new pilot name: OK! (backspace key works – deletes one char);
b) Binding new keys (Controls): OK! Keyboard input is recognized;
c) In game: OK! Game responds to keyboard commands;
d) FMB->Mission Description: keys are recognized but behave like they are stuck (aaaaabbbbbccc, etc.).
<>
Solution (applicable to Alienware laptops only???):
The culprit was "HappyOSD" service, which in my case was listed as 'Running'. Deactivating it solves my problem!
To do this go to: Control Panel -> System & Security -> Administrative Tools -> System Configuration -> Services tab. Then look for HappyOSD service and disable it.
This restored IL2 1946 access to the keyboard inputs for both the laptop built-in keyboard and the wireless one (Logitech K800). I'm now patched to v4.12.2 and Enjoyr DGen patches and everything works just fine!
In my case 'HappyOSD' is part of a software used to display on-screen various indications of laptop functions (brightness level, volume level, battery level, etc.) when the corresponding touch buttons or FN keys are pressed. Looks like it was installed by Alienware from the initial build. It is still wired than it started to misbehave all of a sudden!
By deactivating the service the FN keys still function, but the nice on-screen sliders are lost ... well I can live without it!
Thank you all for your suggestions! I hope this will help.