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FDE Keyboard Layout in PreBootAuth wrong?


Christian Stück

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Hey Forum,

a colleaque just told me he often runs into "wrong password" issues at his Lenovo Thinkpad P14 because he can't change the keyboard layout.

He changes the keyboard-layout at login-screen to german but he still can't log in.

Are there any known issues with that?

 

Thanks in Advance,

Christian

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  • ESET Staff

Hi @Christian Stück,

What happens if your colleague changes the Keyboard Layout in the EFDE/EEE Boot Screen to BIOS using F2. Does that allow them to enter the correct characters to login successfully?

Thank you.

Kieran

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  • 1 month later...

Hello @Kstainton,

I had the same problem. I entered the BIOS, changed the keyboard layout to "US" (even if the keyboard is not qwerty) and it worked.

The keyboard layout in the EFDE Boot "app" reset back to the original keyboard layout physically present on the computer.

It's a Lenovo too, an E15.

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  • ESET Staff

Hi @Yohan

Quick Question, now that you have changed the BIOS to have its Keyboard Layout to "US". What happens if you change the Keyboard Layout in the EFDE/EEE Boot Screen to BIOS using F2.

Does that allow them to enter the correct characters to login successfully?

Thank you.

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Hello @Kstainton,

Let's go beyond and test all possibilities. (I can have a Lenovo E15 as a test computer)

BIOS : FR, EFDE : FR (default) = strange keyboard layout (not US nor FR : blank keys...)

BIOS : FR, EFDE : US = FR layout missing some keys (§, @, everything that need Alt Gr)

BIOS : FR, EFDE : BIOS = same thing as "EFDE : US"

BIOS : US, EFDE : FR (default) = full FR layout

BIOS : US, EFDE : US = full US layout

BIOS : US, EFDE : BIOS = full US layout

(Physical keyboard is FR)

Does that answer your question ?

UEFI BIOS Version R1EET51W (1.51) (the latest for this model)

Edited by Yohan
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  • ESET Staff

Hi @Yohan,

Thank you, so by the sounds of it the best option for you is to use:

BIOS : US, EFDE : FR (default) = full FR layout

Is that correct, as EFDE is then able to convert the BIOS layout which is "US" to "FR" as you require and output the correct keys?

This is how EFDE to expected to work, reason for this is as follows:

Unfortunately, there is no UEFI BIOS standard implementation that allows us to detect with Keyboard Language the BIOS is using, so with our products EEE and EFDE we have to assume that it is using English (US Layout) as this is what 99% of machines do in fact use.

Due to this being the case we have come across cases whereby it causes the Keyboard Languages in the Pre-boot login screen to not match.

In these cases we always suggest the customer use the BIOS Layout mode (Using F2) in the Pre-boot login screen as that should use what the machine is using in the UEFI BIOS or they can attempt to change the Language that the BIOS is using to English (US Layout) and then it will convert it correctly.

With your own case it seems you were able to change the BIOS keyboard layout and allow it to function using the correct keyboard language within the EFDE login screen.

I hope this helps.

Thank you, Kieran

Edited by Kstainton
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Hello,

Quote

Is that correct, as EFDE is then able to convert the BIOS layout which is "US" to "FR" as you require and output the correct keys?

Yes

Quote

With your own case it seems you were able to change the BIOS keyboard layout and allow it to function using the correct keyboard language within the EFDE login screen.

Yes

This model does not comme with its keyboard layout as "US" by default in the BIOS and if I understand you correctly, there is no standard for this so you can't really do anything : it's Lenovo's fault.

I will instruct our team to check/change the keyboard layout everytime before a computer leaves the office.

Thank you, at least we know we can't do anything about it from our side and you can't realistically do anything from yours either ! 😉

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  • ESET Staff
9 minutes ago, Yohan said:

Hello,

Yes

Yes

This model does not comme with its keyboard layout as "US" by default in the BIOS and if I understand you correctly, there is no standard for this so you can't really do anything : it's Lenovo's fault.

I will instruct our team to check/change the keyboard layout everytime before a computer leaves the office.

Thank you, at least we know we can't do anything about it from our side and you can't realistically do anything from yours either ! 😉

Amazing, thank you for your understanding @Yohan, its not exactly Lenovo's fault directly, its just there is nothing within the standard UEFI BIOS implementation that allows us to pick out what type of Keyboard Layout the BIOS is using in order to handle it within the EEE/EFDE login. Due to there being no way to detect this, we have to assume based on the majority which just so happens to be English (US layout), sometimes manufacturers will use something different, but a 99% of the machines released will use English (US Layout) as the BIOS Keyboard Layout as a standard. It just so happens the machines you have are using FR Layout in the BIOS, but switching in to US Layout solves this issue.

Thank you,

Kieran 

Edited by Kstainton
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