While it's probably not the best thing you could do for your computer,
I've done it and never had any problems.  Basically, it's a necessary
evil.

Someone else made a suggestion about changing the console driver.  You
might want to give that a try too if you can manage to take the machine
down for a little while to make the switch.

Alex

 > On Sat, Sep 05, 1998 at 10:28:24AM -0400, Alex Rolfe wrote:
 > > 
 > > I think that unplugging the keyboard and
 > > plugging it back in (no need to reboot or anything) would fix the problem.
 > 
 >   In general, is it safe to do this?  I.e., do the keyboard
 > serial ports have built-in protection to avoid the electrical
 > weirdness that happens when unplugging hot circuits?  
 > 
 >   I have occasionally hot-swapped or hot-replugged monitors,
 > but only when the monitor itself is turned off, and only with
 > cheap monitors.  Keyboards can't be turned off.  And I've heard
 > that unplugging/replugging some mice (PS/2 bus mice?) _could_
 > potentially blow the serial driver chip.  Plus usually one can't
 > replace a keyboard or mice driver chip as easily as a video card
 > -- they are on the motherboard nowadays.  :|
 > 
 >   Thanks.
 > 
 >   Brian
 > -- 
 > "...Woll of Fi-ah" -- the infamous Wall of Fire in Grot's Math 102