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x17 R2, need "Pause" key for a game
Alienware x17 R2
My keyboard hides the "Pause" key under a Function (Fn+key).
Please, does anybody know of a way to remap or otherwise recreate the Pause key on Windows 11?
How can one imagine creating a so called "Gamer's Laptop" which overheats with 5 year old games and which lacks something as basic as a "Pause" key?
filbert
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May 30th, 2023 08:00
You can toggle the primary behavior of the function keys (F1–F12) by changing Function Key Behavior in BIOS. You may also be able to toggle that in the Dell section of the Mobility Center, as I can on my laptop when Dell Quickset is installed. On some Dell laptops you can toggle that behaviour via Fn Esc.
Alternatively, you may be able to remap another key or key combination to invoke Pause. Try Microsoft PowerToys Keyboard Manager or AutoHotkey .
Kurt0000
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June 1st, 2023 02:00
Ok, solution for those who might find this making an Internet search:
Finally the easiest way is to remap indeed a physical key to the generic Windows "Pause" function, as @filbert suggested further up. I used for this the suggested "PowerToys Keyboard Manager", since it's quite user--friendly (less opportunities to brick my computer...).
Now the problem is I don't have unused hardware keys I could spare, and I'm not rich enough to dedicate a 3000 € laptop to a single game, so I got me a cheap external USB Numpad, and mapped a key of that one.
"PowerToys Keyboard Manager" had no problem detecting its keypresses. As for the "Pause", the program allowed me to just select the generic "Pause" function, and despite "PowerToys Keyboard Manager" complaining this isn't valid, it does work!
Thanks to all involved.
Kurt0000
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May 30th, 2023 09:00
Wow, thanks for your quick reply!
I have a lot of Dell/Alienware err, "programs", but I don't have a "Mobility Center" or a "Dell Quickset", and Fn+Esc doesn't do anything. I'll check the BIOS though, and the PowerToys Keyboard Manager seems to be a good if not the ideal solution!
Thanks a lot!
Kurt0000
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May 30th, 2023 10:00
Unfortunately it wasn't that easy... When Dell messes up, they do it for real!
1. BIOS: I only have a choice between "Function keys" and "Multimedia keys" and apparently the setting applies only to the F1-F12 keys, not the other ones, since both settings require me to use the "Fn" key to get a Pause.
2. "PowerToys Keyboard Manager" seemed the perfect solution, more so since it's context-aware and I could create a remapping only inside that specific game. Except that "Fn" isn't a standard modifier key, and thus it isn't accepted.
3. Same issue with AutoHotkey, which can remap everything, except of course Dell's private hardware shortcuts...
Conclusion: Apparently I need to somehow find that specific key combination's keyboard mapping (the code it sends to Windows) which goes way over my pay grade. I have no clue how to do that, I guess only a programmer would.
Sorry, I have to rescind my "Solved" vote, in hope somebody will look in and have a solution.
filbert
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May 30th, 2023 11:00
If you need Pause only occasionally, you should be able to invoke it via Windows On-Screen Keyboard (OSK).
This blog article is old, but may point you in the right direction for a mapping solution.
Or google for: map Fn key, since I see a few posts and articles about it, so hopefully one may apply to your situation.
DELL-Chris M
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May 30th, 2023 13:00
Why not press the ESC key. That pauses every game I play.
Kurt0000
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May 31st, 2023 00:00
I don't know what kind of games you play, but in all the games I have ever played since my first 2-floppy IBM PC AT, ESC was mapped to a game function (usually the save/load/quit/options menu).
In this specific case the point of pausing is to stop the frenetic real-time strategy action so I can assess the situation, think (I'm older than when I was young...) and give orders. Firing up some options menu wouldn't be really helping here, I need to get back the "Pause" key.
Unlike what Dell marketing thinks, "Pause" is an absolutely essential key for gamers. People playing Solitaire and Minesweeper might not need it, but it has been essential for all RTS games since the original "Warcraft: Orcs & Humans".
Kurt0000
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May 31st, 2023 00:00
On a RTS, where every millisecond counts?... Hardly convenient.
That is a very interesting pointer indeed. I'll need to experiment if the Registry key still works the same in Win11. As for the key codes, one can find them here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/inputdev/virtual-key-codes
As for the Fn key, from what I read it's unfortunately not standardized the way "Alt" or "Control" are, so every hardware does its own thing.
Thanks, I'll check the registry lead, that one seems promising. You're most helpful.
DELL-Chris M
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June 1st, 2023 06:00
That is what I meant, pausing the game by going to Menu.
I have never heard of an in-game pause. Is this pause being done on a server level that effects all players?
Provide a video example of multi-player RTS and pausing in-game.
Kurt0000
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June 2nd, 2023 01:00
Well that would defeat the whole purpose, which is to allow you to scroll around, assess the situation and give orders -- while paused...
LOL - Ever heard of single-player games?... Obviously you can't pause in a multiplayer setting, but I mostly play single player games, on my own schedule.
Which games? I'm a fan of older, classic games ("Age of Empires", to quote an example). (Fortunately, since with somewhat newer games my x17 R2 gets blistering hot, to a point the battery puts itself into safe mode to avoid exploding... No, Dell Diagnostics considers both fan groups work as intended, and I'm launching all games through specific Control Center profiles with full fan service... Overheating is apparently a feature, not a bug. /rant.)