When trying to open the Keyboard control panel: Microsoft mouse and keyboard center errors with: "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" mkc.msi
Symptoms:
* Error message prompts for file - "\c7db78a79ae04ddc6fb8d1cbcf7e3a2e\MouseKeyboardCenter\setup64\mkc.msi" mkc.msi
* Dialog cannot be dismissed.
* Control panel does not open
* You may or may not be using a Microsoft keyboard (immaterial)
Solution:
A. If you cannot dismiss the error message:
1. press Ctrl-Alt-Del, and open Task Manager.
2. In the top section of running programs, locate one named "Windows Host"
- it will stand out as an unusual program.
3. End the Task. The error dialog should go away
Steps:
1. Using the Control Panel, uninstall "Windows Mouse and Keyboard Center"
This is safe to uninstall at any time.
a. Click the Start Menu, immediately start typing "Control Panel". Launch.
b. Open Programs and Features
c. Uninstall "Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center"
If prompted to reboot, do so.
2. Using File Explorer, manually create a folder to hold future install files.
For example, I use: C:\Data\downloads\hardware\msmouse
(this will be a permanent folder. Although this is a keyboard problem, it is also tied to mouse drivers. Do this even if you use a Logitech mouse or keyboard.)
3. Google "Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center"
Find the download. Most people should select the x64 version.
As of 2023.03: this link:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/mouse-and-keyboard-center-download-f5b10905-7887-eedb-2f1c-d0737a36a3b2
Download and begin the install -- but do not complete the install; just start it.
The goal: Steal the installation files before the install automatically deletes them.
4. Open File-Explorer. Tunnel to the root of the C: drive.
Expect to see a new folder with today's date-time stamp.
The folder will be named with a GUID (numeric-like name)
For instance, mine was named 40307277773f4ca416 (this is a GUID)
a. While leaving the installation program running, open the folder
b. Tunnel to subfolder "mousekeyboardcenter", open folder "setup64"
c. Copy the contents of this folder: 2 subfolders, one file, which includes mkc.msi
d. Paste into C:\Data\Downloads\Hardware\MSMouse (folder built in step 3)
e. Return to the in-progress install
Allow the install to continue normally.
Reboot if prompted.
5. Once the install is complete,
Click Start.
Immediately begin typing "Keyboard" (Keyboard Control Panel)
Launch the Control Panel
6. When prompted for the ~ missing file, browse to
C:\Data\Downloads\Hardware\MSMouse -- selecting the MSMouse folder
Click OK
Problem should be resolved.
The folder C:\Data\Downloads\Hardware\MSMouse must be kept.
Why this problem occurred?
I have a theory. First off, this is a plain and simple bug.
Recently I adjusted the keyboard keys "repeat" rate, setting the rate as slow as possible in order to debug a keyboard problem I was having. And, at the same time, I had also re-installed Logitech's GHub (which is a fairly buggy program to begin with). I suspect these are related events, with no firm solution to the original problem.
The steps here are a workaround.
Other thoughts
It would be better to put the "msMouse" (mkc.msi) setup files in a folder, such as C:\Windows\drivers (a user-created, more protected folder), making it safe from accidental deletes in C:\Data\Downloads. But security is too tight for most users to create a folder in this area.
Finally, I did not try to manually install the mkc.msi. I suspect it installed when the control panel was first pointed to this area. I have not researched this further.
