[finknottle]

I have a 700Mhz iBook, 384Mb RAM with OSX.2.6. My ibook is doing really weird things.
First the last few times I have rebooted, when I type in my password at log-in, it will not accept my password and the window just shakes. Eventually I plugged in an apple USB keyboard and guess what, it worked first time and my password was accepted! (caps lock was off on both).
What could be causing this??
Also when I do get in, after a time the cursor stutters over the screen and doesn't move smoothly like normal. What gives there? It happens usually but not always after waking up from sleep.
Any help appreciated!!
Thanks

[finknottle]

I forgot to say what I have tried. I repaired the Disc permissions today. When I tried to do fsck -y at startup by holding down Command+S until the prompt. The machine just started up as normal as if I was not holding down any keys!?
Similiar results trying to zap PRam. I plugged in the USB Keyboard and was able to perform both tasks.
I rebooted - still the same problem. Cannot enter password.
I then rebooted in OS9 (which is on a different partition) and opened simple text. I typed several letters to see what came out. QWERTY were as is but instead of the letters Y,U,I,O, I got numbers. This is truely bizarre!! And it seems to happen in both OS9 And OS X
I have been trying to get a broadband cable modem working with the ibook (unsuccessfully) and have changed the TCP/IP settings to Ethernet but that is the only change I have made recently...

[arclight]

don't know about the Y but it sounds like the numbers lock key is stuck in the on position. if it's under warranty take it into an Apple store or send it in for repair. New keyboards are fairly pricey, ($130 i believe). That and also make sure the keyboard is fully seated. That can cause some odd behavior too.

[SupahCoolX]

Holding down the Fn key (bottom left of the keyboard) and pressing U, I, O, etc will also cause numbers to come up (as shown on those keys). Check the Fn key and the NumLock keys.

[finknottle]

Thanks very much. I lifted up the keyboard and underneath where the F5/F6 key there was a small stainless steel disc (maybe 2mm in diameter and 1 mm thick) stuck where there is a philips screw hole.It is also magnetic. I don't know where it came out of? or is it important?, but now that it's gone the keyboard is functioning normally and the trackpad is fine also.
Thanks arclight for the solution. Something fairly obvious so I would definitely not think of it The iBook was with Apple last week so maybe it's some debris left over from the repair

[arclight]

That's like leaving surgical instruments inside a patient. I smell a lawsuit. Good to hear it's fixed-

[Uisce]

The little disc is the magnet that is supposed to hold down the middle of the keyboard - mine came off as well. Should you be worried? Well...

[finknottle]

Yes I should be worried. It's doing the same thing again
Better call Apple again tonight.

[ibook_steve]

As Uisce said, this is the magnet that holds the keyboard down and is supposed to be there. If the keys above the magnet are being effected by it, there is still something wrong with your keyboard or the connection to the motherboard. Make sure the keyboard cable is plugged in all the way and that the cable itself is at right angles to the connector. The flex cable can get tilted causing shorts. I've never heard of the magnet effecting the keyboard, so I'm betting on keyboard problems still.

Steve

[finknottle]

I called Apple. Thay are sending me out a new keyboard. I asked was it difficult to replace and the lady on the phone said "Oh no! It's easy!"
Is it really? What size screwdriver do I need for the job?
Thanks,

[mikerich]

Originally posted by finknottle:
I have a 700Mhz iBook, 384Mb RAM with OSX.2.6. My ibook is doing really weird things.
First the last few times I have rebooted, when I type in my password at log-in, it will not accept my password and the window just shakes. Eventually I plugged in an apple USB keyboard and guess what, it worked first time and my password was accepted! (caps lock was off on both).
What could be causing this??
Also when I do get in, after a time the cursor stutters over the screen and doesn't move smoothly like normal. What gives there? It happens usually but not always after waking up from sleep.
Any help appreciated!!
Thanks

I had something similar on my iBook.

First of all the machine was sent away when it thought the number 8 was being continually pressed. The technician diagnosed a faulty keyboard, a new one was fitted and the machine came back.

It appeared to work normally for about a month, but then I had a similar problem except this time the machine assumed I, J, K and L were being pressed.

As far as I can tell the keyboard was behaving normally.

This time when it went back to John Lewis (I'm in the UK), I asked for a refund. The machine had been back five times in a year - two new logic boards, two keyboard problems and an undiagnosed sparking sound from inside the case.

John Lewis agreed to put the machine out of its misery and gave me a full credit for the machine.

So now I'm waiting for a Powerbook.

If anyone else has a similar problem, mine appeared after 10 minutes to 1 hour (so it might be temperature related) and could only be solved by restarting the machine. At that point the machine MIGHT come back as normal, or it might show the same problem.

If you do have a machine with these problems, send it back ASAP. And if you have a warranty ask for a replacement.

And for those of us in the UK, you seem to have far better rights than the US. Go and look up the Sale of Goods Act. Don't let seven day or 28 day blather get in the way of resolving an issue to your satisfaction. Companies are obliged to support the customer for years after purchase!

The Department of Trade and Industry have a page at:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/fa...legoodsact.htm

Don't forget that your local council have a Trading Standards Office (they'll be in the phone book). If the retailer doesn't help - get them involved - companies HATE tangling with trading standards!

And as a final plug, John Lewis offer TWO year guarantees on most computer hardware - that's one more than Apple.

Best wishes,

Mike.