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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Uh oh! MB keyboard randomely not working at all!

Uh oh! MB keyboard randomely not working at all!
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Dedicated MacNNer
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Nov 10, 2007, 02:27 PM
 
I'm trying to type this quickly, my Macbook keyboard randomly isn't working. It's system wide, and for about 2-3 minutes, nothing I do will cause the keyboard to type anything. The rest of the computer works perfectly fine. I'v restarted/logged out/slept, etc. Anyway, it'll just STOP typing.

c2d, 10.5.

In the course of typing this it died once. I left and did other things came back , it wasn't working, left, came back, it was.
It doesn't seem like a hardware failure, otherwise it'd stay stopped. Any ideas.?
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 02:33 PM
 
what kind of Leopard upgrade did you do? Have you made any hardware/software changes just before this tarted happening?
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 02:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by Cold Warrior View Post
what kind of Leopard upgrade did you do? Have you made any hardware/software changes just before this tarted happening?
Archive and install, and no.
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 03:05 PM
 
Well, it just happened 3 more times.
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 03:10 PM
 
you could try another archive-install, see if that fixes it. Or zap your PRAM.
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 03:45 PM
 
Ok, reset the pram, I'll let you know.
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 03:55 PM
 
I had a similar problem with my CD 2.0 MB and at the apple store they said they had seen the problem before and replaced the keyboard
     
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Nov 10, 2007, 04:10 PM
 
Originally Posted by hookem2oo7 View Post
I had a similar problem with my CD 2.0 MB and at the apple store they said they had seen the problem before and replaced the keyboard
Well, that's not encouraging...

That said, so far, the PRAM reset seems to be working. If the KB starts failing again, I think it's time for a call to Apple.
     
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Nov 11, 2007, 03:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by JustinHorne View Post
I'm trying to type this quickly, my Macbook keyboard randomly isn't working. It's system wide, and for about 2-3 minutes, nothing I do will cause the keyboard to type anything. The rest of the computer works perfectly fine. I'v restarted/logged out/slept, etc. Anyway, it'll just STOP typing.

c2d, 10.5.

In the course of typing this it died once. I left and did other things came back , it wasn't working, left, came back, it was.
It doesn't seem like a hardware failure, otherwise it'd stay stopped. Any ideas.?
I have the exact same issue with my new 2.2GHz MBP running 10.5.

When the keyboard fails, the caps-lock doesn't even work (doesn't light up), so I'm assuming this is a hardware issue.

What a pain in the ass.
     
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Nov 11, 2007, 06:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by Cipher13 View Post
I have the exact same issue with my new 2.2GHz MBP running 10.5.

When the keyboard fails, the caps-lock doesn't even work (doesn't light up), so I'm assuming this is a hardware issue.

What a pain in the ass.
Or, it's a 10.5 thing...

Either way, yes, PITA.

On the suggestion from this thread, I reset the pram, that fixed it for now. Then again, assuming leopard IS causing it, it ran darn skippy for the week and a half prior to it failing yesterday...

I hope this isn't the start of something big.
     
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Nov 21, 2007, 02:16 PM
 
     
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Nov 26, 2007, 08:30 PM
 
happening to me on an archive and install on a core duo MB
27" iMac C2D
     
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Nov 27, 2007, 01:34 PM
 
Check your apple updates, make sure your updated to 10.5.1... A friend of mine had this issue on his macbook pro and all apple did for him was do the updates and he hasnt had this problem since.
     
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Nov 27, 2007, 02:11 PM
 
I havent had the problem since I restarted last time. Also, I am on 10.5.1 so I highly doubt that your friend installing that will remedy the problem. Sometimes I think that Apple employees are underinformed and just give you the run around to get rid of you.

I do recall that right before the problem started happening I unplugged my USB Mighty Mouse.
27" iMac C2D
     
Posting Junkie
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Nov 28, 2007, 02:32 PM
 
I've had the problem since yesterday evening. MacBook C2Duo, 10.5.1.

I just de-installed the CANON LIDE 60 SCANNER DRIVERS (which I'd just installed yesterday), restarted, and haven't had the problem since.
     
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Nov 28, 2007, 05:38 PM
 
I just got a new MacBook 2.0 today. All I've done so far is run Software Update and copy my Mail and Safari files over from my iMac.

I've completely lost the keyboard twice, for about 30 seconds both times. Switching between apps seemed to wake it back up. I've also lost the trackpad twice while in the middle of using it. Its like it just momentarily locked up.

But I also have a more severe problem. My delete key only works about once every 5 times I push it. This is making typing very annoying because I make mistakes and push delete expecting to correct and keep typing, but with the delete not working every time I push it, typing becomes very annoying.

I come to the MacBook forum going to search for "keyboard" and see if anyone else is having problems, and I saw this thread. My MacBook is brand new, I ordered it from Amazon and just got it today, so I'm not sure what to do. The problem does interfere with being able to use it, so I'm not sure if I want to send back to Amazon or take it to the Apple Store.
     
Posting Junkie
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Nov 28, 2007, 05:51 PM
 
Update:

Five hours after deleting the CanoScan drivers, still no issues whatsoever.

Oh well - happy that it fixed it here.
     
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Dec 3, 2007, 02:42 PM
 
Having same problem here. MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.4 with 2 GB RAM and leopard 10.5.1

Just checked and its as updated as it can bee.

I've had the machine since august with tiger and no problems there. I've had leopard for a coupple of weeks now and it just started.

Hope apple comes with a fix for this...
     
Posting Junkie
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Dec 3, 2007, 02:46 PM
 
Still no problems here, ever since de-installing the Canon drivers.
     
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Dec 3, 2007, 03:18 PM
 
Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, I still have problems with the delete key working. I've not lost the whole keyboard again, but I've not been using the MacBook very much these last few days.

There have been more people posting over on the Apple forum with this problem. I think the consensus is that it is something that become more widespread after the 10.5 update, but it exists in Tiger in some cases. Mine was this way out of the box with Leopard.

Other have posted that specific keys randomly don't work, just like my delete key problem. It is a very odd problem. Hopefully it is just something software related and will be addressed soon. I'm planning to take it to the Apple Store as soon as I have free time to do so.

Apple - Support - Discussions - New Macbook - Keyboard freezes ...
     
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Dec 5, 2007, 04:57 AM
 
I'm having the problem again, but oddly, I've managed to make it go away *reliably* by playing exactly five bars (or more) in Logic Pro 8 - after exactly five bars, the space bar will work again to stop playback, and the keyboard works normally after that.

I've now quit Logic, and will see whether this makes the problem go away, as well...
     
   
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