An inconvenience.

[SpittingImage]

Occasionally when I wake my retina iMac from sleep and I start to enter the password the password entry fills with asterisks as though a key is stuck. The only way out of it is to turn off the keyboard or disconnect the batteries essentially breaking the Bluetooth connection. It's not the keyboard as I swopped it with a new one. The Magic Mouse works ok as does the trackpad.

It's not a big deal but it's annoying.

Any ideas?

 

[maflynn]

Have you tried using a wired keyboard? Weird issue, I've never incurred that, but I am using a wired keyboard.

 

[SpittingImage]

Have you tried using a wired keyboard? Weird issue, I've never incurred that, but I am using a wired keyboard.

I've not tried a wired keyboard as I don't own one anymore. I'm thinking its not that due to the disconnection and reconnection of the Bluetooth keyboard solving the problem. I don't believe it's interference as it works perfectly once I've logged in. I've been on to Apple and we deleted the keyboard and added it again. It's so intermittent that it's hard to figure out what it is.

I wonder if it's worth ditching everything and restoring it from the default setup. Any thoughts on that?

 

[roadkill401]

I had this exact same issue. I ended up having to re-install my whole OS from scratch. I was told by apple that doing a recover from TimeMachine could cause the same issue to recur. It fixed the issue for a bit, but I eventually just gave up fighting the bluetooth issues and bought myself a wired keyboard.

Now I will ask what version of OSx are your running as they were supposed to have fixed that issue with 10.11.2

 

[SpittingImage]

Now I will ask what version of OSx are your running as they were supposed to have fixed that issue with 10.11.2

I'm running 10.11.3. I've been living with the problem for a while but I know it never used to do it, maybe it was an upgrade that created it.

mmmm I'll perhaps give Apple support a call as I really don't want to have to pack it up and take it in. If a wired keyboard is the answer I'll get one.

Thanks

 

[roadkill401]

It's the big problem with Apple that quite often bugs like this go mis or un reported.

What I found scary but Apple didn't have the answer for it:

The support person had me re-partition my SSD to make a new space for a second install of OSx 10.11.1 to be installed. So I asked the question: "so if this fixes the issue, would you not be more concerned that the update process Apple has to go from Yosemite to El Capitan has the ability to not install correctly?"

I was told that my iMac might have downloaded the update incorrectly. "So you are telling me that Apple has NO METHOD to CRC and MD5 check the source file before it goes about installing the update?" DEAD SILENCE. "And I guess you are then going to tell me that Apple has no method to check the validity of all the system files written on the boot drive to verify if they are correct?" Again DEAD SILENCE.

Call me an Apple hater if you want but they have taken a Linux/Unix base for their OSx and ripped out all the best working bits and made something so fragile that its flakey for the most simplest things. I was told it's a problem with the KTXT files.

 

[SpittingImage]

Problem solved (I hope). I'm buying a wired keyboard.

 

[Weaselboy]

I was told that my iMac might have downloaded the update incorrectly. "So you are telling me that Apple has NO METHOD to CRC and MD5 check the source file before it goes about installing the update?" DEAD SILENCE. "And I guess you are then going to tell me that Apple has no method to check the validity of all the system files written on the boot drive to verify if they are correct?" Again DEAD SILENCE.

The Apple support person you spoke with is mistaken. Downloads are verified.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201259

 

[maflynn]

Problem solved (I hope). I'm buying a wired keyboard.

Good luck, hopefully that solves the problem.

 

[castlerock]

It's the big problem with Apple that quite often bugs like this go mis or un reported.

What I found scary but Apple didn't have the answer for it:

(snip) "And I guess you are then going to tell me that Apple has no method to check the validity of all the system files written on the boot drive to verify if they are correct?" Again DEAD SILENCE.

Call me an Apple hater if you want but they have taken a Linux/Unix base for their OSx and ripped out all the best working bits and made something so fragile that its flakey for the most simplest things. I was told it's a problem with the KTXT files.

Actually kernel extension signing is enabled by default, so even if the process of downloading and upgrading managed to sneak in a corrupt kext, it simply wouldn't load unless you turned kext signing off manually. Those of us who were fighting Apple on the TRIM enabler (i.e. 3rd party SSD) issue are familiar.

An issue like this that is solved by a clean reinstall seems more likely (IMHO) to be caused a busted configuration file. However, I've found that Apple has not made resilience/resetting of MacOS configuration data something they want to make easy or automagic and share the frustration that "I shouldn't have to wipe my whole drive for one corrupt configuration file."

Also, it could be a hardware problem that is masquerading as a software problem. I've had RAM that went bad and the main symptom was that Wi-Fi had problems. Weird, eh? This might not happen as much these days because I believe the OS randomizes where in memory things get loaded as a security feature.

 

[roadkill401]

I am just telling what the Apple people tell me over the phone. All I can gather from this is that the vast majority of the employees at AppleCare are under trained and full of dung. If your system has a problem as such, then why would they want you to try re-loading and all the junk they get you to do in the name of diagnosing the issue.

If what has been said is true then either Apple doesn't understand how their own systems work, or they are simply relying on the customer to be totally naive for how things are supposed to work and hope that using technical jargon to the unknowing will just get them off the hook.

Your point of the fragility of the Mac OSx and how it seems to require constant reloading to get things to work. One would believe that things should not break on a monthly if not weakly basis, but I have found that to be more than true. What is sad however is that every re-load you roll the dice that something new will be broken in the process of fixing something else. It may be the idea that apple just wants people to need to constantly upgrade to newer hardware as they feel their older hardware is just too old and breaking down too often. And some say that Microsoft Windows is bad. At least you know that you are required to re-install every 9-12 months to keep the system running well.

 

[kagharaht]

I am just telling what the Apple people tell me over the phone. All I can gather from this is that the vast majority of the employees at AppleCare are under trained and full of dung. If your system has a problem as such, then why would they want you to try re-loading and all the junk they get you to do in the name of diagnosing the issue.

If what has been said is true then either Apple doesn't understand how their own systems work, or they are simply relying on the customer to be totally naive for how things are supposed to work and hope that using technical jargon to the unknowing will just get them off the hook.

Your point of the fragility of the Mac OSx and how it seems to require constant reloading to get things to work. One would believe that things should not break on a monthly if not weakly basis, but I have found that to be more than true. What is sad however is that every re-load you roll the dice that something new will be broken in the process of fixing something else. It may be the idea that apple just wants people to need to constantly upgrade to newer hardware as they feel their older hardware is just too old and breaking down too often. And some say that Microsoft Windows is bad. At least you know that you are required to re-install every 9-12 months to keep the system running well.

If you try to get help from the Apple Community Forum, the cheerleaders there will tell you its your fault. The problem is your system period and nothing is wrong with OS X. It's perfect there. lol

 

[Weaselboy]

I am just telling what the Apple people tell me over the phone

I understand, and you are correct in that all too often we see posts here from people like yourself reporting that Apple support has given them incorrect information. It should be happening.