built-in keyboard trackpad disabled

[NSDuo]

It's the strangest thing. Sometimes the built-in keyboard and trackpad on my MacBook Pro just stop working. System Profiler usually shows the keyboard and trackpad under the USB section, but when they stop working the input devices are removed from the list as if they've been unplugged like regular external hardware. It happens only in the winter to my knowledge and occurs about 4 or 5 times a day on average. Restarting doesn't work however shutting down and powering it back up fixes it (temporarily of course). Apple's support page says nothing about this and the geniuses at the apple stores have never seen it before. Has anyone else with a MacBook Pro ever had this problem and know how to prevent it?

 

[NAG]

Are you plugging in an external mouse? What OS version are you using? Have you installed any drivers recently?

 

[NSDuo]

Are you plugging in an external mouse? What OS version are you using? Have you installed any drivers recently?

Yeah I use an external mouse when this happens. As for the OS, I use Leopard, but it occured in Tiger many times when I got it last Christmas and it stopped in the spring and resumed in December. I'm pretty sure it started before I installed any drivers...

 

[NAG]

Okay nothing to worry about. This is a feature. You can disable this feature. Here is how:

Apple (menu) > System Preferences… (menu option) > Keyboard & Mouse (panel) > Trackpad (tab) > Ignore trackpad when mouse is present (uncheck)

 

[NSDuo]

Okay nothing to worry about. This is a feature. You can disable this feature. Here is how:

Apple (menu) > System Preferences… (menu option) > Keyboard & Mouse (panel) > Trackpad (tab) > Ignore trackpad when mouse is present (uncheck)

it is unchecked

 

[NAG]

Fun. Did you install any special drivers for this mouse or is it an Apple mouse?

 

[NSDuo]

Fun. Did you install any special drivers for this mouse or is it an Apple mouse?

No, I didn't install any drivers for it. I'm pretty sure the problem is inside my computer because I can't think of any other reason why System Profiler would not list hardware that can't be removed from the machine.

 

[mtcatesmtcates]

My new Macbook did the same thing. I went to mac support after reading you were having the same problem and they had a software patch for this problem. so far so good........Todd

 

[Meecrob]

Same problem. One day MBP wakes up from sleep and bam, no keyboard or mouse, They're not listed under system profiler but the backlight on the keyboard still works.

Maybe unrelated, but I was playing with Home Zone (an app that detects bluetooth proximity) right beforehand.