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iMac G5 refuses to type out capital "s"-please help

R

rosyclown

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 24, 2009
7
0
Hello, I have an iMac G5 with Tiger 10.4.11 and my mac refuses to write out the capital letter s (see?) in any program and any font. I have tried replacing the keyboard, and that doesn't work, and I don't remember when this trend started, but I have been through two keyboard changes. I am willing to buy a wireless keyboard if that helps. It used to write the s--something happened and now it doesn't. I have looked at Fontbook and cleared out surplus fonts I don't want anymore. I don't know what else to do. Please help.

Thanks,
Rosy
 
kwood said:
Delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.UniversalAccess.plist (~/=Home Folder). Restart the computer and you should be all set.
Click to expand...

I tried that, and I am sorry but it didn't work. :(
The problem also manifests as the Mac barking at me as if something is wrong when I do try to type an s in capitals. This computer has done this with other keyboards too, so it's not that I spilled anything on it. if the key were locked, i wouldn't be able to type s at all. Does anyone else have any ideas because it's been about a year like this.

:( Rosy
 
Try going to:

System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu -> (check) Keyboard Viewer, (check) Show input source in menu.

A new item should appear in the menu bar, probably with an American flag if you're using a default keyboard layout. Click on it and go to Show Keyboard Viewer. When you press the shift key, does the S become shifted? When you click the shifted S, do you get what is advertised?

Oh, does caps lock work?
 
BlueRevolution said:
Try going to:

System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu -> (check) Keyboard Viewer, (check) Show input source in menu.

A new item should appear in the menu bar, probably with an American flag if you're using a default keyboard layout. Click on it and go to Show Keyboard Viewer. When you press the shift key, does the S become shifted? When you click the shifted S, do you get what is advertised?

Oh, does caps lock work?
Click to expand...

Hello, when I go to the keyboard viewer as you instructed, no the s does not stay capitalized, and the Caps Lock doesn't work on there, but here is a sample of some writing with the locl on:

SAM THE SNAKE WENT TO THE SEA SHORE.SSSSS

Okay so apparently the s works on caps lock, but not on a mere shift.

Thanks so much for the ongoing help with this problem,

Look forward to more clues,
Rosy:)
 
Wait, you mean the S key appears in lowercase here when you hold the shift key down?
 

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BlueRevolution said:
Okay, and if you click the button in Keyboard Viewer you end up with a lowercase "s"?

(Sorry, I use an alternate keyboard layout.)
Click to expand...

No, I get nothing, no letter, just a noise telling me "hey stop that!", that Mac beepy noise if I press that capital s on the picture, just like the warning beep I get when I try to type it. It just won't allow me to type it, unless I have the caps lock on LIKE SO. Funny thing is, the mac just now barked at me because I wanted to write a cap s with my finger holding the shift down. Only when the caps are actually locked can i write it. :confused:

rosy
 
You know, it sounds to me like shift+S has been somehow assigned as a hotkey for something. I'm just not sure where or how. System Preferences won't accept shift+character as a hotkey, so I'd assume it wouldn't be in there.

Try creating a new user account. Does the problem follow you there?
 
I had this same problem on my MacBookPro. I tried logging out, then back in again. Shift-s again produces capital "S"! It appeared to have something to do with speech synthesis.
 
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