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Keyboard shortcuts not working

Mr_Brightside_@

Mr_Brightside_@

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 23, 2005
3,861
2,346
Toronto
Hey all, every time I go into Keyboard and Mouse in System Preferences, the Keyboard Shortcuts window always warns me that two actions (Input Source ones and Spotlight ones) have the same shortcuts, so I change one of them and quit, but I just get the alert sound and nothing happens. Also, every time I restart, the shortcuts are immediately reverted, so that the two actions have the same shortcut again. Does anyone know a possible fix for this?
EDIT
To anybody who happens to stumble on this forlorn problem, I finally solved it by simply installing some updates with Software Update, the most recent ones being Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update, QuickTime, and Security Updates 2008-005 and -007.
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
I'm not sure - that one was just a guess. I'm not at a Mac right now, alas.
Click to expand...
I checked both my iBook and my bro's MBP (both on Tiger) and neither has it. Anything else?
EDIT- after trashing the systempreferences.plist, repairing permissions, and restarting, the new shortcuts actually WORK once made, but are not kept after reboot. Any other ideas? Thanks!
 
I have exactly the same problem. This started together with MobileMe. I use it to sync my preferences with my powerbook.

do you also use MobileMe?
 
I have deleted the preferences file. So far so good...

I noticed two different issues:
- the error that two key combinations are assigned to the same shortcuts
- shortcuts not working anymore

I am not sure they are related as the first issue is fixed by clicking "restore defaults" and the second is fixed by logging out and in again...

weird.
 
Mr Brightside on the computer with shortcut errors make a guest account and log into that. Do you have the same problem? I see deleting the keyboard preference file worked until a reboot.:confused:
 
hagar said:
I have deleted the preferences file. So far so good...

I noticed two different issues:
- the error that two key combinations are assigned to the same shortcuts
- shortcuts not working anymore

I am not sure they are related as the first issue is fixed by clicking "restore defaults" and the second is fixed by logging out and in again...

weird.
Click to expand...
So i don't know exactly what that means, can you elaborate?

KingYaba said:
Mr Brightside on the computer with shortcut errors make a guest account and log into that. Do you have the same problem? I see deleting the keyboard preference file worked until a reboot.:confused:
Click to expand...

This didn't work either, unfortunately. What I did do was System>Library>PreferencesPanes, showed package contents of Keyboard, then found DefaultConfigKeysTable.xml, and opened it. At the bottom, I can see the default Input Menu combos, but don't know how to edit them. Does anyone have any ideas about that?
 
To anybody who happens to stumble on this forlorn problem, I finally solved it by simply installing some updates with Software Update, the most recent ones being Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update, QuickTime, and Security Updates 2008-005 and -007.
 
Well I have the same problem now, looked around the net and it seems I'm far from being the only one.

Cmd-c and Shift-e no longer works...

I'll try deleting the preference files. This sucks, so much time wasted.

BTW my laptop keyboard works fine, only the USB one has the problem.
 
pionata said:
Well I have the same problem now, looked around the net and it seems I'm far from being the only one.

Cmd-c and Shift-e no longer works...

I'll try deleting the preference files. This sucks, so much time wasted.

BTW my laptop keyboard works fine, only the USB one has the problem.
Click to expand...
Yeah, try that, and try updating everything in Software Update. You're saying that you have a laptop and an external keyboard, right? And that the ext keyboard doesn't work properly? Has it always worked and just recently stopped? (I believe that is what you meant.) If the .plist and Update don't work, I'm not sure what to do.
If -if- those commands have never worked, it's possible your keyboard simply isn't set up right for OS X (ie, it's misinterpreting command and shift).
 
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
Yeah, try that, and try updating everything in Software Update. You're saying that you have a laptop and an external keyboard, right? And that the ext keyboard doesn't work properly? Has it always worked and just recently stopped? (I believe that is what you meant.) If the .plist and Update don't work, I'm not sure what to do.
If -if- those commands have never worked, it's possible your keyboard simply isn't set up right for OS X (ie, it's misinterpreting command and shift).
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for the reply. Sorry I'm late on this. I upgraded to Snow Leopard and still get the same problem. It's an apple keyboard, about 6 months old. The cmd and the C key works, just not together (They've always worked before / happened suddenly).

An article on Cnet says it's caused by the voiceover shortcut, but all those are disabled on my computer. I'll go to an apple store to try with one of their keyboard to see if it's and hardware or software problem.

I'm starting to have the feeling it might be a broken circuit.
 
pionata said:
Hey thanks for the reply. Sorry I'm late on this. I upgraded to Snow Leopard and still get the same problem. It's an apple keyboard, about 6 months old. The cmd and the C key works, just not together (They've always worked before / happened suddenly).

An article on Cnet says it's caused by the voiceover shortcut, but all those are disabled on my computer. I'll go to an apple store to try with one of their keyboard to see if it's and hardware or software problem.

I'm starting to have the feeling it might be a broken circuit.
Click to expand...
If you upgraded the entire OS and the problem persists, then yeah, I'm going to assume it's hardware too. Like I said, mine was fixed by a random update, and if I new OS does nothing for you, I'm thinking it's the keyboard itself. Also, I don't think I mentioned I'm on a laptop (iBook).
 
same problem here

I had the same problem with a tiger os. but it happened only with office.

I uninstalled the pack. Now I'm waiting for the results.
 
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