Mac OS X 10.5.8 Keyboard keys not responding

[smatlewis]

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.31f0

Certain*keys*are*not*responding*
1.*Volume*Keys-*System*preferences*not*ticked*to*act*ås*Function*keys
2.*H*key*not*working-*I*get*this*symbol*˙*when*pressed
3.*Delete key not working*
4.*/*shows*volume*when*pressed
5.*Keyboard*viewer*goes*crazy*when*i*press*any*of*these*above*keys,*when*I*press*the*h*key,*many*items*light*up*on*the*viewer!*Same*for*other*keys.

I*have*tried*reinstalling*OS*X*and*the*problem*has*not*changed
Created*new*user*and*still*same*problem
Is*there*a*way*to*remove*keyboard*from*library*and*install*new*one

 

[iLog.Genius]

Dude, what is up with all the * in your post? Makes it hard to friggin read. It's probably a hardware issue. Take to the Apple Store and see what they say.

 

[r0k]

Do you have a spare usb keyboard lying around? You can get usb keyboards for 12 bucks, and while they have windows keys , they still work for test purposes. If you're willing to part with $20, don't like the sight of Windows keys, and have a MicroCenter nearby, you can get your hands on a Mac compatible keyboard.

How do I know those Windows keyboards "just work"? I own half a dozen mac minis. They work.

 

[Gregg2]

Dude, what is up with all the * in your post? Makes it hard to friggin read. It's probably a hardware issue. Take to the Apple Store and see what they say.

Genius, Dude is having keyboard issues. Did you notice all the *s are where a space is needed?

But, yeah, sounds like hardware.

 

[brguitarist]

I can't tell if genius was joking or not.

 

[RealaT]

Sounds like classic liquid spillage on the keyboard to me

 

[smatlewis]

The keyboard mapping in my library was corrupt, or so a friend told so. He told me to move it to the trash and reboot with my Install Disk 1 inserted, well, I did that and now I have no keyboard use whatsoever. I tried to move the Keyboard map file back but I can't enter the password for authentication so I will have to buy a USB keyboard as suggested. I can't use any of the keyboard commands when I restart the macbook to get it to boot to the disk. There was no water spilled on the machine, keyboard just starting acting weird one day.

 

[r0k]

The keyboard mapping in my library was corrupt, or so a friend told so. He told me to move it to the trash and reboot with my Install Disk 1 inserted, well, I did that and now I have no keyboard use whatsoever. I tried to move the Keyboard map file back but I can't enter the password for authentication so I will have to buy a USB keyboard as suggested. I can't use any of the keyboard commands when I restart the macbook to get it to boot to the disk. There was no water spilled on the machine, keyboard just starting acting weird one day.

Buying a usb keyboard might not help your problem. I think it's time to boot from the leopard dvd and test your keyboard. If your keyboard works fine after booting from the leopard dvd, you may need to do an "archive and install". But before you go that far, create a spare user account. See if the keyboard works when you log in as the spare user.

If you boot from the leopard dvd, your keyboard should work fine, right? Booting from the dvd bypasses any files in your home folder so if those are missing or if they were the cause of the corruption they are skipped. If booting from the install dvd means you still cannot type, then it sounds like you need a new keyboard.

Can you borrow a usb keyboard? While they aren't very expensive, buying one just for testing seems too much. It might be better to pick up an apple keyboard so if it turns out it was a hardware problem you can keep it. If it wasn't a hardware problem you can return it.

Here is a simple diagnosis tree for a keyboard that doesn't work:

1 - hardware
..a - bad keyboard (also a stuck key - check for keys that don't move)
..b - bad cable
..c - heavy object - is a heavy object lying on the keyboard holding down the fn or apple key?
..d - bad usb outlet
..e - bad motherboard


All of the above except (d and e) can be diagnosed by trying a borrowed or purchased usb keyboard. you can elimiate d by moving the keyboard to a different usb jack on your computer. If e is the culprit, nothing you can do short of taking the system in for service will fix the problem.

2 - software
..a - bad config files in one user's account
..b - bad system wide config files
..c - bad system wide software

A can be diagnosed by creating a spare user account. A, B and C can be remedied by doing an "archive and install" from your leopard dvd.