Need Macbook Help (keyboard problems and reinstall questions)

[nfn13187]

Ok so got a Macbook off a friend new to the platform and had some questions/problems.

randomly keys will not work or will type wildly i.e I press w and get a whole string of 7's across the screen or several letter of the alphabet decide not to work. I'm running 10.5.8 Snowleopard I believe I was wondering if this sounds more like a driver issue (maybe he installed a wrong driver or software conflict) I personally think it's a hardware issue since a usb keybaord seems to work fine when plugged in it's just the laptop keyboard that acts up and misstypes stuff or types on it's own at random.

Also if it is a hardware issue how to i format and re-install the only install dvd I have is a 10.6 version of snow leopard will this work for me or do I have to hunt down a 10.5.8 copy and if so where?

I personally believe it's a hardware issue with the keyboard unit which from what I can tell can easily be replaced I just wanted some other oppinions before ordering a keyboard. and the administrator acct the password I have for it isn't working so also looking to do a fresh install even if it's just a hardware issue to set it back to default or is there a way to do this without wiping and installing without root permissions?

Thanks in advance sorry if questions sound dumb but new to the platform usually run windows 7 and ubuntu

 

[spinnerlys]

Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install - if you don't mind losing the data on the MacBook, unless you have backed up the data you need.

That will remove any previous software issues and you have a fresh install of Mac OS X. You can use the white Snow Leopard DVD for that, but you will lose iLife, unless you back it up.

If the keyboard issue still occurs, do an Apple Hardware Test or get in contact with Apple or Apple Authorised Repair Shop if you still have warranty or Apple Care.



Also have a look at the following links, as the information presented there might be helpful in your future endeavours into Mac OS X and could clear up initial confusion and may even prevent harm to your system or your files.

Mac OS X Basics

Switch 101 - guide with articles made by Apple on how to accustom yourself, after you switched to Mac OS X from Windows​

Mac 101 - How to get started with Mac OS X​

Find out how - tutorial videos made by Apple on how to do certain thing in Mac OS X​

Pro tips - tips made available by Apple for easier ways of doing certain tasks​

Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts - Learn about common Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts.​

Mac OS X Beginner's Guide by MacRumors - learn about software, media players, shortcuts and some useful tips, tricks and hints​

Mac Guides - tutorials, product guides and more​

Mac Guides - Finding Mac Software​

MRoogle - a very effective tool to search these fora using Google and made available by edesignuk, introductory threads: 1, 2 and 3​

"How to maximise your MacRumors troubleshooting experience" created by mad jew in 2006​

 

[nfn13187]

Ok I went and bought dual layer dvd's to make an installation dvd for this tonight but all it keeps doing is spitting the dvd's out over and over I moved the .dmg file to a external hard drive to try and just access it from there but not being familiar with os x I'm not having much luck with doing anything since I dont think the drive is just a dvd player / cd burner drive.... I've read elsewhere if it's unable to burn the media it will likely not be able to play it but I finalized the disc's when burning them so they should play anywhere a regular dvd should play

 

[spinnerlys]

Mac Tip: How to burn an .iso or .dmg file to disc

 

[eman]

Is the keyboard sticky from a previous liquid spill? If so, the keyboard needs to be replaced.
You can erase the hard drive with Snow Leopard and reload the OS. You can also use firewire target mode and use another mac to load the OS.